NDIS boosts Gladstone business opportunities

Gladstone business leaders and employment agencies will gather today to learn how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will bring significant growth and economic opportunity to the region.

In Gladstone for Community Cabinet, Disability Services Minister Coralee O’Rourke urged businesses to take full advantage of the opportunities available under the NDIS, as focus moves from traditional delivery to a market driven by customer needs and demand.

“Once fully operational, the NDIS is expected to support more than 5000 people with disability in Gladstone and the wider Central Queensland community, who will become a powerful new consumer group,” Mrs O’Rourke said.

“We will see incredible market growth and economic opportunities, not only in the disability sector, but also in the wider business community.

“It is time for local businesses and service providers in Gladstone to start planning, and to grab these opportunities with both hands.”

Minister O’Rourke said the NDIS would open the sector to businesses who may not have previously identified themselves as traditional disability services providers.

“The NDIS will create new opportunities in areas not usually associated with the disability sector such as education, tourism, transport and technology – just to name a few,” she said.

“We are already seeing the establishment of great new businesses such as ballet schools for children with disability and respite camping adventures. The opportunities are endless.”

“Being able to understand what disability consumers want and to respond to that demand will be central to business success in the NDIS.

“I urge business leaders to consider how their business or industry can be a part of this exciting future.”

At the forum, NDIS ambassador and Paralympian Karni Liddell will discuss the types of services people with disability are seeking and the importance of finding the right people for the right job.

The forum, to be held at the Central Queensland University Campus, will be attended by representatives from local government, education, employment and training providers, economic and regional development organisations, local businesses and industry.

For more information on the NDIS, visit www.ndis.gov.au (http://www.ndis.gov.au/) or call the NDIS Hotline on 1800 800 110. For people with hearing or speech loss, call TTY 1800 555 677.

Media Contact:                                  Minister O’Rourke’s office                  0408 317 992