Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA)

IEA is the Australian Government’s new specialist disability employment program. It takes over from the Disability Employment Services (DES) program from 1 November 2025.

It supports people with disability, injury or health conditions. This now includes those who can only work a few hours per week and people who aren’t getting income support from Services Australia.

To receive support under the Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) scheme, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

General eligibility requirements

A job seeker is eligible for IEA if they:

• have a disability, injury or health condition;
• are aged at least 14 years but have not yet attained the Age Pension qualifying age;
• are at or above the minimum legal working age in their state or territory;
• are an Australian resident;
• are not studying full time, unless the job seeker is an ESL; and
• are not working at or above their Employment Benchmark hours (not applicable for Work Assist participants, supported employment undertaken by National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, and/or participants in the Disability Employment Continuity of Support program).

If you meet all of the above eligibility criteria, you can access Inclusive Employment Australia through a referral from Services Australia (previously Centrelink) or by registering with Breakthru directly. When you visit a Services Australia branch, they will carry out an employment assessment (also known as an ESAt) to see if you are eligible for Inclusive Employment Australia.

An Employee Services Assessment (ESAt) is an assessment conducted by an Allied Health Professional from Services Australia (also known as Centrelink) to assess the impact of a job seekers disability, illness, injury and non-vocational barriers to employment as well as your work capacity. This includes determining how many hours per week you can work on a consistent basis and what kind of support you require to maintain this.

It’s important to note that job seekers must have a valid ESAt before commencing with a Disability Employment Services (DES) provider like Breakthru. If you would like help with your ESAt or have any questions about this process, please contact us or visit the Employment Services Assessments page on the Services Australia website.

Deciding what you disclose about your personal circumstances is entirely up to you. You are not required to disclose this information if you’re not comfortable doing so. If you wish to do so, we can help you communicate this information.

If you’re with another IEA provider and would like to transfer to Breakthru, please contact us and we can guide you through the process.

The IEA program is fully funded by the Australian Government and carries no expense for job seekers.