Eligibility

To be eligible for our Inclusive Employment Australia Service you must be:

  • living with mental health challenge ( specialist provider cohort)
  • an Australian resident aged from 14 to 67
  •  if you are re-assessed with a future work capacity of 0 to 7 hours
  • at or above the minimum legal working age in your state or territory
  • able to work between zero to 30 hours per week (with support if needed)
  • not studying full time (unless you’re an eligible school leaver)
  • not already working at or above your assessed work capacity

There are special eligibility arrangements for specific participants, which permit access to IEA without an ESAt. These are:

  • Eligible School Leavers – full time, final year secondary school students with significant disability or young people transitioning from an eligible state or territory transition to work program or School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES).
  • Special Class Clients (for IEA) – participants who have acquired a disability, injury or illness as a result of being present at, and directly affected by, notified events such as the Bali and London bomb attacks and the December 2004 Tsunami.
  • Work Assist – eligible workers who are having difficulty fulfilling the essential requirements of their role due to their injury, disability or health challenge and are seeking assistance from a IEA provider.

What is an ESAt?

An Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) is an appointment with Services Australia that looks at:

  • Whether you have a disability, injury or health condition
  • The type of work you may be able to do
  • Any extra support you might need to prepare for and keep a job

This process helps determine whether you are eligible for IEA and ensures you’re matched with the right level of support.

How to get started

  1. Register your interest as a participant with Ostara Australia ( link to referral form)
  2. Contact Services Australia to request an Employment Services Assessment (if you don’t already have one).
  3. Call our team on 1300 678 272  if you’d like to talk through the process or ask questions.
  4. Visit your local Ostara Australia  for in-person support.

Participants can access IEA either through referral by Services Australia —generally for those receiving Centrelink payments who have Mutual Obligation or Compulsory Participation Requirements — or by directly registering with a IEA provider of their choice).

Apart from people who are eligible to access IEA under the special eligibility arrangements listed above, participants will generally need to undertake an ESAt.

An ESAt is conducted by Services Australia and is used to determine the most appropriate employment service for a participant with disability (e.g. Workforce Australia Online, Workforce Australia Services, IEA) and establish a participant’s current and future work capacity with intervention (within two years) based on an assessment of their individual circumstances.

While a participant is waiting for an appointment the participant can contact us,  this will help you understand our business and how we can help support you. 

At the ESAt / JCA Appointment you can let Services Australia know you would like to be referred to Ostara Australia.

Once employed, we will continue to support you with any challenges that may arise at your workplace.

We would never speak to your employer without your consent.

Need further support, call or email us.