It’s your chance to invest in your current and emerging leaders, developing their ability to lead courageously during this very challenging and changing time in disability services. Delivered by our expert in leadership and organisational development Maria Brett, the program will be tailored to the needs identified in a preliminary survey. The training event will be held on Wednesday 13 September.

Don’t delay — speak to whomever you think would benefit from the program. The one-day, in-person training session will be offered to those who participate in the survey. We expect enough interest in this pilot to deliver a full program in 2024.

NDS is very aware that workforce — attracting, training and retaining staff — is an immense issue for the sector, and NDS in SA advocates strongly on the issue, developing projects to help you consolidate your workforce needs. We have recently been working closely with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Boosting the Local Care Workforce program to identify opportunities for further advocacy and projects. Look for announcements in the coming months.

In the meantime, for the good of your organisation and the wider sector, please get involved in our Workforce Network meetings. We are also seeking volunteers for our Workforce Action Group. If you would like to contribute, please contact me.

Immigration has been a significant focus of NDS in SA over the past months. We have joined with Global Adelaide to advocate for targeted migration into our state for the disability sector. We have also raised the issue of Student Visa reductions with the Federal Minister for Immigration, Andrew Giles MP.

With changes in federal Immigration Policy, the state expects to see a further reduction in immigrants, especially those on incomes under $70,000. It is important that decision-makers understand the impact of these changes and the tremendous need for growth in the disability workforce to meet demand. We will be considering an Industry Labor Agreement that will assist the sector.

We recently met with the SA Minister for Human Services, Nat Cook MP, to discuss a range of issues, including the transition of DHS services to NDIS-funded services, extra resources to support the sector during this time of challenge and change, and workforce and employment services. We are hopeful that this meeting will lead to regular collaborative meetings.

And more change and challenge lies ahead: please ensure you are informed and ready for the PACE rollout coming from September. Exclusively for members, NDS will be running a series of webinars covering all aspects of the PACE rollout. Drawing from the experience of Tasmanian providers, who took part in last year’s trial, the first webinar is on Thursday 20 July, with others to be announced soon.

NDS is hosting our first National Disability Awards in December and nominations close at the end of the month. Everyone knows someone delivering outstanding service to the disability sector, so I urge you to nominate those South Australians who you believe represent excellence in service, innovation or leadership. We want to ensure that SA is well represented in the awards to showcase the inspiring work in our state.

Elections for the State Committee are open. Please consider a nomination for your voting representative and remember to vote. We want our State Committee to be truly representative of our membership and be active participants in the advocacy for SA Members.

And remember, as SA Manager I am always available to discuss your provider issues and take them into our meetings with government.