Reforms to Social Services Sector to Offer Customised Help

Talking about the transition from DES to IEA, Steve Wyborn, the CEO of Help, which was chosen by the Department of Social Services to deliver the IEA program, said the goal of the company remained the same.

“That hasn’t changed,” he told The Epoch Times.

Wyborn introduced new measures within the IEA contract to support participants in their progress towards employment.

“So it’s not as focused on getting them into employment straight away,” he said.

“We’re actually acknowledged by the government and supported by the government to have steps in place to work with them, to progress over time, so that we’re not pushing them into the wrong job.

“We’re giving them the tools and skills they need so when they do get to work, they can stay there.”

Help is a brand under the IntoWork Group, along with Interact Australia, whose CEO Jamie Barden spoke to The Epoch Times.

“We’ve already seen, participants are not aware of who their provider is, where they’re supposed to go,” he said. “We don’t want a continuation of what we’ve seen.”

Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek said the new approach was more customised.

“This new personalised and specialist approach puts people with disability back at the heart of the services, helping them achieve their career goals,” Plibersek said in a July 20 statement announcing the delivery of the program.

Based on a 2024 report on disability employment by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, in 2018, only 48  percent of people aged 15–64 with disability were employed. In comparison, the employment rate among those without disability was 80 percent.

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