Winter has definitely hit, and the cold and flu season and the ongoing risks of COVID-19 are having an impact. NDS has recently updated our COVID-19 Toolkit to include the latest risk management advice.   

The big news last month was the release of the NDIA’s Annual Pricing Review. I have been hearing the concerns of many members about this, as well as about the difficulties with obtaining insurance. I encourage members to let us know how such issues are affecting your service.  

We are also seeking member views to feed into our advocacy about the NDIS Review, with the recent release of papers addressing issues such as the pricing and payments approach of the Scheme. 

Also out recently was the NDS annual workforce census, created in collaboration with the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney. The report showed that worsening conditions of previous years have stabilised. However, with the undersupply of workers and high turnover, the situation remains very challenging. As NDS CEO Laurie Leigh observed, "Stability is not good enough in a sector that is growing as fast as ours. So many organisations tell us they see opportunities for growth, but they can’t take them. They know people who need services, but they can’t provide them because of workforce shortages.”    

Nominations are now open for the ACT Divisional Committee. We encourage the nomination of anyone who would like to bring their senior leadership disability expertise to support NDS on priorities and strategies for both Canberra and nationally. On a broad range of issues, the Committee supports the NDS State Manager in engaging with the ACT Government and the disability support sector.   

The Committee welcomes nominations from the voting representatives of NDS members in the ACT, if you are interested please get in touch.   

Please keep the entries coming in for the inaugural  National Disability Awards. These awards recognise and promote the outstanding contributions of individuals, groups and organisations working to create an inclusive Australia where people with disability are valued, respected and can contribute to the community. Who doesn’t want to be part of the inaugural awards event? Nominations close at the end of July. More information, including how to nominate someone you know is deserving of recognition, can be found on our webpage.  

With so many offerings available from NDS, and so much going on at both local and national levels affecting disability services, this is a great time to renew your membership of NDS.  

If you are not receiving this free monthly NDS Newsletter, I encourage you to subscribe to keep up to date with issues and events for disability services.