What the new Inclusive Employment Australia contract means for employers

CoAct Connect is one of Australia’s most trusted Inclusive Employment Australia providers. We bring together a network of not-for-profit community organisations, who deliver Inclusive Employment Australia nationally. We’re excited to continue supporting Australian businesses to find great people and build more inclusive workplaces.

What is Inclusive Employment Australia?

Inclusive Employment Australia replaces the former Disability Employment Services (DES) program from 1 November 2025. It’s designed to create better job outcomes by focusing on a person’s strengths, goals, and long-term success in work. Through Inclusive Employment Australia, we help people with disability, injury, or health conditions to find meaningful employment, and support employers to access motivated, job-ready candidates.

How we help employers

We’re employment experts who help businesses find and recruit exceptional people. We work with people from all walks of life, including people with disability, a treated illness, injury or mental health condition.

Our team of Diversity Recruitment Specialists will:

• connect you with job-ready candidates who have completed industry-aligned training and are matched to your specific workforce needs
• work closely with you to design tailored recruitment and workforce planning solutions
• advise you on job design, workplace modifications and role customisation to ensure the right fit for your team
• streamline the recruitment process by managing everything from candidate sourcing and prescreening to onboarding and workplace adjustments
• provide you with the opportunity to trial candidates before making a long-term commitment
• offer you and your staff workshops, resources and on-the-job training to support diversity and inclusion practices
• support your new recruits with ongoing coaching, workplace assessments and digital tools as long as they need it for long-term success
• help you develop return-to-work plans for staff recovering from illness or injury
• assist you in accessing employer incentives, such as wage subsidies and outcome-based financial support, for inclusive employment practices.

Access our services at no cost and let us help you build a stronger workforce.

Support as unique as your business

We’ll help you navigate the funding and training opportunities available for your organisation.

• JobAccess – The national hub for all things on disability employment including an employer toolkit, information downloads and stories.
• Inclusive Employment Australia Wage Subsidy – Funding ranging up to $10,000 may be available to businesses that hire eligible individuals into ongoing jobs. Different subsidy levels are offered depending on the hours of employment provided by the employer.
• Employment Assistance Fund – Financial help for eligible employers and clients to buy work related modifications and services.
• Ongoing Support (Work Assist) – Solutions and funding to support employees with a verified disability or medical condition to return to or stay in work.

Supporting both jobseekers and employers

We know that successful employment happens when both the employee and the employer feel supported. That’s why our team provides ongoing assistance to both sides, from onboarding and workplace adjustments to check-ins and retention support.

This means you’ll have a single point of contact who understands your business and ensures that your new employee settles in well, while the employee receives coaching and support to thrive in their new role.

Partnering for inclusive success

Inclusive Employment Australia is about creating better opportunities for everyone, and that includes employers. By partnering with CoAct Connect and our network, you’ll be part of a nationwide effort to build inclusive, productive, and diverse workplaces.

If you’re looking to fill a role or explore inclusive hiring, get in touch with CoAct Connect to see how we can help.

Find out more about how we support employers