Collaborative Partnership Research on Work Participation

This document is a research report detailing the findings of the Collaborative Partnership to Improve Work Participation, which operated from 2017 to 2023. The partnership involved multiple organizations aiming to enhance health and work participation outcomes for working-age Australians affected by illness, injury, or disability. The report outlines the complexities of Australia's ten major income support systems, which are fragmented and vary in governance, structure, and eligibility. It discusses the challenges individuals face when transitioning between these systems and the lack of adequate support during these transitions, often leading to prolonged periods of work incapacity. The report presents an Income Support Transition Data Model developed to visualize the interrelatedness of these systems and their impact on individuals' health and employment outcomes. Additionally, it includes insights from a national scan of employment services, emphasizing the need for coordinated action across systems to improve the experience of individuals navigating income support.