NDIA Accountability Project

Submission 395 — National Indigenous Australians Agency — Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

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National Indigenous Australians Agency

Submission to the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability

13 October 2025

Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

Contents

The National Indigenous Australians Agency acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

About the National Indigenous Australians Agency

The National Indigenous Australians Agency’s (NIAA’s) vision is that First Nations peoples are heard, recognised and empowered. We work in genuine partnership to enable the self-determination and aspirations of First Nations communities. We lead and influence change across government to ensure First Nations peoples have a say in the decisions that affect them, with the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms embedded in policy and programs.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency was established by an Executive Order signed by the Governor-General on 29 May 2019. The Executive Order gives the NIAA a number of functions, including to:

  • lead and coordinate Commonwealth policy development, program design and implementation and service delivery for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • provide advice to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Indigenous Australians on whole-of-government priorities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • lead and coordinate the development and implementation of Australia’s Closing the Gap targets in partnership with Indigenous Australians, and
  • lead Commonwealth activities to promote reconciliation.

The NIAA has a strong regional presence with offices in every Australian state and territory, as well as regional and remote locations across the country. The NIAA’s place-based presence is central to the Agency’s ability to understand the unique needs and priorities of First Nations communities.

Our submission to the Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative details insights from the NIAA’s policy and engagement experience, including partnerships with the First Nations disability and education sectors.

Summary

As Thriving Kids is a Commonwealth, state and territory initiative there is an opportunity contribute to National Agreement on Closing the Gap outcomes and make a significant improvement in the lives of First Nations children with mild to moderate developmental delay and autism.

The NIAA notes that, in line with the Closing the Gap Priority Reforms, the first critical step will be to engage and work in genuine partnership with First Nations children, their families, and representative bodies to understand their needs and aspirations, and to co-design national and place-based Thriving Kids initiatives with them. This includes:

  • independent First Nations representation on the Thriving Kids Advisory Body, and
  • ensuring First Nations peak bodies representing disability, education, children and families, together with First Nations people with lived experience, are included in design, implementation and monitoring of the Thriving Kids program.

Other key considerations in the development of the Thriving Kids initiative to support improvement and outcomes for First Nations children and their families include:

Connection to other government programs

  • Alignment and opportunities for integration with existing community health and education reforms, such as Connected Beginnings, to support a holistic approach to service delivery.
  • Continuing current supports until alternative services are operating in First Nations communities.
    • It is important any new services are independently verified for quality and cultural safety, including ensuring timelines are not rushed and access for all who need support.

Culturally safe service delivery

  • Providing proportional funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Organisations to deliver co-designed and community led Thriving Kids services.
  • Prioritising the development of a First Nations workforce, and the cultural competency of the entirety of Thriving Kids workforces.

Accessibility of Thriving Kids services

  • Ensuring eligibility and intake arrangements take account of the underreporting of disability to ensure there are processes to support families who do not have formal diagnoses.
  • Providing navigation and case work support to ensure First Nations families can navigate Thriving Kids funding and identify culturally safe providers.

Reporting and accountability

  • Developing a Thriving Kids program logic including outcomes and accountability that align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

Introduction

The NIAA notes the importance of considering the lived experience and needs of First Nations children and families in the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability’s Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative.

First Nations children experience a significantly higher proportion of disability and are more likely to be underdiagnosed with disability.1 The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission) found that First Nations children with disability also face significant barriers accessing culturally safe support and services, including encountering racism.

Research from Dr Scott Avery, Professor of Indigenous Disability, Health and Wellbeing - School of Public Health - University of Technology Sydney, highlights that First Nations people living with disability experience intersecting layers of individual and structural discrimination including ableism, racism and gender discrimination.2, 3 Combined, this discrimination drives acute social, economic, health and wellbeing inequalities outlined in Closing the Gap.

Disability policies and programs need to address the impact of compounding marginalisation to ensure First Nations people with disabilities are effectively supported. The Thriving Kids program provides an opportunity to improve service outcomes for First Nations children with disability and their families.

Disability and Closing the Gap

The National Agreement on Closing the Gap, an Agreement signed by all Australian governments and the Coalition of Peaks, highlights disability as a cross-cutting outcome area across all 17 socioeconomic targets and provides four Priority Reforms guiding how to work in partnership to achieve meaningful change. Specific Closing the Gap commitments relevant to the Thriving Kids program are:

  • Target 4 - Children thrive in their early years: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children assessed as developmentally on track in all five domains of the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) to 55 per cent.
    • This target is particularly relevant for First Nations children with developmental delays (including neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) given the disproportionately high impact of these disability types for First Nations children.
    • In developing the Thriving Kids program, the NIAA will work closely with government counterparts to support consideration of First Nations children with developmental delays in regional, remote and very remote locations to address barriers to gaining a diagnosis and accessing support.

1 First Peoples Disability Network, News and Media, Conference: Policy and Research Director Scott Avery presented at Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, viewed 22 September 2025 <Conference: Policy and Research Director Scott Avery presented at Nga Pae o te Maramatanga - FPDN> 2 Avery, Scott 2020, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability: Falling through the cracks’. AULA 42, 159
3 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, People with disability in Australia, Viewed 13 October 2025 <People with disability in Australia, Disability discrimination - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare>

  • Clause 55(b): where new funding initiatives are decided by governments which are intended to service the broader population across socio-economic outcome areas of the Agreement, that a meaningful proportion is allocated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations with relevant expertise, particularly community-controlled organisations.
    • A meaningful proportion is an amount which takes into account the number and capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, particularly the existing community-controlled sectors and the service demands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including through the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled peaks organisations in the relevant jurisdiction.
    • Funding culturally safe services delivered by trusted First Nations organisations is likely to result in stronger engagement from First Nations families and children in a Thriving Kids program.
  • Clause 59(f) Improve engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: Ensure when governments are undertaking significant changes to policy and programs that primarily impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, they engage fully and transparently.
    • The National Agreement on Closing the Gap emphasises that engagements should be done in a way where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: have a leadership role in the design and conduct of engagements; know the purpose and fully understand what is being proposed; know what feedback is provided and how that is being taken account of by governments in making decisions; and are able to assess whether the engagements have been fair, transparent and open.
    • The inclusion of the voices of First Nations peoples in the design, implementation and monitoring of the Thriving Kids program will help to create a program that is culturally safe and delivers improved outcomes for First Nations children.

Data

The First Nations disability peak body, the First Peoples Disability Network, has identified that the proportion of First Nations people with disability is likely under reported. Issues in obtaining a diagnosis and treatment for First Nations children include the cost and access to diagnostic and treatment services, particularly in remote and very remote areas.4, 5

Nationally in 2024, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (0 to 5 years old) as being developmentally on track in all five AEDC domains was highest in major cities (36.9%). This proportion declined with remoteness, to 16.5% in very remote areas.6

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children commencing school in 2024:

  • 10.7% had a medically diagnosed special need, an increase from 6.4% in 2018, and
  • 33.2% had been identified by teachers as requiring further assessment to determine if they have a developmental difficulty that affects their ability to do schoolwork in a regular classroom, an increase from 24.3% in 2018.7

4 First Peoples Disability Network, News and Media, Conference: Policy and Research Director Scott Avery presented at Nga Pae o te Maramatanga, viewed 22 September 2025 <Conference: Policy and Research Director Scott Avery presented at Nga Pae o te Maramatanga - FPDN> 5 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability, 2022, viewed 13 October 2025 <Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability, 2022 | Australian Bureau of Statistics> 6 Productivity Commission, Closing the Gap dashboard, table CtG4A.4
7 Productivity Commission, Closing the Gap dashboard, table CtG4A.6

In 2022, 66,700 young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 5-20 years identified they had a disability. The main long-term conditions identified were:

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - 24.6%
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - 14.1%
  • Dyslexia - 9.4%.8

First Nations people make up approximately 3.2% of the Australian population, yet at 30 June 2025 accounted for around 8% of total Nations National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants, with First Nations children a significant cohort of First Nations NDIS participants. Around half of NDIS First Nations participants are aged under 15 years, with a higher percentage (30%) aged 0-8 than non-First Nations participants (23%).9

Intersecting Australian Government reforms

The NIAA notes there are national reforms that intersect with the Thriving Kids initiative. We will work with our government counterparts to ensure national reforms are considered and support for First Nations children with developmental delay and disability through Thriving Kids is aligned with existing culturally safe community health and education systems as appropriate. Examples of relevant national reforms include:

  • Mainstream reforms to strengthen the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector that include: working towards building a universal early education and care system, improvements to child safety in ECEC settings, activity test reforms to improve entitlements for families with First Nations children, ECEC worker retention payments, and opportunities for capital improvements for ECEC settings.
  • Targeted strategies and ECEC investments to support First Nations young children and their families to access high quality, culturally safe education and care services to ensure First Nations children start school with the best chance of success. For example, Connected Beginnings — a community led program, jointly funded by the Australian Government, through the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the Department of Education, which aims to improve access to existing early childhood, maternal and child health, and family support services so First Nations children are safe, healthy and ready to thrive at school.
  • Australian Government investment of an estimated $16.5 billion in additional funding to all public schools in Australia through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement 2025–2034 and Better and Fairer Schools Agreement: Full and Fair Funding 2025–2034 (BFSA). The BFSA is an opportunity to drive real improvements in student outcomes, with both First Nations students and students with disability identified as priority equity cohorts for all reform measures.

Ensuring the Thriving Kids program’s design and implementation works together with jurisdictional and national reforms will be critical to efficient service delivery and support for families and children.

8 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Avery S. (2025) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with disability, 2022 Survey Disability Ageing and Carers. ABS, Canberra. 9 Data re: 60,529 First Nations participants - National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Developmental Delay Data to 30 June 2025, Table 11, viewed 9 October 2025

Relevant international government commitments

The Australian Government is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The NIAA notes that First Nations children with disabilities and their families have fundamental rights that are protected under these United Nations conventions. The NIAA will support DHDA to ensure these rights are considered within the Thriving Kids initiative with First Nations children with disability’s best interests considered in all decisions affecting them.

First Nations involvement in design of Thriving Kids

In line with Closing the Gap Priority Reform 1, for the Thriving Kids program to benefit First Nations children and families it must be co-designed with First Nations peoples, including First Nations disability, children, and education stakeholders and families with lived experience. The NIAA notes that working in genuine partnership and shared decision making aligns with the commitment all governments have made.

First Nations children and their families have the right to self-determination to have a say in their lives and make choices that align with their cultural and community needs. First Nations representation in the design of Thriving Kids — including the Thriving Kids expert advisory group - would support the development of culturally safe, trauma informed and appropriate services, including culturally appropriate assessments.

Close engagement at all stages of design and implementation will be essential to ensure Thriving Kids works for First Nations children and their families.

Access to information about Thriving Kids

It is important that there is easy to understand information and communication tailored to First Nations families on what supports are available and how to access the program.

Development of communications materials and approaches for First Nations families will need to consider language barriers, geographical landscape, and cultural differences to ensure formats tailored to the different needs of First Nations peoples across Australia.

First Nations involvement in delivery of Thriving Kids

Noting the importance of culturally safe and accessible Thriving Kids services, Australian governments are already committed to delivery by First Nations organisations through the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, and to building a First Nations workforce through the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021–2031. This includes:

  • Ensuring an appropriate proportion of funding is provided to First Nations organisations to deliver Thriving Kids services.
  • Building a diverse workforce, including training, employing and developing First Nations people to support service delivery for First Nations children.
  • Investing in the development of all workforces, including mainstream services, to provide culturally safe, trauma informed, accessible and inclusive services that are disability rights informed for First Nations children and their families.

The Australian Government is currently working to grow the First Nations Psychology workforce by investing $8.6 million in the First Nations Psychology Scholarships Program over 4 years from 2025-26. This investment is an example of how governments are supporting First Nations students and increasing the availability of culturally safe and appropriately qualified specialists to deliver critical services such as those required in the Thriving Kids program.

Reporting and accountability

The Closing the Gap Priority Reforms, in particular Priority Reform 4 regarding shared access to data and information, are an important consideration in developing reporting requirements, including data sovereignty, transparency and accountability. Opportunities to embed Priority Reform 4 include co-designing a Thriving Kids program logic, publishing a national implementation timeline, and/or sharing regular dashboards showing outcomes by Indigeneity, region, gender, and geographic location.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important Inquiry. The NIAA looks forward to the co-design and deliver of meaningful, culturally safe, and equitable outcomes for First Nations children, as well as their families, kin and communities through Thriving Kids.