The abilityNEWS Daily
The Big Story
The ideal (courtesy LVA architects)
Disability Housing leaves almost 10,000 waiting for suitable homes
The NDIA has launched a dedicated webpage providing information for investors in disability housing. It’s a great move, but fixing entrenched problems in the sector will require more than just a new webpage.
Despite being approved for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) under the NDIS, thousands of people with disability are still waiting for a home suited to their needs. According to NDIS data from the March 2025 quarter, 9,662 participants had been deemed eligible for SDA but had not yet moved into an appropriate dwelling.
As part of the effort to address this the NDIA is launching a new webpage aimed at SDA investors. This platform offers guidance on investment risks, contract fairness, and alerts about misleading claims in the SDA market. Developed with the support of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, ASIC, and the ACCC, it aims to safeguard participants and prevent investor exploitation.
Which is great. Unfortunately, it’s not capable of addressing the underlying issues. Then again, under the current system there appears to be relatively little the Authority itself can do to deal with the problem.
This shortfall is particularly acute in specific design categories such as High Physical Support and Robust Housing, catering to people with complex mobility or behavioural needs. These have higher construction costs and correspondingly lower investor appetite.
What the NDIA is doing will clean up the market and help combat unethical practices.
What it’s unlikely to do is solve the root issue: a severe shortage of housing in the right places, built to the right standards.
The Briefing
Getting a mammogram (courtesy Healthy Women)
Life-saving services such as mammograms should be for everywoman
by Physical Disability Australia
Carol Taylor was initially refused a mammogram due to mobility issues, despite the procedure being possible from a wheelchair. Her experience highlights inconsistent policies and ableist assumptions across the country's breast screening services.
Discover the benefits of Employing your Own Support Worker Service
by Living My Way
Living My Way’s Employ Your Own (EYO) Support Worker Service helps individuals manage their care by hiring workers they trust. The service offers flexibility, administrative support, and real-life success stories shared by members like Dr Steve.
Introducing PDA’s new Policy Officer
by Physical Disability Australia
Sarah, a Law graduate and disability advocate, has joined Physical Disability Australia as its new Policy Officer. With experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and legal reform, she brings valuable insight shaped by her lived experience of disability.
PWDA Signs Joint Statement on New NDIS Funding Periods
by People with Disability Australia
Disability advocates have condemned new NDIS funding intervals, citing lack of consultation and risks to participant wellbeing. They warn the rigid rollout restricts flexibility, reduces autonomy and may delay essential supports for people with disability.
Google Meet Now Allows Customisable Captions.
by Centre For Accessibility Australia
Google Meet users can now personalise live captions by adjusting font and background settings to suit visual preferences. The feature enhances meeting readability and is available for Workspace and personal account holders.
The Wrap
Millennial mental health claims help push life insurers to $2.2b crisis
by AFR
Insurers say stress, burnout and bullying at work – especially among young people – are among the reasons claimants give for being unable to return to work. Almost half the money paid out by life insurers is linked to mental health problems in what the industry says is a worsening crisis as more young people claim they are unable to work because they have developed severe anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Community Home Australia opens supported living opposite Westmead Hospital in Sydney's West
by The Weekly Source
The dementia care and disability support provider has opened Kora House, a four-storey, 18-studio supported living facility across the road from Westmead Hospital, 26km west of Sydney's CBD. Dr Rodney Jilek, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Community Home Australia (CHA), told The Weekly SOURCE. "We expect to fill quickly. We had just over 150 applications and I interviewed every one personally."
Former teacher shares lessons learnt about building a property portfolio
by Aust Property Investor
Former high school teacher Phil Batey's tentative first steps onto the property market in his 20s blossomed into a fixation that changed his life and secured his family's financial future. ne thing they don’t teach you at school is that among the nation’s property investors, 72 per cent hold just one investment property. It’s a lesson that former teacher and high school deputy principal Phil Batey learnt and has applied to acquire three properties and set himself and his family up to increase upon that in coming months and years.
The Diary
