NDIS & Foundational Supports

The NDIS plays an important role in supporting people with disability, but it can’t meet every need on its own. Foundational supports — like access to health, housing, education, transport and community services — are essential for inclusion and wellbeing. We advocate for a strong NDIS alongside well-funded foundational supports that are available to all disabled people, whether or not they qualify for the Scheme. Everyone should have access to the support they need to live safely, freely, and with dignity.

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Our NDIS advocacy

Advocating for a fair and properly funded NDIS

At JFA Purple Orange, we believe the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is essential for ensuring people with disability have a fair go in life. But like any major system, it must be kept strong, improved over time, and properly funded.

As a leading voice in disability policy advocacy, we work to help shape government decisions that affect the lives of people with disability. We advocate for a system that listens, learns, and includes people with disability at every step.

One way we’ve contributed to the national conversation is through our NDIS Conversation Series, developed during the NDIS Review. We published a series of short discussion papers, entitled NDIS Review Pointers. Each paper explored a key reform topic — like simplifying the participant experience or improving inclusion — and was followed by a public webinar. These webinars provided space for people with disability and their supporters to share ideas and lived experience. The conversations helped bring out real-world ideas and experiences to shape a better NDIS.

Read our NDIS Review Pointers

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The role of foundational supports

Vital services for building inclusive communities

We’ve also welcomed the Review’s call for more foundational supports — disability supports that sit outside individual NDIS plans. These services, like inclusive local programs, accessible information, and community-based support, are vital for people who may not qualify for the NDIS, and for building inclusive communities more broadly.

In our foundational supports policy submission, we urged governments to put money back into these essential services. We argued that a strong network of mainstream and community-based supports must work alongside the NDIS, not replace it. This broader system should include services co-designed with people with disability — such as community-based NDIS navigators to help individuals find and use the supports that work for them.

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Peer networks and real-world impact

What we're doing on the ground

Our advocacy in this space is backed by practical, on-the-ground work. For example, our SKILL SA project supports people with disability to connect through peer networks, build self-advocacy skills, and strengthen leadership. These peer groups — running in both metropolitan and regional South Australia — highlight the real benefits of community-based supports and why they must be properly funded and sustained. The voices from SKILL networks help shape our policy positions and demonstrate why foundational supports matter.

View our peer networks

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Our vision for inclusion

Championing an inclusive, responsive, system

When it comes to the NDIS and foundational supports, we will continue to call for:

- Investment in community services that reflect local needs.

- Assurance that no current supports are cut while new systems are developed.

- A co-designed approach, where people with disability shape every stage of reform.

At JFA Purple Orange, we champion an NDIS — and a broader support system — that’s inclusive, responsive, and grounded in lived experience. Through community engagement, projects like SKILL SA, policy submissions, and ongoing advocacy, we’re working alongside people with disability to build a fairer, more inclusive Australia for everyone.