The National Centre for Disability Advocacy’s (NCDA) latest Systemic Advocacy Insight Report highlights the critical role of advocacy in helping people with disability navigate ongoing NDIS reforms.

Changes to what people can use their NDIS plan for, funding periods and more eligibility reassessments have all had a big impact on people with disability and their families, who turn to independent disability advocacy for information and support.

What choice and control?

Advocacy organisations nationwide are reporting that these reforms are not just small adjustments—they strike at the heart of what the NDIS promised: choice and control. When plans are reduced or supports deemed ineligible without clear explanation, people can risk losing control over their lives. For many, this results in increased isolation, anxiety, and even threats to their safety.

Without independent advocates to help navigate these complex and often confusing changes, people with disability are left behind. Advocates provide essential support, ensuring people with disability and their families understand what is happening, know their rights, and can challenge decisions that impact their lives.

Advocates know the early warning signs

One of the key findings of the NCDA report is the vital role advocates play in spotting emerging issues early. Because advocates work closely within communities and build trusted relationships, they are often the first to notice when something is wrong.

Their work includes:

• Helping people make sense of complex and confusing NDIS decisions
• Reviewing plan cuts and identifying breaches of people with disability’s rights
• Lodging appeals and ensuring fair processes are followed
• Connecting people with peer support, community services, and legal assistance
• Tracking patterns and trends in advocacy issues and raising these concerns with government bodies

This is systemic advocacy in action: grounded in lived experience and focused on long-term change.

You can read the full NCDA Systemic Advocacy Insight report on the NCDA’s website here.