Supporting children with disability

A commitment to all children

The Government wants to ensure all children have the skills and opportunities to participate in society. This means investing in measures that improve educational outcomes and promote inclusion for all children, particularly those with disability.

A better start for children with disability

Delivering on its election commitment, the Government will provide $147 million to help families with early intervention services for eligible children with disability through grants of up to $12,000 per family, capped at $6,000 a year. A one‑off payment of $2,000 will also be available to children

living in rural and remote areas to help meet the additional costs of accessing services.

The Government will provide an additional $29 million for the Helping Children with Autism program to meet increased demand for early intervention services provided through the initiative, bringing funding to $131 million over four years.

Immediate support for students

The Government is also providing $200 million over three years to support students with disability. The measure will assist schools and teachers to meet student needs by offering coordinated support and connecting students with services.

This measure will provide an opportunity to identify the strategies which most improve the learning experiences of these students.

Ensuring appropriate assistance for the future

The Government is currently reviewing the funding arrangements for schooling, including investigating how to best meet the needs of different students, including those with disability.

To improve consistency and service delivery, the Disability Standards for Education are also currently under review and work is underway to develop a nationally consistent definition of students with disability.