First Peoples Disability Network has launched a 10-Point Plan to reform the NDIS for First Nations people with disability. Built around three core pillars, the plan sets out 10 key actions that we believe should be central to efforts to close the gap for First Nations people with disability.
FPDN has long argued for a three pillared approach to enable equitable participation in the NDIS for First Nations people with disability. These pillars include:
PILLAR 1: Elevate the Voice of First Nations people with disability to be centred and resourced to elevate.
PILLAR 2: Build a strong and capable workforce: recognising that historically there are very limited First Nations people with professional experience who have worked in the disability sector.
PILLAR 3: First Nations owned and operated services: We know historically there has been no First Nations disability service sector.
10 Key Actions:
- Partnership & First Nations Disability Forum (DRC Rec 9.10) – Establish a multi-year Partnership Agreement between the NDIA and the First Nations Disability Forum (FPDN and peak bodies) to resource dedicated policy capacity, embed shared-decision processes, uphold data sovereignty, and roll out a public Cultural Assessment Tool across the NDIA.
- Early-Access Pathway & Mobile Diagnostics – Pilot a functional-needs access pathway that removes the formal-diagnosis barrier, guarantee automatic early-intervention entry for First Nations children, and equip four Yarning Buses with mobile diagnostic facilities to reach remote communities.
- First Nations Workforce & Mainstream Cultural Capability – Expand the Integrated Care Workforce across remote and regional locations, introduce a micro-credential for Aboriginal Health Workers, Aboriginal Disability Liaison Officers and community navigators on rights-based practice, and require cultural-safety training for all mainstream providers.
- Cultural Accreditation Framework for NDIS Providers – FPDN designs and administers a national Cultural Accreditation Framework, with the NDIA recognising accreditation status as a preferred-provider standard to lift cultural accountability across the scheme.
- Alternative Commissioning and Fair Markets – Introduce a dedicated First Nations procurement target and place-based alternative commissioning arrangements using multi-year block-funding to ACCOs in areas of market failure to guarantee service continuity and culturally-safe provision.
- Community Support Hubs & Yarning Buses (“No Wrong Door”) – Establish community-run Support Hubs open to all. Fund at least four diagnostics-enabled Yarning Buses with connectivity and tele-therapy capability to bring supports to people on Country, and tackle underutilisation of existing participants in 80+ communities per year.
- Community-Based Rehabilitation & On-Country Pilots – Trial Community-Based Rehabilitation and on-Country service models in priority regions, co-evaluated by the NDIA and FPDN to demonstrate scalable approaches to remote service delivery.
- Secure Homes, Transport & Climate Resilience – Partner with national housing programs to deliver culturally-designed accessible housing and home modifications, and integrate backup power, accessible transport and disaster-resilience planning in remote communities.
- Strengthened Advocacy & Supported Decision-Making – Increase dedicated funding for individual and systemic advocacy and develop a peer-support and cultural-broker workforce to replace generic guardianship with supported decision-making.
- Justice Interface, Poverty Loading & Transparent Data – Embed NDIS screening and exit planning within justice pathways, introduce a First Nations pricing loading to offset travel and translation costs, and publish regional access, spend and outcome data under data-sovereignty principles agreed with the First Nations Disability community.
About First Peoples Disability Network
FPDN is the national peak organisation led by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. We advocate for the human rights of 60,000+ First Nations people with disability and their families and work to ensure policies, programs and services are culturally safe, accessible and anchored in self-determination.
Suggested Interview – Angles and Availability
| Name | Position | Angle |
| Damian Griffis | FPDN Chief Executive Officer – is a descendant of the Worimi people and a leading national and international advocate for the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. | High-level policy failure, international condemnation, and the direct link to disability discrimination and systemic racism. Royal Commission breaches, disability impact, Closing the Gap implications. |
For all media enquires please contact:
FPDN Media Team
Email: [email protected] or Mobile: 0429 291 730
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Cultural warning
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this statement contains topics that may cause distress, including death in custody, police restraint, and systemic injustice.
