Equity and Inclusion Reference Group meeting bulletin, 5 August 2026
The Independent Advisory Council (IAC) Equity and Inclusion Reference Group met online on 5 August 2026. At the meeting, they discussed:
What they have heard in their communities
Support needs assessments and their intersectional impacts
IAC Advice
Principal Member Leah van Poppel and Reference Group Co-chair Tricia Malowney led the meeting.
What Members have heard in their communities
Members raised community concerns about the ‘unknown’ elements of what the NDIS reform legislation will be once it becomes law. Members noted specific concerns around potential cuts to NDIS funding for social and community participation, capacity building, and daily living. They feel these cuts may disproportionately impact participants with psychosocial disabilities.
The Agency acknowledged that while the proposed changes are causing concerns in the community, the legislation was still before the Parliament. The Agency encouraged participants and community members to engage in the consultation processes that are taking place.
The Agency said it will implement a new way of planning from April 2027. It is currently testing this process.
Members raised recurring issues around Agency check-in calls. Members' communities report that the Agency is changing participant plans, without participants understanding that the check-in conversation could influence their funding or trigger a plan reassessment. This can cause confusion and distress, leading to a loss of trust and a tendency to not answer any Agency calls. Members recommend the Agency be more transparent about the reasons behind its calls. They recommended improvements to its communication with participants, allowing for more time for participants to prepare for check-in and plan review calls.
Members shared community feelings that Local Area Coordinators (LAC) and planners need better training. Members shared examples which identified how LACs sometimes misinterpret the complex needs of participants and their situations without taking in the full story.
The Agency said it was setting up an academy to train people who already have allied health skills, as well as experienced planners to get qualifications as support needs assessors.
Members suggested that the Agency collect information about participants’ gender and sexuality in its forms like those in the National Census, and that participants over the age of 16 should be able to answer these questions on their own. The Agency noted it had recently taken a draft LGBTIQA strategy, and Equity and Inclusion Principles to the Board. It will release this soon.
Members raised objections to the way the media covers all NDIS reforms in a negative way, which in turn reflects poorly on the disability community and participants. They encouraged the media’s messaging to reflect the positive impact the Scheme has on participants.
IAC Advice update
Members discussed the IAC’s ‘Justice’ and ‘Home and Living’ Advice and the IAC sub-workplan updates.
Support needs assessments and intersectional impacts
The Agency provided Members with an overview of the status of Support Needs Assessment (SNA) testing and shared some current feedback on the SNA testing process.
More information on the Reference Group
The Equity and Inclusion Reference Group will next meet on Wednesday 21 October 2026 online. Find out more about IAC and Reference Group meetings and bulletins at the IAC website.
Information in Easy Read
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