Three Major Disability Issues the Next Government Must Urgently Address
Unlike the 2022 campaign, disability and the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) have barely featured in the 2025 federal election discourse — a fact that has left many in the disability community feeling overlooked, frustrated, and stuck in limbo.
As voters prepare to head to the polls, disability advocates say the next government must act decisively on three key issues to rebuild trust and improve quality of life for millions of Australians living with disability.
1. Rebuilding Trust with the Disability Community
After years marked by a global pandemic, a harrowing royal commission into violence, abuse, and neglect, and sweeping changes to the NDIS, many people with disability feel abandoned by the system.
“There’s been a huge loss of trust,” said El Gibbs, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia. “People with disability are not feeling heard or included in the decisions being made.”
While Labor entered government in 2022 with strong messaging on disability reform and promises of genuine co-design, some advocates say the outcomes have fallen short.
“Labor said they were listening, but the co-design has felt surface-level,” added Advocacy WA CEO Stu Schonell.
For the next parliament, advocates are calling for a broader vision that sees people with disability as more than just NDIS participants.
“It’s important we are seen for the whole of ourselves, not just the parts that intersect with support services,” said Ms Gibbs.
2. Delivering Clarity and Action on Foundational Supports
With around 700,000 people currently on the NDIS — a small fraction of the 5.5 million Australians living with disability — advocates are demanding clarity around the rollout of “foundational supports,” a new tier of services designed to fill the gaps for those who don’t qualify for the NDIS.
While the federal government has allocated $364 million to kickstart these supports, many — especially in regional and remote areas — remain sceptical.
“There’s a real fear that foundational supports will be used as an excuse to cut NDIS plans or exclude people from the scheme,” said Mr Schonell.
Foundational supports are intended to provide services such as community-based programs, information sharing, and skill-building initiatives, funded jointly by state and federal governments.
But the details remain vague — particularly regarding how they will reach under-served communities.
“If you take something away that took decades to build, surely it will take decades to re-establish,” Schonell warned.
Gibbs stressed that foundational supports must be prioritised not just by the federal government but by state and territory governments too: “This cannot be a second-tier system.”
3. Addressing Broader Disability Inequality: Housing, Health, and Employment
The NDIS, while transformative for some, doesn’t touch the majority of people with disability — and it’s far from the only challenge they face.
Advocates are urging the next government to confront the deep, systemic disadvantages people with disability continue to experience:
- Employment: The disability unemployment rate has barely shifted in 30 years.
- Education: Australians with disability are half as likely to complete Year 12.
- Health: Discriminatory access to timely and appropriate care remains common.
- Housing: Many people with disability cannot access affordable, safe housing.
The inadequacy of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) is a particular concern. At $525.65 per week, the payment often doesn’t cover rent in many areas — particularly in regional Australia — pushing people into homelessness.
“We’re seeing people living in cars, next to public toilets, just so they have somewhere to wash,” Schonell said.
While some changes are in motion, advocates say progress has been painfully slow — and the response to the disability royal commission has left many feeling disillusioned.
“There’s more to life with disability than the NDIS,” Gibbs said. “Only 11 per cent of us are on the scheme. That leaves millions of people who urgently need support — and we need a government willing to act.”
