Author: Natasha Nobay

PDA’s 2025 Annual General Meeting – Official Notice and Invitation to Members

On Saturday 6th December 2025, PDA will be holding its Annual General Meeting and encourages Members to attend via Zoom.

  • 2pm NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT
  • 1:30pm SA
  • 1pm QLD
  • 12:30pm NT
  • 11am WA

Hear what we’ve been up to in 2025 and what our plans are moving forwards.

PDA’s Ambassador, Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, will be joining us and sharing his thoughts around issues affecting our community now and into 2026.

Our Annual General Meeting will be a great chance for Members to be an active part of the PDA community and help our organisation move in to its 31st year.

Register your attendance

To register to attend our AGM via Zoom, please go to:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JAuZAeuaRJi9-31_FUlozA

If you don’t have a Zoom account, signing up is free, quick and easy.  Go to https://zoom.us/signup and create an account. 

Please make sure to visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JAuZAeuaRJi9-31_FUlozA to register for the AGM once you have created a Zoom account. 

If you experience problems or have any questions, please email us at promotion@pda.org.au or call 1800 PDA ORG (1800 732 674).

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Meeting documents will be circulated ahead of the AGM.

PDA Board Nominations

At this year’s AGM, Nick Schumi is reaching the end of his current 3-year term as SA Director, and there are vacancies for the roles of Director (NT), Associate Director (NT) and Associate Director (WA).

Full members wishing to nominate for any of these roles need to complete and return the ‘Nomination Form’ by close of business on Friday 28 November. 

Similarly, if you wish to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf, you need to complete and return the ‘Appointment of Proxy Form’ by close of business on Friday 28 November. 

We  look forward to you joining us at our AGM and saying “hi”.

If you’re a PDA Member, make sure that you register for our upcoming AGM

MEMBER ONLY EVENT

On Saturday 6th December 2025, PDA will be holding its Annual General Meeting and encourages Members to attend via Zoom.

2pm NSW/VIC/TAS/ACT
1:30pm SA
1pm QLD
12:30pm NT
11am WA

Hear what we’ve been up to in 2025 and what our plans are moving forwards.

Our Annual General Meeting will be a great chance for Members to be an active part of the PDA community and help our organisation move in to its 31st year.

To register to attend our AGM via Zoom, please go to:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JAuZAeuaRJi9-31_FUlozA

If you don’t have a Zoom account, signing up is free, quick and easy. Go to https://zoom.us/signup and create an account.

Please make sure to visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JAuZAeuaRJi9-31_FUlozA to register for the AGM once you have created a Zoom account.

If you experience problems or have any questions, please email us at promotion@pda.org.au or call 1800 PDA ORG (1800 732 674).

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Meeting documents will be circulated ahead of the AGM.

We really look forward to you joining us and saying “hi”.

Give your feedback on the NDIS Practice Standards

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission wants your feedback is on the NDIS Practice Standards.

The NDIS Practice Standards are the mandatory quality and safety benchmarks that registered NDIS providers must meet when delivering services to NDIS participants.

Covering areas like participant rights, provider governance, and specific types of support (including behavior support and early childhood services), these standards are designed to ensure participants receive high-quality, safe, and person-centered support that respects their choices and dignity.

Public consultation is now open and NDIS participants, families, providers and the wider community are invited to share their feedback on the draft redesigned NDIS Practice Standards.

Consultation is open until 14 November 2025.

So how can you get involved?

You can:

More information on the public consultation process is available at: https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about-us/ndis-regulatory-reform/ndis-practice-standards-reform

Making invisible disabilities visible

🌻 This week marks Invisible Disabilities Week.🌻

Invisible disabilities can include cognitive, neurological, sensory, mental health and chronic conditions, and these may not be immediately apparent.

With around 85% of people living with a disability having one that isn’t necessarily visible, it’s important to show kindness, understanding and support without judgment and assumptions.

The sunflower lanyard helps to identify those who may need assistance, additional consideration and simply enables them to be seen and supported.

Together let’s build a more inclusive community.

What is changing in the NDIS’ Pricing Arrangements and Pricing Limits update?

The NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme has updated its Pricing Arrangements and Pricing Limits document.

The changes will take place from 24 November 2025.

Based on feedback, they’re sharing the updates now. This means you and your family can plan how you want to use your funding.

What’s changing?

  • * Art and Music Therapy: the price limit will change.
  • * COVID: how you claim for COVID items will change.
  • * Location categories: the Modified Monash Model (MMM) has been updated.
  • * Specialist Disability Accommodation: the calculator has been updated.
  • * Assistive Technology, Home Modifications and Consumables: changes have been made to keep them in line with the NDIS Supports List.

What happens next?

  • * Participants don’t need to do anything.
  • * Providers must discuss any proposed changes to existing service agreements with the participant.

For more information, visit the NDIS’ pricing arrangements page – https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-arrangements

Increasing Cervical Screening for People with Disability.

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is running a number of webinars over the next month or so around increasing cervical cancer screening for PWD:

  • * Tuesday 21 October – 12:30–1:30 pm
  • * Wednesday 30 October – 5:00–6:00 pm
  • * Monday 3 November – 8:00-9:00 am
  • * Tuesday 25 November – 1:00–2:00 pm

The webinars are designed so you only have to join one session. Each session will cover the same content, so there is no need to attend multiple sessions unless you want to!

About the Event

The organisers will talk about the challenges people with disability might face when getting cervical screening tests and share practical ways to make the process easier and more supportive.

You’ll hear from Professor Deborah Bateson from the University of Sydney, who is an expert in cervical screening. She’s joined by Associate Professor Mary-Ann O’Donovan from the Centre for Disability Studies, and a team of Screening Advocates who have lived experience with disability.

This session is especially for people with disability, their families, disability support workers, volunteers, and healthcare professionals. Everyone is welcome!

Things that will be covered in the webinar:

  • * What cervical screening testing is, and why it matters.
  • * How to support people with disability to get screened.
  • * Tips to make the experience easier and more comfortable.
  • * Different options available, like doing the test yourself (self-collection).

The organisers want to make sure this event works for you.
When you sign up, please let them know if there’s anything they can do to support your needs.

To register, either go to:

The event will include:

  • * Auslan interpreters
  • * Captions (subtitles)
  • * A short break in the middle
  • * Plain English wherever possible
  • * Brief visual descriptions to help with understanding

The sessions will also be recorded, so you can watch later if needed.

Celebrating and thanking the Carers in our community

As we move towards the end of National Carers Week (October 12th to 18th 2025), we invite you to join us in celebrating the special people in our lives who give their time, energy and love in caring for others.

Over 3 million Australians are carers – including parents, partners, children, friends and neighbours – assisting others in their everyday needs.

These incredible individuals are often the quiet heroes amongst us and during this special week (and always) we would like to say “thank you”.

If you have a special person who makes your life easier, who you’d like to recognise and celebrate, we invite you to do so here.

#nationalcarersweek #nationalcarersweek2025

Our “The Impact of Disability on Mental Health” Webinar is now available to view on YouTube

Earlier this month, PDA presented a webinar on “The Impact of Disability on Mental Health”.

The webinar took place on Wednesday October 1st 2025 and marked the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Highlighting the intersectionality between disability and mental health issues, this presentation also provided advice and support and brought together Australians living with disability and their support networks to better understand and combat mental health challenges.

We are very excited to now share that this recording has now gone up on our YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FcSESU48ks&t=4086s

The line up of speakers contributed to the conversation, sharing their respective knowledge, experiences and expertise and addressing areas of concern.

Speakers:

  • * Chithrani Palipana – Rehabilitation Counsellor/Disability Advocate
  • * Kerry Hawkins – CEO, Community Mental Health Australia (CMHA)
  • * Zoe Aitken – Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne
  • * Liel Bridgford – Proud disabled Psychologist, Writer and Educator

Hosted by PDA CEO Jeremy Muir, the webinar tackled issues surrounding the impact of disability on mental health, featuring lived experiences, statistical knowledge, and professional advice and support for Australia’s disability community.

We hope that you find the information and discussion around mental health issues for people with disability in this webinar useful, informative and interesting.

We will shortly announce our next webinar topic and encourage you to keep an eye out on our socials.

PDA Members will be notified when registration opens. If you’re not already a member, we encourage you to sign up for free membership (pda.org.au/membership/) so that you are kept in the loop.

Mental Health Awareness Month

October is Australia’s Mental Health Month, a dedicated time to raise awareness about mental health and remind us of the importance of prioritising mental health – especially during moments of difficulty or high stress.

With everyone dealing with the challenges of life, it’s sometimes difficult for us to allow time to focus on our own wellbeing and to put ourselves first.

Use today to give yourself a break, to just breathe and to give self-care and support to your mental health.

If you, or someone near you, is needing help today or any day, please speak with a healthcare professional, family member or friend or contact

because we’re all worth it.

We also invite you to join us TONIGHT (at 6pm AEST) at our free webinar highlighting the connection between physical disability and mental health challenges, and providing information and support.

To register, please go to:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Rly2wyx3RaKD53KiY3CL0Q?

Inaccessible South Australian Access Taxis. Recent changes are impacting the lives of those living with disability in the Greater Adelaide region.

Physical Disability Australia is deeply concerned with recent changes made by South Australia’s Access Taxis and their new policy to remove customers’ abilities to request specific drivers.

Our understanding behind this policy change is related to a lack of Access Cab drivers on the road when needed and a desire to share the load to ensure drivers have more reason to be working. However, we believe that this approach removes the choice and control of the person utilising the taxi service. It is an understandable fact that people utilise regular drivers because of a built rapport, trust and feelings of safety. 

We believe that this situation reached a critical point when 11-year-old Oliver Sandy and his mum Jodie were left stranded and subsequently missed an important medical appointment at an Adelaide Hospital due to a lack of Access Taxis on the road, despite booking in advance.

Concerning feedback has been shared from within our community about how these changes have negatively impacted the lives of people with disabilities. Many disabled people feel less safe using taxi services due to the lack of choice and uncertainty about drivers. This apprehension has led to reduced willingness to access the community, attend events, or go to medical appointments. These reforms have contributed to increasing social isolation among disabled individuals, as the new system does not adequately account for their need for reliable and familiar transportation support.

To our knowledge, there was no consultation process offered to the users of Access Taxis or their drivers preceding this policy change. It is our understanding that many Access Taxis drivers are also unhappy with this policy change as decent drivers who have regular customers are now losing work. Additionally, non-verbal participants and their families are no longer comfortable with not knowing who their driver will be or the quality of service they or their loved ones will receive. They feel as though they must take support workers with them when using Access Taxis as a safeguarding mechanism. We believe that if this approach is widely utilised, it will result in increased cost to the NDIS which is not a viable outcome. 

We have written to The Hon Emily Bourke MP (SA Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) and are calling for stronger training and upskilling requirements for all drivers on disability awareness and safety practices to ensure a consistent standard of service delivery. 

Further recommendations from PDA:

  • * Investigate the impact of eliminating direct driver bookings on wait times for Access Taxis, specifically for people with disabilities.
  • * Assess whether this change has led to any improvements in service quality for these users.
  • * Explore alternative methods to expand and improve transport options for people with physical disabilities in South Australia.
  • * Undertake a review to improve the current experience of users of Access Taxis.
  • * Consider conducting a co-design development process involving people with disabilities who use these services daily, ensuring their feedback shapes service improvements. 
  • * Improve the knowledge base of accessible taxi drivers and increase safeguarding measures so all members of the Community can feel confident in any drivers ability.
  • * Integrate these suggestions into the State Authority’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan, aligning with reporting requirements to the Department of Human Services.
  • * Ensure that all actions contribute to broader efforts in improving social inclusion for South Australians with disabilities.

PDA’s CEO, Jeremy Muir, wants to see the South Australian Government, Access Taxis and those actually utilising disability transport work together to truly address the issues impacting safe, reliable and trusted service provision for the disability community. “People living with disabilities reliant on Access Taxis for inclusion and participation are sick and tired of being seen as second class citizens when it comes to accessible transport. Involving people with disabilities in both the conversation and problem solving will help to ensure that a fair and balanced outcome is achieved and that the safety and wellbeing of those accessing disability transport services are viewed as the priority.”