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Joint Statement by Disability Representative Organisations
Tuesday 3 February
Australia’s Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) acknowledge an
agreement has been reached between the Federal, State and Territory Governments
regarding hospital funding and disability supports, including the Thriving Kids
initiative, that will have implications for the supports people with disability have
access to across their lifespan and across Australia.
While Government announcements have focused on Thriving Kids, the bigger issue
is whether governments are prepared to deliver a functional, nationally consistent
Foundational Supports system (including Thriving Kids) that works alongside the
National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and Thriving Kids. These reforms
are required in parallel so people with disability can access support outside
the NDIS and avoid growing service gaps and inequity in different jurisdictions.
While the short delay to the commencement of the Thriving Kids rollout to October
2026 is cautiously welcomed, we emphasise the critical need for all levels of
Government to use this time wisely. The disability sector has consistently called for
sufficient time to enable genuine co-design across all jurisdictions, development of
strong safeguards, workforce planning, and appropriate piloting and testing prior to
large-scale implementation. This delay must be used to strengthen readiness and
address known gaps in the program.
This is consistent with feedback from families, educators and health professionals,
including responses gathered through national surveys conducted by Children and
Young People with Disability Australia and the Australian Autism Alliance,
which indicate that key parts of the system are not yet ready for transition at scale.
This concern has also been reflected in prior inquiry and reform processes, where
people with disability and their families have consistently called for greater
safeguards, clarity and accountability in system reform.
National Cabinet has agreed to Thriving Kids being fully operational by 1 January
2028, with $2bn being contributed by the Commonwealth, matched by states and
territories. DROs understand the importance of ensuring states and territories can
operationalise supports according to local contexts, but are concerned that without
any details on whether governments will publish an implementation plan, national
standards or undertake public reporting on progress over the next two years, families
will continue to experience the same uncertainty about what supports will be
available and when.
Disability Representative Organisations emphasise that last week’s agreement sits in
the context of ongoing negotiations and reforms that are not just about Thriving Kids.
They will determine how broader Foundational Supports and the NDIS work together
to deliver disability supports across the lifespan. There remains significant
uncertainty about how General and Targeted Supports will be funded, delivered and
governed across jurisdictions. With responsibilities split between the Commonwealth
and states and territories, clear and transparent intergovernmental agreements are
essential, alongside public clarity about how these systems will interact and what
pathways will exist as people’s needs change over time.
Disability Representative Organisations are calling on all governments to commit to a
nationally consistent Foundational Supports framework, underpinned by minimum
service standards, transparent intergovernmental agreements, robust oversight and
accountability mechanisms and clear public implementation plans and reporting.
Without these commitments, people with disability and families risk facing
fragmented systems, inconsistent access and widening service gaps.
Governments must also commit to national safeguarding mechanisms that interact
with all Foundational Supports, including Thriving Kids. These mechanisms
must embed crisis-response and escalation pathways, including clear referral
mechanisms, rapid review processes and coordination with health,
mental health and community services, so those experiencing acute stress or system
breakdown can access timely, wraparound support without falling between programs
or jurisdictions.
These reforms extend well beyond a single program. They will shape how children,
families and people with disability access supports across health, education and
community systems nationally, and how Foundational Supports interact with the
NDIS over time. The decisions made about Thriving Kids now will have long-term
consequences for equity, access and outcomes.
At the same time, NDIS planning reforms are progressing under the
New Framework Planning. This makes sequencing critical. Foundational Supports
must be operational, accessible and adequately resourced before any changes shift
support boundaries between systems. No person with disability should lose access
to support or be redirected into community systems that are not yet ready to meet
demand. This is particularly important for children, who may experience changes to
NDIS eligibility criteria from mid-2027 onwards.
Communities experiencing intersecting disadvantage are particularly vulnerable
during system transitions. Families who already face barriers navigating current
systems due to language, cultural background, disability type, geographic location,
or other intersecting factors will be most at risk when support boundaries shift.
Redirecting these families to community systems without addressing existing access
barriers will compound inequity and risk leaving children and families without
essential supports.
If these reforms are not properly designed and funded, the impacts will not be
contained within the disability sector. Pressure will shift to hospitals and emergency
departments, schools managing unmet support needs, and health and aged care
systems responding to issues that should be addressed earlier through appropriate
community-based disability supports.
Call to action
Disability Representative Organisations call on all governments to urgently commit to
the following actions:
- Provide public clarity and transparency on how Foundational and
Targeted Supports will be funded, delivered and governed, including how
Thriving Kids as a Commonwealth program will align with State and
Territory delivery, how these supports will interact with the NDIS, and what
pathways will exist as people’s needs change over time. - Guarantee national consistency and equity by establishing a nationally
coordinated Foundational Supports framework with minimum service
guarantees, a requirement for supports to be best practice and disability
affirming, confirming whether funding models, eligibility settings and
access pathways will differ across jurisdictions, and preventing postcodebased inequity and fragmented service pathways. - Ensure workforce readiness before large-scale rollout of any
reforms, including Thriving Kids, through targeted investment, training,
role clarity and workforce support mechanisms, particularly in
regional, remote and culturally diverse communities where service
shortages already exist.
Workforce training must build capability to work effectively across diversity, including
cultural competency, gender-responsive practice, disability-affirming approaches for
all disability types, and understanding how intersecting identities shape support
needs.
- Deliver operational safeguards and continuity of support by
publishing clear transition arrangements, defined responsibilities across
systems, transparent escalation and review processes, and accessible
public information, ensuring no child or person with disability experiences
a loss, delay or reduction of support during reform implementation. - Reframe reform communications to be accessible, strengths-based,
disability and neuro-affirming, aligned with the National Autism Strategy,
and grounded in lived experience, while actively challenging deficit-based
narratives.
Disability Representative Organisations have reached out to the government to get
further direct clarity and remain ready to work constructively with governments to
ensure reforms are co-designed with people with disability, children and families,
strengthen coordination across systems, and deliver real, lasting improvements in
access to disability supports across the lifespan and across Australia.
The following organisations have contributed to and/or expressed their support for
this joint position statement:
- The Australian Autism Alliance
- AFDO – Australian Federation Of Disability Organisations
- Inclusion Australia
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia
- Community Mental Health Australia
- Physical Disability Australia – PDA
- Disability Advocacy Network Australia – DANA
- Down Syndrome Australia
- Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
- National Ethnic Disability Alliance
- People with Disability Australia
