Advocating for Excellence
The Illawarra Disability Alliance meets bi-monthly and has a strong focus on advocating for continued positive changes to benefit people with disability in our local communities.
As providers we want to see an inclusive Illawarra where people with disability are living their best lives receiving the right type and amount of supports from skilled and capable organisations with great staff who are in it for all the right reasons.
IDA providers are passionate about inclusion and we advocate through:
Policy Influence and Advocacy: we engage with government to shape policies that promote access, opportunity and equitable support systems for people with disability. We do this via submissions to government inquiries (see below), by sharing information and making our members and their participants aware of issues that may affect them, by contacting and working with local Members, business leaders and other key stakeholders to formulate solutions.
Collaboration and Problem Solving: As leaders we work together to develop ideas to guide policy support to people with disability to enhance access to community, employment, school and mainstream services or to share ideas, innovations or resources, where appropriate to do so, to achieve good outcomes.
Highlighting Gaps and Issues: We have our finger on the pulse, and we advocate for timely and sustainable responses to issues that are affecting service providers and / or the people with disability who we support.
Podcast and Media: Through our “Community Matters” Podcast we regularly highlight issues of direct relevance and importance to our members and we work to create opportunities for members to platform relevant issues through the media.
Latest Submissions
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance has made a submission responding to proposed changes to Support Coordination under the NDIS. While supporting the goal of improving service quality, consistency and safeguarding, the submission raises concerns that the proposed model could reduce participant choice and control, disrupt trusted relationships and contribute to further workforce shortages before the new service is established.
IDA makes 13 key recommendations, including adopting a multi-provider commissioning model, strengthening safeguards for participants with complex needs, setting realistic caseload standards, stabilising and retaining the existing workforce, and ensuring continuity of support throughout the transition. The submission emphasises the importance of preserving local knowledge, maintaining person-centred support and ensuring people with disability can access the coordination, advocacy and crisis services they need.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance has made a submission responding to proposed changes to the commissioning of Supported Independent Living (SIL) services under the NDIS. Drawing on the experiences of regional and rural disability service providers, the submission highlights risks to participant choice, quality of care and provider sustainability.
The submission makes 15 recommendations, including more individualised planning and flexible funding, stronger safeguards for participants, investment in innovation, recognition of the true cost of quality support, and improved coordination across government to ensure reforms do not compromise the safety, rights and continuity of support for people with disability.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance has made a submission on the Australian Government’s proposed Inclusive Communities Fund, highlighting concerns about its ability to deliver meaningful disability inclusion alongside planned reductions to NDIS community participation supports.
The submission makes 12 recommendations, including allowing specialist disability providers to access funding, prioritising expert-led training and measurable inclusion outcomes, supporting local governments to improve accessibility, and investing in a national disability inclusion awareness campaign. It emphasises that building inclusive communities requires both organisational capability and the practical supports people with disability need to participate in community life.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance has made a submission raising concerns about proposed NDIS reforms. While supporting the goals of improving scheme sustainability, reducing fraud and strengthening provider accountability, the submission highlights potential risks to participants’ safety, access to supports and community participation.
The submission makes nine recommendations, including improved consultation, independently validated eligibility assessments, protections for participants with complex needs, safeguards for supported employment, funded transition support and an assessment of the potential cost impacts on state health and community services.
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The IDA made a detailed submission to the questions raised in the 25-26 Pricing Review Consultation Paper.
IDA made Key Recommendations in relation to:
Differentiated pricing to support registered service providers .
Immediate funding of all NDIS quality audits .
Urgent pricing relief for Support Coordination.
Comprehensive review of the DSW Cost Model.
Tiered pricing for Plan Management .
In our concluding remarks the IDA noted:
“The IDA urges the NDIA to act with urgency on our recommendations through this pricing review to stave off market failure, stop the collapse of Support Coordination and loss of specialised expertise and avoid a market dominated by unregistered and unsupervised sole traders to ensure continuity, quality and safety for NDIS participants.”
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The IDA welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit inquiry into the administration of the NDIS.
Responding to the Terms of Reference the submission highlights a number of key issues associated with the administration of the NDIS and called to:
Hold the NDIA accountable to its own service guarantees,
Implement a risk proportionate registration model for all NDIS providers,
Fix the pricing to enable sustainable quality service delivery,
Ensure NDIS governance includes operational expertise and representative disability experience,
Redirect compliance efforts to where risk actually lies and
Implement the NDIS Review Report recommendations without further delay.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance (IDA) welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.
The legislation, now over 30 years old, requires modernisation to better protect the rights of people with disabilities in contemporary Australia.
IDA strongly supports the intent behind the proposed reforms—particularly the introduction of a positive duty to eliminate discrimination. However, our submission also raises concerns about implementation details that could result in unintended consequences. IDA’s submission emphasises the need for proportional, practical approaches that drive meaningful outcomes rather than compliance-focused "tick-box" exercises.
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This brief submission responds to the Australian Government’s inquiry into the Thriving Kids program, a $2 billion initiative targeting children 0-8 years with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism.
The submission draws on consultation with disability providers and families with lived experience and makes key recommendations for
1. Standardised simple developmental checks for all kids,
2. Resourcing inclusive education
3. Investing in disability navigator roles to help families to navigate the system and
4. Investing in proven existing touch points with children and families in terms of training and support.
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This submission highlights systemic issues with the implementation and interpretation of NDIS Support Rules that providers report are creating barriers and problems in relation to service delivery and participant outcomes.
While providers agree that the idea of the lists is important to identify what is and isn’t an NDIS support, the current Support Rules framework lacks clarity, consistency, and efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, resulting in excessive administrative burden, reduced choice and control for participants, increased costs for providers and crucially is resulting in an effective stifling of innovation in disability supports, consumables and services.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance (IDA) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Department of Social Services Inquiry into the next steps for supported employment in Australia.
This submission represents input from member organisations of the IDA who deliver supported employment services in NSW and Victoria. The submission outlines a comprehensive approach that protects vulnerable employees, recognises the value and need for supported environments and businesses that can cater to the needs of supported employees while creating genuine pathways to inclusion, supported by legislative frameworks, adequate funding, and evidence-based decision making.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance contributed to the NSW Parliament’s Select Committee Inquiry into Foundational and Disability Supports Available for Children and Young People in NSW.
This submission represents input from member organizations of the IDA in response to the committee terms of reference to ensure foundational supports are inclusive, sustainable, and effective in supporting the rights and wellbeing of children and young people with disability across New South Wales.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance made a submission focused on SIL, strongly supportive of mandatory registration for SIL services providing recommendations to government in relation to supporting a transition to full registration for all SIL providers across the sector
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance made a submission to the Q&S Commission supportive of changes to the NDIS Act that better support the human rights of people with disability including the introduction of new protections and penalties for bad practices.
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The Illawarra Disability Alliance made a submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency detailing concerns and making a number of recommendations regarding the Supported Independent Living Funding changes.