About US
Disability Employment Australia
is the peak industry body for Australia’s Disability Employment sector.
Representing providers of disability employment services, we are devoted to the purpose of helping people living with disability to find meaningful, productive, and fulfilling work.
We are committed to confronting and challenging the exclusion of people with disability, including within the workforce and workplace. Everyone should have the chance to be fully involved with their community and control over their own life choices. Participation in the open labour market is a crucial factor in realising these goals and we are dedicated to this cause.
For more than a quarter of a century, we have been a leader in the disability employment sector; our membership encompasses 70% of the sector’s providers and over 90% of the caseload. 80% of DEA’s members are not-for-profit and deliver a range of services including the Disability Employment Service (DES), NDIS, social enterprise, and community-based
programs.
Policy and advocacy are core elements of DEA’s work. Previously, DEA has worked with
government over critical changes and developments, including moving from block
to case-based funding; developing the participant assessment model; uncapping
DES; establishing a Disability Employment Hall of Fame; advocating for a National Disability Employment Strategy; and contributing to the Disability Royal Commission and NDIS Review.
As the country’s pre-eminent peak body for disability employment, we represent a group of members with deep experience and outstanding expertise in delivering specialist services for people with disability.
DEA has a responsibility to foster excellence, innovation, and flexibility of service within DES and to promote disability employment more widely. We support our members to achieve best practice service provision, and advise, advocate, train, inform, and organise events to strengthen and promote the sector.
OUR GOALS
Disability Employment Australia’s vision is for all people living with disability to achieve their employment potential.
Our role in this is to drive increased economic participation for people with disability, through advocating for more effective policy and better designed employment supports.
To achieve this, we work to these six strategic pillars:
- Strengthen the DEA so we can strengthen the sector
- Address all dimensions of disability employment
- Advocate for more effective policy and showcase the impact of our members
- Build best-in-class partnerships and collaboration
- Establish DEA as a Centre for Disability Employment Excellence
- Keep our members informed of policy and forthcoming events
HOW WE WORK
Disability Employment Australia works directly with DSS to gather industry views and feed these into the policy and procedure making process. We are represented on a number of key government advisory groups.
We are immensely proud of the work we do advocating for our members. Discover some of our recent policy submissions here.
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
Have your voice heard on key issues and enjoy access to expert policy advice, exclusive events, industry support and training tailored to the needs of our sector.
