Skip to Content
 Close search

Report on Government Services 2020

Part F, SECTION 15: RELEASED ON 23 JANUARY 2020

15 Services for people with disability

This section reports on the Australian, State and Territory governments’ assistance provided to people with disability and their carers.

Download the section

  • Key Facts
  • Indicator Framework
  • Indicator Results
  • Indigenous Data

Performance reporting currently focuses on assistance provided by governments through specialist disability services under the National Disability Agreement (NDA) as well as the broad social and economic outcomes of people with disability. Performance information on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will be developed for future reports.

In 2018-19, total government expenditure on specialist disability services provided under the NDA was $4.2 billion — a real decrease of 37.8 per cent from 2017-18. At the same time, committed support to the NDIS has increased, from $7.7 billion in 2017-18, to $14.5 billion in 2018-19.

Nationally in 2017-18 (2018-19 data were not available for this Report), the number of people with disability (aged 0–64 years) using NDA specialist disability services as a proportion of the estimated potential population was:

  • Community support, 14.0 per cent (91 926 users)
  • Respite, 8.2 per cent (23 678 users)
  • Open employment, 9.8 per cent of people aged 15–64 years who had an employment restriction (133 511 users)
  • Community access, 4.9 per cent (31 793 users)
  • Supported employment, 4.6 per cent (14 810 users)
  • Accommodation support, 3.5 per cent (22 876 users).

In 2017-18, 38 646 people who used disability support services under the NDA were identified as transitioning to the NDIS. As at 30 June 2018, there were 102 764 NDIS participants who were existing State/Territory service users (that is, had transferred at some time from NDA services).

The Australian, State and Territory governments aim to ensure that people with disability and their carers have an enhanced quality of life, enjoy choice and wellbeing, achieve independence, social and economic participation, and full inclusion in the community.

The performance indicator framework provides information on equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and distinguishes the outputs and outcomes of government funded services for people with disability. The performance indicator framework shows which data are complete and comparable in this Report.

Indicator framework

An overview of the Services for people with disability performance indicator results are presented. Information to assist the interpretation of these data can be found in the indicator interpretation boxes in the Services for people with disability section and data tables.

Expand allCollapse all

Equity — Access indicators

Service use by special needs groups

Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians using accommodation support services per 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander potential population, 2017-18

Most recent data for this measure are comparable but are not complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
Rate 14.1 14.8 26.3 47.3 99.9 16.4 na 49.4 27.9
Source: Data table 15A.26

Effectiveness — Access indicators

Access to funded disability supports

Proportion of potential population using National Disability Agreement (NDA) accommodation support services, 2017-18

Most recent data for this measure are comparable, but are not complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 1.5 3.0 3.9 5.3 10.4 6.4 na 2.8 3.5
Source: Data table 15A.44

Younger people with disability in residential aged care

Rate of younger people admitted to permanent residential aged care per 10 000 potential population, 2018-19

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
Rate 30.5 38.2 26.8 25.2 23.8 39.5 12.8 1.1 30.1
Source: Data table 15A.51

Effectiveness — Quality indicators

Client and carer satisfaction

Proportion of people with disability/primary carers who are satisfied with the quality of assistance received, 2018 (per cent)

Most recent data for these measures are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
People with disability 72.4 ± 7.4 74.0 ± 9.4 78.4 ± 8.0 78.9 ± 10.1 96.2 ± 69.0* 64.1 ± 20.6 83.8 ± 14.0 100.0 ± np** 76.6 ± 4.5
Primary carers 65.1 ± 14.4 68.7 ± 12.0 68.3 ± 11.0 63.4 ± 13.8 77.2 ± 19.4 103.3 ± np** 66.7 ± 48.6* 66.6 ± 4.8
Source: Data tables 15A.56–57

Efficiency — Cost per output unit indicators

Government contribution per user of non-government provided services

Government funding per user of non‑government provided accommodation support services in group homes, 2017-18

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable or complete
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
$ 153 823 98 223 159 401 157 588 138 266 91 906 na 7 974 133 466
Source: Data table 15A.62

Cost per user of State and Territory administered services

Total estimated expenditure per service user, State and Territory government administered programs, 2017-18

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable or complete
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
$ 47 934 27 488 65 700 52 041 47 238 25 196 na 46 839 41 745
Source: Data table 15A.66

Outcome indicators

Labour force participation and employment of people with disability

Labour force participation rate of people with disability aged 15–64 years, 2018

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 51.0 ± 3.2 51.9 ± 3.5 54.1 ± 3.0 59.1 ± 3.7 58.6 ± 6.4 41.2 ± 6.0 68.7 ± 5.3 58.2 ± 16.7 53.4 ± 1.6
Source: Data table 15A.68

Labour force participation of primary carers of people with disability

Labour force participation rate for primary carers aged 15–64 years, 2018

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 60.0 ± 6.5 58.3 ± 8.2 52.9 ± 8.2 61.4 ± 10.3 70.1 ± 16.0 46.4 ± 15.9 61.6 ± 11.8 102.6 ± np** 57.0 ± 3.9
Source: Data table 15A.74

Social participation of people with disability

People with disability aged 15–64 years who have had face to face contact with family or friends in the previous week, 2018

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 67.0 ± 3.6 68.1 ± 1.2 66.0 ± 3.0 73.1 ± 3.5 66.3 ± 7.3 77.0 ± 7.0 73.8 ± 3.1 60.0 ± 31.7* 67.6 ± 1.7
Source: Data table 15A.80

Use of mainstream services by people with disability

Proportion of people with disability aged 15–64 years who experienced discrimination due to disability from service and hospitality staff in the last 12 months, 2018

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 5.0 ± 1.6 4.7 ± 1.9 4.3 ± 2.4* 6.4 ± 2.5 4.4 ± np** 9.8 ± 6.6* 10.2 ± 5.8* 5.6 ± 0.8
Source: Data table 15A.87

Carer health and wellbeing

Proportion of primary carers of people with disability who feel satisfied with their caring role, 2018

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
 NSWVicQldWASATasACTNTAust
% 20.3 ± 5.5 23.1 ± 6.1 29.8 ± 9.1 17.5* ± 9.1 11.9** ± np 13.7* ± 12.5 19.7** ± np 43.6** ± np 22.1 ± 3.2
Source: Data table 15A.19

Notes

These data and caveats for these data are available in section 15 and relevant data tables.

Some percentages reported in these tables include 95 per cent confidence intervals (for example, 80 per cent ± 2.7 per cent).

* Indicates the estimate or proportion has a relative standard error between 25 per cent and 50 per cent and should therefore be used with caution. ** Indicates the estimate or proportion has a relative standard error greater than 50 per cent and is considered too unreliable for general use.

na Not available. np Not published. – Nil or rounded to zero.

Performance indicator data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this section are available in the data tables listed below. Contextual data and further supporting information can be found in the section.

Disability services data disaggregated for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Table number Table title
Table 15A.26 Users of NDA accommodation support services, by Indigenous status
Table 15A.27 Users of NDA community support services, by Indigenous status
Table 15A.28 Users of NDA community access services, by Indigenous status
Table 15A.29 Users of NDA respite services, by Indigenous status
Table 15A.30 Users of NDA employment services (aged 15–64 years), by Indigenous status
Table 15A.31 Indigenous users of NDA open employment services/Employment Support Services aged 15-64 years, by age
Table 15A.32 Indigenous users of NDA Disability Management Services aged 15-64 years, by age
Table 15A.33 Indigenous users of NDA supported employment services/ Australian Disability Enterprises aged 15-64 years, by age
Table 15A.39 Indigenous users of State/Territory delivered NDA services aged 0-64 years
Table 15A.51 Rate of younger people admitted to permanent residential aged care per 10 000 potential population, by Indigenous status, by age
Table 15A.53 Younger people who separated from permanent residential aged care to return to home/family, by Indigenous status, by age
Table 15A.54 Younger people receiving permanent residential aged care, by Indigenous status, by age