Good morning.
I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Kaurna peoples, and pay my respects to elders past and present. I extend that acknowledgement to all First Nations peoples joining us today.
I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues Anne Aly and Nat Cook, National Workforce Collaboration members and the United Workers Union for hosting us here today.
What a great day. I am so pleased to be part of today's launch of the What's my Future? national disability support worker recruitment campaign.
Over the past three years, our Albanese Labor Government has been working hard to support people with disability to live with dignity and to participate fully within their community.
As the Minister for Social Services and Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, I am focused on securing better outcomes for all Australians with disability.
To do that we need a capable, well-trained compassionate workforce working with people with disability.
It is critically important that people with disability can access the high-quality disability services they need, when and where they need them to empower them to fully participate in society.
The workers I've met in the disability sector are passionate about making a difference. You are doing amazing, rewarding work, bringing compassion, drive and experience to improve people's lives. But we need more of you.
We need more of these passionate people to be that support network to help people with disability to meet their goals.
For far too long, many people with disability, especially in regional, rural and remote communities miss out on getting the high quality supports they deserve. The demand for disability support services is growing rapidly and we need to take action to strengthen the disability workforce in Australia.
We must be attracting and retaining people with the right skills, providing training pathways and growing the workforce delivering high quality supports to those who need it.
It's critically important that these workers are properly supported to build a fulfilling and rewarding career within the sector.
This is why our Labor Government is proud to be funding the National Workforce Collaboration to deliver this new campaign.
The What's my Future campaign will show prospective workers what their future could look like in disability support.
We know one of the barriers to workers joining is a misunderstanding about the role and what it means to work with people with disability.
It is important to shine a spotlight on what the work entails and hear first-hand from support workers about the diversity of roles and experiences within the sector.
And importantly, the work satisfaction that comes from helping others.
We need to give people the information they need about what to expect, how to enter support work, the qualifications and attributes required, and whether it is right for them.
This campaign will show school leavers, those already working in health, and professionals looking for a career change what the disability support sector can offer.
With a wealth of information, supporting materials, and real-world examples of what the sector has in store, the campaign will help raise both recruitment numbers, and retention.
Thank you all for the work you do, and I am excited to see the positive results this campaign will bring.
Alongside this campaign, the Government is driving action to strengthen the workforce in many other ways.
Shortly, we will be releasing a new NDIS Workforce Data Report to give us a snapshot of the current state of the NDIS workforce and forecast demand over 2025-26.
We are also focusing on training and growth opportunities within the disability sector through HumanAbility.
As one of the Government's 10 Jobs and Skills Councils, HumanAbility has released its first workforce plan focussed on current, emerging and future workforce challenges and opportunities across the care and support sector.
We are also trialling collaborative community-driven solutions across the care and support sector including through the Integrated Care and Commissioning project, and alternative commissioning trials in First Nations and remote communities.
A stronger workforce is an important part of the Government's broader disability reform under Australia's Disability Strategy - which is a commitment by all levels of government to drive inclusion and improved outcomes for all people with disability in Australia.
At the centre of all my decision making, is improving the lives of people with disability. breaking down barriers and working with people with disability and of course those that support them to drive change.
A strong, skilled disability workforce is essential to achieving this goal.
