Four Decades of Breaking Barriers: Jobsupport Celebrates 40Years of Changing Australian Lives Through Employment
Sydney, 20 November 2025
Starting as a demonstration project for the Federal Government to inform the 1986 Disability Services Act,Jobsupport has, from its onset, been Australia’s most successful disability employment service for people with an intellectual disability. In 2025, Jobsupport celebrates 40 years of proving that real-time, on-the-job training and support delivers the strongest results.
The numbers tell a powerful story: consistently the highest sustained employment outcomes in the sector (Department of Social Services data), with operations spanning Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane metropolitan areas. Throughout its history, Jobsupport has remained focused on its mission—keeping
clients at the centre—and building nearly four decades of meaningful and often lifelong careers.
A Celebration of Pioneers and Persistence
On Thursday, 20 November 2025, Jobsupport honoured the employees and employers who have made this milestone possible at its 40th Anniversary Celebration Event at Revesby Workers’ Club, Revesby NSW where the Special Guest was Minister for Social Services, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP.
The event recognised extraordinary achievements—employees and employers celebrating 10, 20, 30, and even 40 years of employment participation.
The Employers Who Said ‘Yes’ First
Woolworths and McDonald’s were the early trailblazers—the first major employers to open their doors and take a chance on inclusive hiring. Today, Woolworths Group employs 98 Jobsupport participants, making them Jobsupport’s largest employer partner.
Among them is Emilio, one of Jobsupport’s first placements at Woolworths Town Hall. Forty years later, Emilio remains part of the team and will receive a 40-year service award at the celebration.
Other major employer partners shaping the program’s long-term success include Coles Group, Bunnings Group Limited, and Harris Farm Markets—all demonstrating that inclusive employment is not only good practice, but good business.
The Jobsupport Difference
“People with a moderate intellectual disability are typically loyal, hardworking, eager to learn and reliable,” said Phil Tuckerman, Jobsupport’s Chief Executive Officer and Founder.
From a small pilot program testing whether open employment could work for this cohort, to becoming Australia’s benchmark for disability employment success, Jobsupport has spent 40 years proving the answer is an emphatic yes.
