What is life like for people with a disability deemed to have a partial capacity to work?

This research shows it is often an experience of poverty, with disability exacerbated by an inability to afford essential medical items or appointments or the need to meet obligations to retain Newstart.

This paper presents the findings of a small qualitative pilot study which broadly examines the lived experience of people with disability in Western Sydney on Newstart Allowance (NSA) and whether they are eligible for disability supports through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) tier of the NDIS.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that the eligibility criteria for the Disability Support Pension be reviewed and revised, that the rate of NSA increase, the mutual obligation expectations placed on people with disability on NSA be reviewed, that people be provided with personalised and individualised support in the social security and employment service system, that structural barriers to employment be addressed for people with disability and that clear consideration is given to how NSA and the NDIS intersect to govern people’s lives so that people with disability on NSA are provided with the opportunity to take advantage of relevant aspects of the NDIS. All these recommendations should be informed by the voices and experiences of people with disability.