Collaborative partnership to improve work participation
This national initiative aimed to give more Australians with a health condition or disability a greater opportunity to engage in good work.
From 2017 to 2023 the collaborative partnership brought together partners from government, public, private and not-for-profit sectors to improve social, health, and economic outcomes through:
- improving work participation
- building capability among employers and workplaces
- clarifying the role of the general practitioner (GP)
- raising awareness of the health benefits of good work
- identifying opportunities for system improvement.
The partnership fostered collaboration across traditionally siloed systems, including workers’ compensation, motor accident compensation, disability support, employment and insurance.
Watch a YouTube video about the partnership: Collaborative Partnership to improve work participation snapshot
Research reports
Overview report
Schemes and systems
In this stream of work, we mapped Australia’s 10 major benefit and income support systems used by people who are unable to work due to a health condition or disability. We measured how people move between these systems and ran a transition support pilot for people leaving their current system. We also developed an income support transition model which allows you to understand the complex behaviours, relationships and transitions between the income supports systems and how a decision made in one system impacts the other systems.
- Schemes and systems research report (PDF, 1017.3 KB)
- People research report (PDF, 266.3 KB)
- Cross sector project report snapshot (PDF, 309.0 KB)
- Cross sector project final report (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Cross sector systems case studies (PDF, 140.5 KB)
- Measuring the movement of people between systems report snapshot (PDF, 250.8 KB)
- Measuring the movement of people between systems survey and interview report (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Transition support pilot report snapshot (PDF, 261.1 KB)
- A combined approach: operation and evaluation report (PDF, 724.4 KB)
- Income support transition model (PDF, 759.7 KB)
Employers and workplaces
This research investigated employer attitudes to hiring and supporting people with a health condition or disability. It also explored the lived experience of people with a health condition or disability, how better to empower them to use work as part of their recovery, and the available employment support interventions.
- Employers research report (PDF, 450.3 KB)
- Employer mobilisation research report snapshot (PDF, 82.3 KB)
- Employer mobilisation final research report (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Employer mobilisation research overview (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Employee awareness and empowerment research report snapshot (PDF, 82.3 KB)
- Employee awareness and empowerment research report (PDF, 795.2 KB)
- Mapping the employment support interventions for people with work restrictions in Australia – Swinburne summary report (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Typology of employment support interventions (PDF, 98.4 KB)
General practitioners
We developed Australia’s first national principles on the role of GPs in supporting work participation.
- GPs research report (PDF, 390.7 KB)
- Principles on the role of the GP in supporting work participation snapshot (PDF, 1.4 MB)
- Principles on the role of the GP in supporting work participation (PDF, 6.9 MB)
Partners
The collaborative partnership to improve work participation involved:
- Comcare
- Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
- Insurance Council of Australia
- EML
- Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
- Australian Council of Trade Unions
- National Disability Insurance Agency
- Department of Health and Aged Care
- National Mental Health Commission
- Transport Accident Commission.
