Hire disability support workers who already have the right to work in Australia
CrossNation recruits disability support workers who are already in Australia with work rights, so you can hire without sponsorship. For a risk-assessed role with a registered NDIS provider, the worker needs an NDIS worker screening clearance, applied for through a state or territory screening unit. Our fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, no placement, no fee, with a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement.
Updated . See our terms
12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive.
Fees are charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST. Charged only when a placement succeeds. No placement, no fee.
Christmas offer: sign our agreement by 11:59pm AEDT, Friday 27 November 2026 and pay 12% on every role. See offer terms.
90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement
See our terms.
Who in Australia can usually work in disability support?
For registered NDIS providers, the check that matters most is NDIS worker screening. It is a national check run by state and territory worker screening units, the result is recorded in the national database, and a clearance moves with the worker between states. Ask a worker already in Australia whether they hold a current clearance and when it expires; checks are valid for up to 5 years.
Every screening application nominates an employer, so a new worker applies with your organisation's details. Some states let a worker start with a registered provider while the application is processed; check your own state's rules.
What should you check before a support worker starts?
The NDIS Commission and the state screening units say:
| Check | What the official page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| What the check is | NDIS Commission: "An NDIS worker screening check is where a state or territory worker screening unit assesses whether a worker poses a threat to a person with disability." The check decides if a worker is "cleared" or "excluded" from certain roles. | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening (read 31 October 2026) |
| How long it lasts | NDIS Commission: "NDIS worker screening checks are valid for up to 5 years." They are "nationally recognised. You don't need to reapply if you move to another state or territory." | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening (read 31 October 2026) |
| Employer details | NDIS Commission: "Every worker screening check application is required to nominate an employer." Employers are notified when a linked worker's check is expiring. | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening (read 31 October 2026) |
| Waiting for the outcome | NDIS Commission: "Some states or territories allow a worker to work for a registered provider while they're waiting for the outcome of their application." | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening (read 31 October 2026) |
| Victoria | "All individuals starting work for registered NDIS providers in certain types of roles called risk assessed roles will need an NDIS Clearance before they can start work." | Victorian Government: NDIS Worker Screening Check (read 31 October 2026) |
| Western Australia | "Workers in risk assessed roles for registered NDIS providers are required to hold an NDIS Check clearance." | Government of Western Australia: NDIS Worker Screening Check (read 31 October 2026) |
| VEVO | Home Affairs: Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) "allows visa holders, employers, education providers and other organisations to check visa details and conditions." | Home Affairs: Check visa details and conditions (VEVO) (read 31 October 2026) |
Which visa rules name disability care?
Home Affairs names aged and disability care in one work rule for Working Holiday Makers. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
| Rule | What the official page says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Working Holiday Makers in aged and disability care | "Aged care and disability services" is a critical sector for the 6-month exemption. Home Affairs lists "disabilities services", "aged care services" and "aged or disabled carers". | Home Affairs: 6 month work limitation (Working Holiday Maker visas) (read 31 October 2026) |
| No work conditions | Home Affairs: "Only Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens holding Special Category (subclass 444) visas have no conditions placed on working in Australia." | Home Affairs: Work restrictions (read 31 October 2026) |
What are the award minimum rates for disability support workers?
Under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS), a home care employee in disability care at level 1, pay point 1 earns at least $1,036.80 a week, and at level 3, pay point 1 (certificate 3) at least $1,119.10 a week, from 1 July 2026. The award prints weekly rates for this table. Superannuation is paid on top at 12%.
These rates will change. On its pay guides page read on 31 October 2026, the Fair Work Ombudsman says: "From 1 December 2026, home care disability employees covered by the SCHADS Award will receive an initial increase of up to 15% to their minimum award rates." Check the current pay guide before you make an offer that starts on or after that date.
Award figures were read from the Fair Work site on 27 October 2026 and checked again on 31 October 2026. They are minimums; check the award for your classification before you make an offer.
SCHADS Award: home care employee, disability care (weekly minimums)
| Classification | Weekly |
|---|---|
| Pay point 1 | $1,036.80 |
| Pay point 1 | $1,096.60 |
| Pay point 2 | $1,104.10 |
| Pay point 1 (certificate 3) | $1,119.10 |
| Pay point 2 | $1,153.70 |
| Pay point 1 | $1,221.00 |
| Pay point 2 | $1,245.40 |
| Pay point 1 (degree or diploma) | $1,309.20 |
| Pay point 2 | $1,360.80 |
About $53,914 a year for Home care employee level 1—disability care, Pay point 1 (the weekly award rate x 52, before tax and super; our calculation, not an award figure).
Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA000100], clause 17.1, in effect from 1 July 2026. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman.
More on disability support recruitment
Disability support roles CrossNation is recruiting for
How to choose a disability support recruitment agency in Australia
These checks work for any agency. Each one is something you can ask for or verify before you send a brief.
Fee basis in writing
Ask for the percentage, what it is charged on and the event that makes the fee payable, in writing, before you send a brief.
CrossNation: CrossNation's fee is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds.
Guarantee terms in writing
Ask for the guarantee period and how it applies in the agreement you sign, not only on the agency's website.
CrossNation: CrossNation placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. See our terms.
How candidates are screened
Ask what the agency checks before it shortlists a candidate, and what record it keeps, such as qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights, so you can verify each one yourself.
CrossNation: CrossNation records each candidate's qualifications, registration or licence status and work rights so employers can verify them.
Migration agent involvement
If you are considering an overseas hire, ask who gives visa advice. Only a registered migration agent can give migration advice, and the register of migration agents is public (https://www.mara.gov.au/). This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
CrossNation: CrossNation is a recruitment agency, not a registered migration agent. The employer holds or obtains its own approval.
References
Ask for referee details for a candidate you are shortlisting, call the referees yourself, and ask the agency how it checks references and what it passes on to you.
Questions about hiring disability support workers in Australia
Does a disability support worker need an NDIS worker screening check?
Workers in risk-assessed roles for registered NDIS providers need an NDIS worker screening clearance. State and territory worker screening units do the check on behalf of the NDIS Commission. The Victorian and Western Australian pages say the clearance is needed for those roles, and Victoria says before the person can start work.
Can a worker use an NDIS clearance from another state?
Yes. The NDIS Commission says NDIS worker screening checks are nationally recognised, so a worker does not need to reapply after moving to another state or territory. Checks are valid for up to 5 years.
Can a working holiday maker work in disability care for more than 6 months with one employer?
Yes. On the Home Affairs page read on 31 October 2026, aged care and disability services are a critical sector where a Working Holiday Maker can work for the same employer for more than 6 months without asking permission. Home Affairs says this applies until the Government makes further decisions. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
What is the minimum pay for a disability support worker?
Under the SCHADS Award, a home care employee in disability care earns at least $1,036.80 a week at level 1, pay point 1, and $1,119.10 a week at level 3, pay point 1 (certificate 3), from 1 July 2026. The Fair Work Ombudsman says home care disability employees will receive an initial increase of up to 15% to their minimum award rates from 1 December 2026, so check the current pay guide.
Do I need to sponsor a support worker who is already in Australia?
Not if their work rights cover the role. Check their visa conditions in VEVO before they start, and their NDIS clearance for a risk-assessed role. This is general information, not migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent.
What does disability support recruitment cost with CrossNation?
CrossNation's fee for disability support recruitment is 12% for roles under $50k, 15% for $50k–$90k, 18% above $90k, 20% executive, charged on first-year remuneration (salary plus super), plus GST, and only when a placement succeeds. If no placement is made, there is no fee. Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. Wages, superannuation and other employment costs stay with the employer.
How long does it take to recruit disability support workers through CrossNation?
It depends on the candidate and on bodies CrossNation does not control, such as registration boards, licensing regulators and the Department of Home Affairs, so CrossNation does not give a timeline. For disability support, those steps can include an NDIS Worker Screening Check. Many employers ask for both onshore and overseas candidates so an urgent vacancy is not held up.
What happens if a disability support worker placed through CrossNation leaves?
Placements carry a 90-day replacement guarantee (replacement, not refund), subject to our agreement. How it applies is set out in the agreement between CrossNation and the employer, so ask for the guarantee terms in writing before you sign. See our terms at https://crossnation.com.au/terms. The guarantee is not a promise of any offer, visa or migration outcome.
Send a hiring brief, get a shortlist plan within the fee terms.
Send a hiring briefPrefer a call back? Request a call back
Sources (accessed 31 October 2026)
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: Worker screening
- Victorian Government: NDIS Worker Screening Check
- Government of Western Australia: NDIS Worker Screening Check
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Pay guides
- Home Affairs: Check visa details and conditions (VEVO)
- Home Affairs: 6 month work limitation (Working Holiday Maker visas)
- Home Affairs: Work restrictions
- Fair Work Ombudsman: Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 [MA000100]
- Australian Taxation Office: Super guarantee