Our Council Members connect with the community to find out about issues that affect them.

Our Council Members shared these issues with the NDIA.

Participants are people with disability who take part in the NDIS.

There are examples on the NDIS website to help participants know what they can get funding for.

We call them our guidelines.

You can find our guidelines on our website.

ourguidelines.ndis.gov.au/would-we-fund-it

Council Members worry that some examples are not true for all participants.

For example, when people live far away from cities and towns.

Providers deliver services and supports to people with disability.

Council Members explained that it is harder for some providers to join the NDIS.

For example:

• First Nations providers

• providers far away from cities and towns.

Council Members shared that too many people don’t know what the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission does.

We call it the NDIS Commission.

The NDIS Commission makes sure participants:

• are safe

• get good services.

Council Members also shared that some Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is not good enough.

SDA is accessible housing for people with disability.

When something is accessible, anyone can:

• find and use it
• travel around.

Members worry that participants are at risk.

Every year the NDIA reviews how much NDIS supports cost.

They want to make sure the NDIS can last a long time.

People worry the NDIA won’t review Individualised Living Options (ILO) costs this year.

ILO is a way of setting up the support you want at home.

It will get harder to pay for ILO supports because workers will cost more.

This means ILO supports might not last a long time.

People worry that funding for support coordination has not gone up for 3 years.

Support coordination helps participants manage the supports in their plan.

This makes it hard for small providers to offer support coordination.

The NDIS will also review how much SDA costs.

Council Members think this gives the NDIA a chance to make SDA better.

Some people think participants use too much funding.

But we know they follow the rules.

The Honourable Bill Shorten is the Minister for the NDIS.

A minister leads an area of government.

Council Members shared how the Minister has done a good job showing the community he supports participants.

Council Members think the NDIA should hire more people with intellectual disability.

This shows other organisations they can too.

People shared they have to wait a long time when they call the NDIS.

And they might not get answers to their questions.

The NDIA should tell people how to ask the NDIA to review the decision if they can’t use the NDIS.

And they should tell them in writing.

People also shared that some people have trouble finding and keeping workers with the right skills.

This includes:

• participants
• providers.

Council Members think the NDIA should do more work with state and territory governments.

They need to make better ways to support participants in the:

• child protection system
• justice system.

The child protection system is how governments protect children at risk of harm.

The justice system includes:

• police
• the courts
• the law
• prisons.