Competition and contestability are on the rise in the social sector. The aged care and childcare sectors and most recently the disability market have been redesigned to provide consumers with more choice, and to drive competition, or contestability between providers.

This conversation was in part prompted by the March 2018 release of the Productivity Commission report, Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services: Reforms to Human Services. The report recommends how to apply increased competition, contestability, and informed user choice into human services (that were identified in the first stage study report) to improve outcomes for users and the community as a whole.

SVA works closely with human services organisations striving to adapt to these changing markets. We hope this conversation will help others understand the changes and how government departments and service providers can best serve people who engage with these services.