Driving change in the “teenage years” of NDIS reform

As a recognised leader in supporting people with complex disability, Achieve invests in government advocacy as part of our passion for inclusion and our purpose to support people with disability to build extraordinary lives.  

To bring this vision for the NDIS to life, we are finding the most impactful ways to demonstrate how governments can put people with disability at the heart of a truly inclusive system.  

We have identified the problems and are working on solutions. We do so with a clear, big picture of what the NDIS and other supports need to look like, led by a generation of intensive advocacy by people with disability and our broader sector. We now need to make this vision real. 

Bringing decision makers on the journey 

In 2025, we continue to highlight how providers can invest in innovation and dismantle barriers to inclusion. The programs and services that providers invest in show how we can fulfill the promise of the NDIS. 

At Achieve, we create opportunities to build decision makers’ understanding of what social inclusion and person-centred services look like in action. I know from first-hand experience that some of the best ideas and most determined advocacy comes from our clients and staff. This is a powerful way that we can continue to make NDIS reform real for ministers and MPs. 

Achieve is also working as a member of leading peak provider groups to advocate for a system that safeguards those most at risk and empowers people with disability to exercise choice and control. 

Driving open employment for providers   

Providers can play an important role in increasing access to open employment for people with disability including in service delivery roles. At Achieve, we see this as an essential part of attracting the best talent to foster an engaged, professional and contemporary workforce. 

We are part of exciting work to establish a model for employing young people with disability at scale within large service providers. This work is being driven by The Achieve Foundation and led by people with lived experience of disability. As provider partners, Achieve, Life Without Barriers and Yooralla are testing this model.  

Building quality through practice excellence 

Achieve is committed to driving quality and best practice in comprehensive person-centred care and sharing this across the disability sector. We have engaged The Achieve Foundation to develop an evidence-based Practice Framework to guide service excellence on our frontline and across the disability services sector. 

This process is based on foundational work commissioned by Achieve including: 

• A comprehensive evidence base to identify the core principles of delivering active support. This was developed by Professor Christine Bigby of La Trobe University. 

• An in-depth analysis of employees' understanding of ‘quality support’ developed by ThinkPlace. 

• An ambitious co-design program to develop the Framework’s principles with our clients and staff. 

This Practice Framework will be a first for our sector. Once fully evaluated, Achieve will share this asset with disability service providers, peak groups and government to promote best practice across the disability services sector. 

In the meantime, Achieve continues to invest in ongoing training for our frontline teams including webinars and online learning modules in specific clinical topics.  

Effective change through collaboration 

Achieving the full potential of the NDIS requires a collective effort. I encourage all providers to consider how you are delivering this type of change now, and to actively share it with governments.  

It’s going to take our whole sector to unlock the full potential of the NDIS.