The National Centre for Disability Advocacy (NCDA) has just launched its latest Systemic Advocacy Insight Report, which lays bare shocking evidence of exclusion and discrimination from Australians with disability.

Drawing on conversations with independent disability organisations around Australia –  run by and for people with disability – the report is a call for urgent government action and reform. It sheds a light on harms to people with disability across housing, guardianship, transport and child protection.

NCDA, a program delivered by DANA, exists to improve access to and quality of individual advocacy services in Australia by spotlighting some of the systemic issues that affect people with disability. Through this annual report, NCDA provides governments, disability organisations, and the broader community with clear, evidence-based insights to drive systemic change.

Frontline perspectives on systemic advocacy

Report insights come directly from those on the frontline. For this year’s report, NCDA brought together advocates from across the country at its national Systemic Advocacy Forum and facilitated in-depth one-on-one conversations These insights revealed alarming trends in housing insecurity and the suspected overuse of guardianship orders, taking away the rights of people with disability.

While many organisations are primarily funded to deliver individual advocacy, advocates consistently emphasised how important systemic advocacy is to address the root causes of the issues they see. Yet, limited funding and restrictive guidelines often mean they can spend less than 10% of their time on this vital work.

Advocates shared what they’re seeing, what’s working, and what’s standing in the way of people with disability living with rights, safety, and dignity. One clear message came through: systemic advocacy matters — but there are too few opportunities to do it.

As one advocate told NCDA:
“We see the same issues over and over again. If we could work on fixing the broken system, we could help more people.”

Others said they’re often doing this work “off the side of their desks” — in their own time, driven by their commitment to help more people.

What happens when systemic advocacy gets done?

Despite limited resources, advocates are still driving important work. The report highlights recent wins, including:

• In Queensland, members of the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network (QiDAN) teamed up to make a joint submission on supported accommodation, calling for tenancy and service provision to be separated to protect the rights of people with disability.
• In the NT, Integrated Disability Action (IDA) was successful in pushing for policy changes related to lift-fee subsidies after a woman missed her chance to speak at a funeral because she had exhausted these subsidies
• First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) advocated to the NDIA for permanent return-to-Country options, not just temporary protocols — supporting the right of First Nations people with disability to live on Country.

A practical tool for reform

DANA CEO, El Gibbs, said: 

“This report by the National Centre for Disability Advocacy is a roadmap for policymakers to address these systemic failures and shows how hard independent disability advocacy organisations are working to change the lives of people with disability. It also reinforces the critical need for the Federal Government to address ongoing underfunding of systemic and individual advocacy to drive change across the community.”

This report isn’t just a summary — it’s a practical tool for:

• Government departments and agencies
• Disability Representative Organisations
• Civil society groups and researchers

At DANA, we’ll be sharing more report insights over the next four weeks across these key themes:

• Housing
• NDIS reforms
• Transport
• Guardianship and safeguarding

As the national voice for independent advocacy organisations, we’re committed to showcasing the NCDA’s report to strengthen our conversations with decision-makers and build the case for better policies and stronger support for systemic advocacy across Australia. The National Centre for Disability Advocacy is a program delivered by Disability Advocacy Network Australia.

🔗 Download the second annual Systemic Advocacy Report from the NCDA website

🔗 Read our Media Releases here