What issues did the community share? | First Nations Reference Group meeting bulletin 4-5 March 2026

A Reference Group member meeting with 2 people. Above them is a speech bubble with an issue icon in it.

Reference Group members connected with the community to find out about issues that affect them.

A group of participants and above them is an issue icon.

This includes issues that affect participants.

A Reference Group member meeting with an NDIA worker. Above them is a speech bubble with an issue icon in it.

Members shared reports about these issues with the NDIA.

A group of NDIA workers with a speech bubble above them.

People from the NDIA also shared their response to some of these issues.

Travel costs for sorry business

2 Reference Group members having a conversation.

Reference Group members talked about sorry business.

3 First Nations people supporting each other.

Sorry business is when First Nations people come together after a community member passes away.

2 First Nations people sitting together outside. They are wearing dark clothing.

The community takes part in:

ceremonies
cultural activities
a funeral.

A car driving on a road inside a speech bubble.

Members said some people need to travel for sorry business.

A money icon next to a car driving on a road.

They asked if First Nations participants could have travel costs for sorry business in their NDIS plans.

An NDIS plan document.

An NDIS plan has information about:

a participant and their goals
what supports a participant needs
what the NDIS will pay for.

A pencil writing on a rules document. The document has a car on it and ticks and crosses.

The NDIA said it is working on rules about travel costs for sorry business.

Specialist disability accommodation

A house with an accessible ramp next to a disability icon.

Specialist disability accommodation (SDA) is housing for people with disability who need extra support most of the time.

2 participants. Above them is the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag.

Reference Group members said the NDIA isn’t giving SDA supports to a lot of First Nations participants.

A hospital and a nursing home.

This means many participants are living in:

hospitals
nursing homes.

An unsafe icon next to a house.

Some participants end up homeless.

People who are homeless don’t have a safe place to live.

People feel the NDIA:

A cross next to a speech bubble.

bullet doesn’t explain why these participants can’t use SDA supports

A tick inside a magnifying glass next to a home.

bullet should do more to support participants to find other types of housing.end of list

A thumbs up above and NDIA worker and a participant using a laptop together.

The NDIA said they need to communicate better with participants.

They are working on this.

A cross next to a hand holding money.

The NDIA said the NDIS doesn’t provide funding for housing costs.

An NDIS document and a money icon.

Funding is money from your NDIS plan that pays for the supports you need.

A state government building next to a speech bubble with a house inside it.

State and territory governments provide other types of housing.

Issues with NDIS plans

An NDIS plan with a change icon next to it.

Reference Group members said the NDIA sometimes starts a participant’s NDIS plan again when it finishes.

A speech bubble and a tick inside a magnifying glass next to an NDIS plan.

But they don’t:

tell participants this will happen
check that the plan still works well for the participant.

A cross inside a speech bubble next to an NDIA worker holding a clipboard.

The NDIA said this shouldn’t happen.

An NDIS worker and a participant having a conversation. They have documents in front of them.

The NDIS should have check-ins with participants about their plan.

An NDIS plan document next to a question mark and a change icon.

A check-in is when the NDIS talks with a participant about:

how their plan is going
if anything needs to change.

An issues icon next to a participant holding their NDIS plan.

The NDIA said participants can contact the NDIS if they have issues with their plan.

A website icon.

You can visit the NDIS website.

www.ndis.gov.au/contact

A safety icon.

There is also a culturally safe option for First Nations participants.

A local area coordinator next to a local map with a location pin on it.

Participants can also contact their Local Area Coordinator.

A Local Area Coordinator is someone who helps people with disability find and use supports and services.

Costs of running services

A problem icon next to a person handing money to someone else.

Reference Group members said some Aboriginal organisations are struggling with the cost of running their services.

A person thinking next to a thought bubble with an arrow pointing to the right in it.

This is making many communities worry about the future.

Gender strategy

A Reference Group member next to an updates icon in a speech bubble.

Reference Group members asked for an update on the new gender strategy the NDIA is working on.

A strategy document. This is a document with a list and a calendar on it. Inside the calendar is an arrow pointing to the right.

A strategy is a plan for how we will do things in the future.

A person pointing to themselves next to a thought bubble. Inside the thought bubble is an icon of themselves.

Your gender is what you feel and understand about who you are as a person.

There are more genders than only men and women.

A stop icon.

The NDIA said it had to stop working on the gender strategy for a while.

The NDIA said it is focussing on:

An NDIS plan with a pencil writing on it.

bullet setting up the new way of making NDIS plans

A thumbs up.

bullet making participant safeguarding better.end of list

A safeguard icon and a tick.

Safeguarding is making sure people with disability are safe when they use disability services.