Submission No 74

INQUIRY INTO FOUNDATIONAL AND DISABILITY SUPPORTS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Organisation: Australian Community Industry Alliance Date Received: 8 July 2026

Submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry – Foundational Supports

Date: 8th July 2026

Submitted by: Australian Community Industry Alliance (ACIA)

Executive Summary

The Australian Community Industry Alliance (ACIA) is a national not-for-profit peak body representing organisations that deliver community-based supports and services to Australians with disability, acquired injuries, complex support needs, and other vulnerable populations. ACIA works with service providers, governments and stakeholders to promote quality, safety, innovation and sustainability across the community services sector.

Established in 2005, ACIA has a longstanding commitment to improving outcomes for people who rely on community-based supports. The organisation developed and maintains the Australian Community Industry Standards (ACIS), a nationally recognised quality framework endorsed through the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ). ACIS provides a robust framework for governance, service quality, consumer safeguards, workforce capability, risk management and continuous improvement within community service organisations

ACIA supports the intent of disability reform to ensure all Australians with disability have access to appropriate support, regardless of whether they qualify for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

However, the success of these reforms depends on two fundamental policy decisions.

First, governments must ensure that Foundational Supports are available to adults with disability who require ongoing assistance but are not eligible for, or no longer receive, NDIS funding. Many Australians with disability require support to participate in their communities, maintain independence, and achieve quality of life outcomes, yet fall outside current funding arrangements. Recent NDIS reforms are expected to increase the number of people who will rely on alternative support arrangements. Without Foundational Supports for adults in NSW, there will be a greater burden on other sectors such as health and hospitals, homelessness services, the justice system and other community services.

Second, governments must ensure that all organisations delivering Foundational Supports are required to comply with an independent quality framework. Access to support must be accompanied by appropriate safeguards, accountability measures and consumer protections to ensure services are safe, effective and reliable. Currently, quality assurance arrangements vary significantly depending on funding source, creating an unacceptable gap in protections for many Australians with disability.

NDIS and Aged Care quality standards only apply to people funded by those schemes.

ACIA proposes the adoption of the Australian Community Industry Standards (ACIS) as a practical, proven and nationally recognised quality framework capable of supporting the delivery of high-quality Foundational Supports across Australia.

Recommendation 1:

Establish Foundational Supports for Adults with Disability

Australia has approximately 5.5 million people with disability. However, fewer than 700,000 people currently receive NDIS-funded supports. This means the vast majority of Australians with disability rely on other systems, informal supports, self-funding arrangements, or receive no support at all.

As NDIS access becomes more targeted and plan budgets are increasingly focused on reasonable and necessary supports, governments must ensure that adults with disability who are not participants of the NDIS are not left without meaningful support options.

Foundational Supports have the potential to address an important gap in the disability support ecosystem by providing:

Information and navigation services;
Community participation supports;
Capacity building opportunities;
Early intervention and preventative supports;
Supports that assist independence and social inclusion; and
Assistance that reduces the likelihood of people reaching crisis points.

Without appropriate Foundational Supports, there is a significant risk that adults with disability will experience reduced community participation, poorer wellbeing outcomes, greater reliance on acute services, and increased pressure on families and carers.

ACIA therefore strongly supports the development of Foundational Supports for adults with disability and encourages governments to ensure these supports are adequately funded, nationally consistent, and accessible regardless of where a person lives.

Recommendation 2:

Require Mandatory Compliance with an Independent Quality Framework

The introduction of Foundational Supports presents a unique opportunity to address a longstanding inconsistency within Australia’s support systems.

Individuals receiving supports through the NDIS benefit from the oversight of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, including quality standards, codes of conduct and regulatory protections if they choose an NDIS registered provider. In contrast, many people receiving disability-related support through other pathways do not receive equivalent safeguards.

As a result, the quality of support a person receives can depend on the source of funding rather than the needs of the individual.

This creates risks for:

People accessing community-based supports;
Individuals receiving supports through other government schemes;
People who self-fund their support arrangements; and
Adults who will access future Foundational Supports.

ACIA submits that all providers delivering Foundational Supports should be required to demonstrate compliance with an independently assessed quality framework.

This requirement would:

Protect consumers and vulnerable people;
Improve workforce accountability;
Promote continuous improvement;
Strengthen governance and risk management;
Increase confidence in the support system; and
Ensure consistency of service quality regardless of funding source.

Quality care should not depend on whether support is funded through the NDIS, Foundational Supports, workers compensation, veterans’ programs, private arrangements or any other mechanism.

Every Australian with disability deserves access to safe, effective and reliable support.

ACIS: A Ready-Made Solution

ACIA proposes the Australian Community Industry Standards (ACIS) as an established framework capable of supporting quality assurance requirements for Foundational Supports. ACIS was developed specifically for community services and support providers and is a JASANZ-endorsed quality framework.

ACIS provides a comprehensive approach to:

Consumer rights and safeguards;
Service governance;
Workforce capability;
Risk management;
Continuous quality improvement;
Incident management; and
Service accountability.

Importantly, ACIS is specifically designed for community-based service environments and can be implemented by organisations of varying size and complexity. It provides governments with assurance that funded organisations are operating to recognised standards, while giving people with disability confidence that the supports they receive meet clear expectations of quality and safety.

The establishment of Foundational Supports presents an ideal opportunity to embed quality from the outset, rather than attempting to retrofit safeguards after services have already commenced operation.

Conclusion

The creation of Foundational Supports is a critical reform opportunity and should be guided by two simple principles:

Adults with disability who are not supported through the NDIS must have access to meaningful Foundational Supports.
All organisations delivering those supports should be required to comply with an independent quality framework.

By combining access with accountability, governments can create a support system that is not only more inclusive, but also safer, more consistent and more effective.

ACIA believes the Australian Community Industry Standards (ACIS) provide a practical and immediately available mechanism to achieve this objective and ensure that all Australians with disability can access quality supports they can trust.

Contact: Debbie Eisenhauer-Rodney - CEO Australian Community Industry Alliance – ACIA