NDS has supported Every Australian Counts (EAC) since its inception in 2011 as the grassroots campaign that fought for the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and won, and we are proud to announce that EAC will now operate as a more independent entity working for a better NDIS.

In 2009 NDS joined with Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) and Carers Australia, to establish the National Disability & Carer Alliance, and in 2017 added Mental Health Australia (MHA) to the alliance, which was the group behind EAC up until early 2022.

Since 2022 the alliance has worked towards developing a strategy for EAC to become more independent in its own right. The alliance established agreed Terms of Reference for the initial operation of an EAC Steering Committee to eventually work towards the development, formation, and establishment of an independent EAC entity.

The first part of the Steering Committee has been completed with the appointment of an independent chair and with work now progressing well towards establishing a Steering Committee, NDS has decided this is the appropriate time to end our formal involvement in EAC and step down from the Steering Committee.

NDS is confident that EAC will continue strongly under the auspices of AFDO, and with the support of hundreds of thousands of Australians with a disability who have joined the campaign, to keep advocating for an NDIS that effectively fulfills the vision we all shared in 2009.

We have been proud to work closely with EAC in advocacy campaigns over the past thirteen years, including the successful ‘Defend the NDIS’ joint campaign ahead of the last federal election, and look forward to its future promoting independent and strong voices on NDIS disability issues.