The NDS Employment Team has been busy on various projects, including ongoing advocacy for supported employment and our participation in the DES reform process.

In February, we supported a member-led advocacy visit to Parliament House in Canberra to meet MPs and senior Department of Social Services (DSS) staff. We talked about recent sector developments and promoted supported employment.

The supported employment delegation was positively received. We were reassured by the level of understanding within government on the role and value of supported employment and the jobs the sector provides to those with significant disability. Within government, there was a good grasp of the complex issues arising from the interaction of increased wages and the Disability Support Pension. There was also significant interest in our recent position paper on the future of wages in supported employment and the need for increased social procurement by all levels of government.