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Budget: Government allocates $64 million to NDIS jobs fund

The Federal Government will set up a jobs and market fund to stimulate the development of disability provider markets in rural and remote areas and raise awareness of job opportunities in the fast-growing sector.

The Federal Government will set up a jobs and market fund to stimulate the development of disability provider markets in rural and remote areas and raise awareness of job opportunities in the fast-growing sector.

The NDIS Jobs and Market Fund will deliver workshops to inform school leavers about job opportunities in the scheme and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations to become registered providers.

The fund will also target the training of NDIS workers though online modules and develop an “e-marketplace.”

The Department of Social Services said service and jobs gaps identified through market analysis and sector consultation will be a focus of the budget measure.

The Federal Government said the National Disability Insurance Scheme was “one of the largest job creation opportunities in Australia’s history.”

It is estimated one in five new jobs created in Australia over the next few years will need to be in the disability support sector.

The Productivity Commission has previously warned the scheme is unlikely to have enough providers and workers to deliver the full rollout of the initiative without further policy intervention.

Peak body National Disability Services welcomed the announcement of the jobs fund but said NDIS pricing needed to be sufficient to support provider investment in growth.

“Disability service organisations will not invest in growth unless they are confident that the fundamentals of the scheme are working well – including that NDIS pricing is right – and that is not the case at present,” said NDS CEO Dr Ken Baker.

The government is providing $64.3 million over four years to the fund.

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Tags: budget 2018, disability, Ken-Baker, ndis, NDS, policy, workforce,

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