Wage Supplementation Form
Instructions
This Form is to be completed by Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) who have transitioned all of their Supported Employees from a non-productivity based wage tool to the Supported Wage System (SWS) after 29 April 2014.
For the purposes of this Form an ADE is considered to have ‘completed the transition to the SWS’ when all of its Supported Employees have completed an SWS wage assessment, and are being paid according to that assessment.
ADE organisations that completed their transition to the SWS prior to 29 April 2014 should NOT complete this Form.
Please complete the questions on the following page and ensure the Declaration is executed by an appropriate person before the Form is submitted. DSS will not accept this form if the declaration is not completed by the person undertaking the role of Chief Executive Officer or Chief Executive Officer Equivalent of the Organisation.
If you do not understand a question after you have read the Background and Definitions contained in this Form, please contact your Grant Agreement Manager for further assistance.
1 December 2015.V1 Organisation Legal Name
1. Has your Organisation completed the transition of all its Supported Employees from a non- productivity based wage tool to the SWS and is thereby, at the date of submitting this Form, paying all Supported Employees according to an SWS wage assessment?
Choose an item.
2. Did your Organisation complete this transition to the SWS after 29 April 2014?
Choose an item.
If you answered NO to either question 1 or 2, do not answer questions 3 and 4. Contact your Grant Agreement Manager.
3. What was the date your Organisation completed full transition of all Supported Employees to the SWS i.e. what was the date that the last of your Organisation’s Supported Employees commenced being paid according to an SWS wage assessment?
Click here to enter a date.
4. What was the Total Fortnightly Wage Bill for all your Supported Employees, for the fortnight immediately after all your Supported Employees completed their SWS wage assessment and were being paid according to that assessment? (The definitions of both Supported Employees and Total Fortnightly Wage Bill are provided on page 3 of this Form).
Click here to enter the amount.
5. What was the Total Fortnightly Wage Bill for the corresponding fortnight, one year earlier than the fortnight specified in question 4 above, for all your Supported Employees?
Click here to enter the amount.
Please complete the declaration on the following page.
Terms on which this information is being collected This completed Form will remain confidential to the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
The commercial information of the Organisation disclosed in this Form will only be used for the purposes described in this Form.
This Form does not constitute an offer to provide funding.
Any payment of the Wage Supplementation to the Organisation will be subject to those funds being made available and the execution by the Organisation of a grant agreement on terms and conditions acceptable to the Department. The Organisation should not take any action in reliance on the payment of any Wage Supplementation being forthcoming on the basis of its submission of this Form.
The Department reserves a right at any stage, to request and be provided with reasonable documentary evidence by the Organisation that substantiates the answers given by the Organisation to the questions in this Form. By completing this Form you acknowledge that a person who knowingly provides false or misleading information or documents to the Commonwealth, or omits information causing the information provided to be misleading, or acts dishonestly with the intention of obtaining a gain for themselves or causing loss to the Commonwealth is guilty of an offence which is punishable by imprisonment under the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).
Declaration for Wage Supplementation This declaration must be completed by the person for the time being undertaking the role of Chief Executive Officer or Chief Executive Officer Equivalent.
I, the authorised person named below make the following declaration, on behalf of the Organisation:
I confirm that I have the necessary authority to submit this Form on behalf of the Organisation;
I understand and agree to the terms on which the information in this Form is being collected;
I agree that the information I have provided in this document is true and correct; and
I acknowledge that giving false or misleading information is a serious offence.
By ticking this box you are acknowledging that you make this declaration:
I agree ☐
Name of authorised person making the Declaration
Position (must be Chief Executive Officer, or Chief Executive Officer Equivalent) Name of Organisation Date of Declaration
Submission of Form Once you have completed all questions and the declaration sections, please email this form to your DSS Grant Agreement Manager.
3 Wage Supplementation Form – Additional Information
Background The Australian Government has undertaken to provide $141 million in Wage Supplementation to assist ADE organisations with wage increases due to moving from a non-productivity based wage tool to the Supported Wage System (SWS).
It is intended that from 1 February 2015, ADEs that have transitioned from a non-productivity based wage tool to the SWS following the Australian Human Rights Commission exemption application decision on 29 April 2014 will be able to access Wage Supplementation from the Australian Government to assist them to adjust to paying different wage outcomes. Funding for the measure has been made available from 1 February 2015. The Wage Supplementation is tapered and will cease at the end of December 2020.
Percentage of gap between non-productivity based wage and the SWS wage to be used to Timeframe calculate Wage Supplementation From the date of full transition (or 1 February 2015 100 per cent for organisation who transitioned prior to that date) for the first 12 months 75 per cent Second 12 months 50 per cent Next 6 months 25 per cent Final 6 months No supplementation despite any other item in this From 1 January 2021 table.
The information collected on this Form will be used to assist DSS to identify ADEs which may be eligible for Wage Supplementation and the potential amount of Wage Supplementation payable to those ADEs once funding for the measure becomes available.
It is proposed to calculate Wage Supplementation based on the gap between an Organisation’s Total Fortnightly Wage Bill for Supported Employees immediately following transition to SWS, and the Total Fortnightly Wage Bill for Supported Employees in the corresponding fortnight one calendar year prior to the transition to SWS.
It is intended that the gap will be paid based on the tapering schedule in the table above and payments will be back paid to 1 February 2015 if applicable. The percentages used to calculate the amount of Wage Supplementation payable for a period are as specified in the table above.
This measure expires on 31 December 2020. This means that regardless of when an eligible Organisation transitions to SWS and starts receiving Wage Supplementation under this measure, no funding will be provided under this measure in respect of any period after 1 January 2021. Definitions Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) means an Australian Disability Enterprise who is currently funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide supported employment under the Disability Employment Assistance – Australian Disability Enterprises Activity.
BSWAT means the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool of that name administered by the Department of Social Services.
Supported Employees means people with a disability supported in employment by an ADE, including funded and unfunded workers and workers who have transitioned to NDIS funding.
Organisation Name means the legal entity name on the grant agreement with DSS to provide supported employment.
Non-productivity based wage tool means a wage assessment tool that contains a competency component and includes the BSWAT.
Supported Wage System or SWS means the Australian Government programme of that name that makes provision for eligible people with a disability to access a productivity based wage assessment.
Total Fortnightly Wage Bill has the same definition as used by the Australian Taxation Office. It includes: gross salaries and wages, allowances, bonuses and commission, leave payments, fringe benefits, superannuation and termination payments. The fortnightly wage bill must not include the wages of support staff or administrative staff.
Chief Executive Officer Equivalent means the person in the organisation who is considered the executive head of the organisation where the Organisation does not have a Chief Executive Officer.
Grant Agreement Manager means an officer of the Department of Social Services listed at Item L of your grant agreement to deliver supported employment.
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