As the financial year draws to a close, NDS continues our strong advocacy focusing on the financial viability of ACT providers and broader sector sustainability.  

There is no doubt that the sector is a state of flux, waiting for announcements on the direction of reform from the territory and federal governments in the wake of the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review.  

As you are probably already aware, the NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS back on Track No1) Bill 2024, tabled in parliament in late March, was passed by the House of Representatives on 5 June after a range of new parliamentary amendments from the Government. These amendments follow from previous changes that clarified how the Act would define an NDIS support. We published an article that summarises the main changes.  

The outcomes of this year’s Annual Pricing Review are about to be released. It is crucial that providers receive some good news. NDS has been advocating strongly, both locally and nationally, for financial boosts in this year’s pricing review. We believe realistic pricing is the key to a strong, high-quality and sustainable disability service delivery sector. Keep an eye out for our analysis of this year’s pricing and what has changed.  

NDS is seeking clarity on the progress of the national Foundational Supports Strategy. The ACT Government is keen to engage with the sector and, along with several members, I will be attending an initial roundtable discussion to begin the process. There is no doubt that providers can give valuable assistance to government in mapping service delivery and contributing to planning an ideal state. We are also advocating for a structural adjustment fund to assist services that may no longer be financially viable but may be required as part of a Foundational Supports Strategy.    

Our recently released Workforce Census reported that staff turnover continued its upward trend, growing to 24 per cent this year, while permanent staff turnover jumped to 16 per cent, the highest it has been since this survey began. For the 360 organisations that responded to the survey, it represented almost 16,500 employees leaving their jobs and over 19,000 new appointments over a single year. This churn is an enormous drain of money, time, skills and experience.   

I hope you are all staying warm and healthy as the cold weather rolls in. Cases of COVID and flu are widespread in the community and providers are encouraged to revisit their infection control measures to keep participants and staff safe.  

Our next NDS ACT Disability Sector Quarterly Forum will be held in August, I hope to see you there!