A New Era in Disability Employment: What Is Inclusive Employment Australia?

We unearth the revamped national disability employment program, Inclusive Employment Australia. 

On 1 November 2025, Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) officially replaced the Disability Employment Services (DES) program.

Backed by a $5.4 billion investment over five years, this new national approach marked the biggest shift in disability employment in more than a decade.

IEA aims to deliver more tailored, flexible and empowering support.

As part of it all, Endeavour Foundation was selected as a specialist provider of the IEA program, delivering tailored services to support people with disability to find and maintain rewarding employment.

What does this mean for you or the people you support? Let’s break it down.

Why Was DES Replaced?

DES helped many people with disability to find work over the years. But the system had long faced growing calls for change, particularly around the need for more personalised, flexible and empowering support.

In addition to these concerns, DES was approaching the end of its funding cycle and was already scheduled for reform.

To build a stronger, more effective system, the Australian Government introduced Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) – a new framework that introduces more flexible service delivery, tailored support and better outcomes for participants.

What Is Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA)?

IEA is the new national program that guides how employment support is delivered to people with disability. It offers:

• Two service pathways – ‘intensive’ and ‘flexible’ – to reflect a participant’s readiness and ability to engage
• Tailored support aligned with an individual’s goals, support needs and job readiness
• Greater flexibility and personalisation in how services are accessed and delivered
• Stronger pathways to long-term, rewarding employment
  
  

A $5.4 Billion Investment in Inclusion

The government’s $5.4 billion commitment over five years will fund:

• Higher-quality, person-centred employment services
• Greater diversity of providers
• Improved training and post-placement support
• New opportunities for individuals to connect with sustainable, rewarding employment

This investment reflects a major step towards building a more inclusive, future-ready workforce.

What Is a Specific-Cohort Provider?

One of the key changes under IEA was the introduction of two provider categories:

• Specific-cohort providers: These are organisations contracted to deliver services to participants with particular characteristics, such as disability type (e.g., intellectual disability or autism) or background (e.g., First Nations or youth).
• All-cohort providers: These providers support a broader participant base across multiple disability types and needs.

This structure aims to ensure that participants are matched with providers who deeply understand their unique needs and can offer more targeted support.

A new system is here, and with it, new opportunities to get the support that works for you.

Inclusive Employment Australia is designed to offer more choice and flexibility and better outcomes. But with any change, it can be hard to know where to start.

That is where we come in.

Our team is ready to help you make sense of IEA, whether you are navigating it for yourself, a family member or someone you support.

Have questions? Let’s chat.

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