It’s been another busy month with some wonderful opportunities to catch up with members across a number of events.  

Providers from Canberra and the region braved the cold to attend our Disability Hot Topics Breakfast in late May. NDS CEO Laurie Leigh discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the sector, both nationally and in the territory.  

Laurie’s presentation highlighted the continued importance of connecting with peak bodies so we can collectively work on the common challenges for providers. She described our response to local issues of workforce, pricing, and regulation. She described “the big squeeze”, where providers feel themselves stuck between increasing compliance on one side and stagnant funding on the other. With our sector preparing for major reforms, I think everybody agreed when Laurie spoke about the need for provider voices to continue to be heard and heeded.  

It was also wonderful to hear directly from ACT Minister for Disability, Emma Davidson, giving the government’s perspective on many of our issues. Thank you to all those who came and made it such a fantastic morning.  

Earlier in the month, we held a webinar with international expert Sara Murphy, who spoke to members about her Building Meaningful Lives model. To providers from across the country, Sara went through the steps to transforming any organisation into a person-driven business.  

On a national level, we have worked hard to ensure members are well-prepared for the deluge of change and reform expected later this year. We are reaching out to members to inform our advocacy to the NDIS Review, while our Royal Commission Hub is a valuable source of information and analysis on key directions. Our national Communities of Practice provide great opportunities to engage with other members and discuss common experiences, directions and issues — just sign up through your member profile page.   

We are definitely getting some indications of where the Review is headed with the release of key issues papers, especially on Pricing and Payments and Workforce. If you haven’t done so already, read these papers and have your say on the Review’s comments and submissions page. 

If you have any queries, or would like to contribute to our advocacy efforts, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Have a great month ahead, stay warm and I hope to see you soon.