E-News | Friday 6 November 2026

News

QDN AGM: Result of QDN Board Election

On 31 October, QDN held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) which included the election of four members to QDN’s Board. The members elected for 2026 are:

Marie Bledsoe
Jake Bryar
Kate Dufty
And Dr Sharon Boyce who was re-elected to the Board alongside our continuing elected Directors.

QDN acknowledges and thanks all candidates who nominated for the Board.

QDN also has 2 appointed director roles and Danielle Brown has been serving in one of those roles. At the AGM following a recruitment selection process, the Board and membership confirmed appointment of Mark Philippi in the second Appointed Director role.

Following the AGM, the Board met and have elected the following Directors to positions:

Chairperson: Alison Barber
Deputy Chairperson: Nigel Webb
Audit and Compliance Committee Chair: Jake Bryar
Nominations and Performance Committee Chair: Karen McCarthy

Let’s address barriers to participating in physical activity in Queensland

As part of hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Queensland Government has committed to engaging another 110,000 people with disability in sport by 2032. The Empower project will play an important role in this, but we need your help.

Count Me In is an important survey to help us understand the enablers and barriers to people with disability participating in sport.

The survey is open until 4 December 2026. Please complete and share the survey with your networks by clicking on the following link: qdn.org.au/ourwork/empower-project/

Update on Taxi Subsidy Scheme for NDIS Participants

Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) arrangements for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants have been extended for a further two years, until 31 December 2028.

This means NDIS participants who are also Queensland TSS members can continue to use their TSS membership card to access subsidised taxi travel during this period. The extension does not change the existing TSS processes for members.

The extension provides continued access to transport support while the Commonwealth and state and territory governments work towards longer-term transport support arrangements for NDIS participants. The Queensland Government will continue to work with the Commonwealth on this matter.

This extension relates only to the eligibility of NDIS participants to access TSS subsidies. The Queensland Government remains committed to funding the TSS on an ongoing basis.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads is writing directly to affected TSS members to advise them of the extension.

Thriving Kids – Commonwealth supports

Thriving Kids is for families and their children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism. The Commonwealth have commenced a range of new national supports under Thriving Kids for early intervention and foundational support outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This includes:

Thriving Kids National Digital Information Hub has launched on the Raising Children Network
A national phoneline is available for parents to speak to an MCH nurse
Amaze has launched the Thriving Kids Autism Helpline
You can access a Medicare Healthy Kids Check through your GP. The check is an opportunity to talk with your GP about your child’s health, wellbeing and development. The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is available in addition to child health and development checks offered by state and territory governments.

Housing options for people with disability

‘Home’ means something different to everyone.

QDN worked with Department of Housing and Public Works to make these videos. People with disability talk about their different experiences with housing and how they found a home to suit their needs.

These videos, along with more helpful information, are now available on the Department of Housing and Public Works website.

Learn more by clicking on the following link:
qld.gov.au/housing/public-community-housing/eligibility-applying-for-housing/housing-options-for-people-with-disability

New Resource – Disaster Preparedness for Disability Accommodation Providers

Disability accommodation providers have a responsibility to plan ahead, and to make sound decisions quickly when conditions change.

QDN worked in partnership with the University of Sydney’s Collaborating4Inclusion research team and National Disability Services (NDS) to co-design resources with disability accommodation providers.

These free resources help providers get ready before an emergency, make safer decisions during one, and learn from it afterwards – with the people they support at the centre.

A practical tool to support frontline disability accommodation staff and managers to make placement decisions during emergencies.

You can read more about the guide and download the resources by clicking on the following link:
qdn.org.au/ourwork/disaster-preparedness-for-disability-accommodation-providers/

New NDIA Board Chair and members announced

The Australian Government has appointed Dr Graeme Innes AM as the new Chair of the NDIA Board, following the resignation of Mr Kurt Fearnley AO.

Dr Innes is an existing NDIA Board member and will commence as Chair on 17 December 2026 for a three-year term. He brings extensive experience in disability rights, governance and human rights advocacy, including serving as Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner.

The government has also appointed Mr Glenn Keys AO and Dr Kim Isaacs to fill existing vacancies on the NDIA Board.

Find out more on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website by clicking the following link:
https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/new-ndia-board-chair-and-members-announced?language=en

Have your say

Australia’s Disability Strategy Evaluation

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) has asked ARTD, their project partners and a team of people with disability to learn about how Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (the Strategy) is working. This is called an evaluation.

The Strategy helps ensure all governments play a role in removing barriers and improving outcomes for Australians with disability.

You can find out more and have your say by clicking the following link:
artd.com.au/clients/australias-disability-strategy-evaluation/

Have Your Say on the Brisbane Metro Expansion

Brisbane City Council wants to hear about your travel experiences and suggestions for bus network improvements on the proposed expansion corridors. These corridors are:

Northern Metro – CBD to Carseldine
Eastern Metro – CBD to Capalaba
Southern Metro – CBD to Springwood
Airport Metro – CBD to Brisbane Airport

To complete the survey please click on the following link:
metro.brisbane.qld.gov.au/brisbane-metro-expansions

QDN Events and Opportunities

QDN 2026 Disability Action Week Webinar

Join this webinar which will bring together people with disability, community leaders, researchers, government, emergency management representatives and service providers to explore what disability-inclusive disaster preparedness looks like in practice.

This year’s Queensland Disability Action Week theme is ‘Ready together: preparing for every need, in every emergency’. Guest speakers include Professor Michelle Villeneuve, Dr Sam Harvey, Jason McKey and other wonderful presenters!

Anyone interested in building a more inclusive and disaster-resilient community is encouraged to attend – please register and share with your networks by clicking on the following link:
events.humanitix.com/qdn-disability-action-week-2026-webinar

Register for free online co-design training sessions

Learn how to effectively engage stakeholders and put co-design practices into action in this interactive workshop. The workshop is co-designed and co-delivered by people with lived experience of disability.

If you have some knowledge of stakeholder engagement and co-design, but want to sharpen your skills and understanding, this workshop is for you.
Dates:

Tuesday 1 December 1pm-3:30pm
Thursday 3 December 1pm-3:30pm

Register by clicking on the following link:
events.humanitix.com/stakeholder-engagement-and-co-design-training-december-2026

Successfully Engaging Volunteers with a Disability

Join Volunteering Queensland and representatives from QDN for an engaging, practical professional development session exploring the new resource, ‘Successfully Engaging Volunteers with Disability’.

Co-designed with people with lived experience of disability, this resource offers practical guidance and tools to help organisations remove barriers and create more inclusive volunteering opportunities.

In this session, you’ll discover how to:

Identify and remove common barriers to volunteering
Make recruitment, onboarding, and volunteer roles more accessible
Build confidence in communicating with and supporting volunteers with disability
Make simple, practical adjustments that benefit everyone
Use the resource self-assessment tools to identify opportunities for improvement.

You don’t need to be a disability expert to make a difference. Come away with practical ideas, useful tools and achievable actions to make volunteering more inclusive, accessible and rewarding for everyone.

We look forward to welcoming you and exploring how small changes can create big opportunities for everyone.

This online event is taking place on November 26 from 10 am – 11:30am AEST. To register click the following link:
events.humanitix.com/successfully-engaging-volunteers-with-a-disability/tickets

QDN Lead the Way Mini Workshops

This new series of free online sessions is being delivered for young people with disability aged 17-25. They are a safe and non-judgmental space.  

Current topics include:  

Understanding electricity bills – 16 November  
Saving money on your electricity bill – 25 November 
Switching energy providers – 2 December

Visit the QDN website to register, or share with a young person who may be interested by clicking on the following link:
qdn.org.au/ourwork/lead-the-way/

Policy Submissions

Completed Submissions

Consultation on the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Framework

QDN provided a submission to the review of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Framework. Our submission focused on:

A strategic review of the Human Rights Commission
The complaints handling process
Queensland’s Human Rights Commission (QHRC) education services
The role of the QHRC in public debate on policy and legislation

QDN made several recommendations to better protect people with disability, and make processes more accessible and inclusive including:

Training for staff that is co-designed by people with disability.
Expand mechanisms to lodge complaints with the QHRC.
Incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).
Information included in multiple formats for accessibility.

Keep track of this consultation at the Department of Justice website by clicking on the following link:
justice.qld.gov.au/community-engagement/community-consultation/current/consultation-on-the-human-rights-and-anti-discrimination-framework 

Policy Updates

Child Safety

Commission of Inquiry Child Safety Reform Update

The Queensland government has released a three-month progress report showing that 7 of the 52 child safety inquiry recommendations have been completed or are in progress. Another 41 recommendations will also be delivered over the next 21 months.

Some of the recommendations that are underway include:

Recommendation 6 – Casework decisions in best interests of the child.
Recommendation 41 – Reviews of incidents harming community members.
Recommendation 42 – Using hotels and motels as emergency accommodation.
Recommendations 47 – Ministerial-level accountability for broad child protection system.

These recommendations aim to protect vulnerable children and to support more children into stable family-based care and adoption, reducing the number in residential care.

To read more details on how the Government is working towards the Child Safety recommendations head to the Queensland website by clicking on the following link:
statements.qld.gov.au/statements/106313

Employment

Improving employment opportunities for men who have fluctuating disability

A new report has been published exploring how the experiences of Australian men with disability can change over time and how this may impact employment across different stages of life.

By outlining which groups of men may be at greater risk of employment challenges, researchers hope this report can help inform policies and supports that can improve employment opportunities for men who have fluctuating disability.

Key findings include:

Education was linked to positive employment transitions
Older men with decreasing or fluctuating functional difficulty were less likely to enter the workforce than younger men in the same group
Older men with increasing or fluctuating functional difficulty were more likely to move into self-employment

Read the full report on the Australian Policy Online (APO) website by clicking on the following link:
apo.org.au/node/336396

New Employment Data Released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released information about the number of Australians who were employed, looking for work, or working less than they would like to during the 2025-26 financial year.

Key insights:

1.8 million people had a long-term health condition, and of these, 743,900 (41%) wanted a job, up from 32% in March 2026
1.2 million people had a disability, with 492,500 of these people wanting a job (41%)
The most common reason women who wanted a job were unavailable to start within 4 weeks was ‘Caring for children’, while for men it was ‘Long-term health condition or disability’

Read the full report on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website by clicking on the following link:
abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/barriers-and-incentives-labour-force-participation-australia/2025-26

Health

Australian women will be able to receive cheaper medication thanks to new pharmacy trial

This 12-month trial will allow all women to receive treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and hormonal contraception at a lower rate.

Women will also be able to obtain hormonal contraception without going to the doctor, if it is permitted under the rules of that state or territory. It is estimated that this trial will help 900,000 women save up to $38 per visit, as a maximum price of $25 can be charged per script.

More information is available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website by clicking on the following link:
health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/cheaper-and-easier-access-to-medicines-for-australian-women?language=en

Greater access to free mental health care for Queenslanders

More Queenslanders will be able to access free mental health care, with new or upgraded Medicare Mental Health Centres being developed across the state.

This means more people will be able to access appointments which do not require a referral. Remote services are also available through Medicate Mental Health Check-in.

To learn more about Medicare Mental Health Centres or Check In, visit the Medicare Mental Health website by clicking on the following link:
medicarementalhealth.gov.au/medicare-mental-health-centres

NDIS

First Nations resources hub

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission have released the First Nations resources hub. This new webpage includes a range of resources to provide culturally appropriate, accessible and relevant information for First Nations people with disability, their families, carers and communities.

Resources available include:

information in First Nations languages
the First Nations Participant Pack
the First Nations communication toolkit.

Find out more and download the new resources on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission website by clicking the following link:
ndiscommission.gov.au/about-us/first-nations-resources-hub

Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) Annual Report Released

The latest Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) Annual Report revealed that there were over 130,000 applications at the end of the 2025 – 26 reporting period, despite only being funded to manage 62,000 applications annually. This data aligns with reports of staff shortages and increased wait times for NDIS participants.

The report also shows that there has been an approximate 18% rise in NDIS applications, increasing from 7,935 in 2024-2025 to 9,351 in 2025-26.

To read the report, visit the Administrative Review Tribunal website by clicking on the following link:
art.gov.au/annual-reports

New Report: Eligibility, Access and Utilisation of the NDIS for People with Disability from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

A new report has been published which explores how people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (CALD) engage with the NDIS. The report compares the experience CALD people have with the NDIS to that of people with disability who are not from CALD backgrounds.

One of the key findings from the report are that people from CALD backgrounds tend to apply and are accepted into the NDIS at lower rates than other people with disability, and that this is contributed to factors at an individual, service and systems level being more complex for people from CALD backgrounds.

Read the full report on the Australian Policy Online website by clicking on the following link:
apo.org.au/node/336497

From our friends

Other Policy News  

Insights Report: A More Productive National Disability Insurance Scheme

A new report has been published by the Business Council of Australia (BCA), outlining five actions the governments can take to ensure that NDIS participants continue to have access to suitable, high-quality services as changes occur under the new NDIS legislation.

These include:

Cut avoidable market costs through a Treasury-led target to cut the total cost of NDIS regulation by 25% by 2030
Improve quality through productive frontline work by empowering participants, workers and providers to identify and solve service delivery challenges, while addressing pricing, regulatory and industrial barriers
Modernise pricing and payments by progressively expanding the role of the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) in developing models that reward quality, innovation and productivity, beginning with Supported Independent Living
Scale proven innovations through a Care Innovation and Productivity Accelerator focused on solving persistent system challenges

Read the full report at the Business Council of Australia by clicking on the following link:
bca.com.au/reports-submissions/reports/insights-report-a-more-productive-national-disability-insurance-scheme/

New report: Improving the health of Australians with disability

In 2022 the Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health (CRE-DH) invited senior government officials and disability advocates to a federal-level policy forum. A total of 32 senior leaders attended including senior representatives from 16 organisations, government officials and disability advocates.

Some key recommendations from the forum include:

Developing a National Disability and Health Strategy
Implementing Disability Impact Assessments
Addressing the absence of disability identifiers in administrative systems

Researchers have completed a study which explored which recommendations from the forum have been reflected in government reports and policies. Read more by clicking on the following link:
researchgate.net/publication/413730403_Improving_the_health_of_Australians_with_disability_recommendations_from_a_federal-level_policy_forum

Other Events

World Wheelchair Rugby Cup to take place in Brisbane

Brisbane has been announced as the host city for the 2027 World Wheelchair Rugby Cup.

Hosted between 25 and 29 October 2027, the World Wheelchair Rugby Cup will bring the best wheelchair rugby athletes to Brisbane and give rugby fans across Australia and the world the chance to see wheelchair rugby at its highest levels.

Tickets are expected to go on sale in early 2027 and you can register your interest now to be notified when they go on sale.

Lunchtime learning series: Supporting the health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disability

Central and Eastern Sydney PHN are hosting free lunchtime webinars exploring practical ways to support the health and wellbeing of people with intellectual disability.

They are for disability support workers, team leaders and managers, nurses, families and carers located across Australia. The following topics will be covered:

Thursday 12 November: Preparing for GP visits
Thursday 19 November: Preparing to go to hospital
Thursday 26 November: Emergency planning
Thursday 3 December: A healthy mouth – oral health

Learn more and register on the Australian Government website.

Digital tools to better support men’s health

If you’re a man over 45, The University of Queensland (UQ) wants to hear your thoughts on how digital tools can better support men’s health.

Participation involves a private 1-hour chat online or in-person and a $75 gift card as a thank you for your time.

Questions? Reach out to UQ PhD student and nurse, Raphael Ohms at r.ohms@uq.edu.au or 0468 720 691.

Have your say by clicking on the following link:
lnkd.in/g2nKquUj.

The Australian Men’s Health Forum 2027 Pulse Check 

The 2027 Pulse Check asks about the issues you think matter most for men and boys, what gets in the way of men seeking support, and where you’d like to see government invest.  

The survey closes at 5pm AEDT on Monday 9 November.

Have your say here by clicking on the following link:
amhf.org.au/2027_advocacy_pulse_check_n-2ss5ua4yxx7yotmtqd8g  

Are you a person with disability impacted by Cyclone Alfred? 

Researchers from the University of Queensland are doing research on how extreme weather events affect the mental health of people with disability.  

They are looking for people with disability aged 18 years or older, who were living in Brisbane, Gold Coast or Scenic Rim regions during Cyclone Alfred. 

They are doing interviews in-person and online between October and December 2026. 

In appreciation you will receive a Gift Voucher. 

Please contact Patricia O’Loghlen (PhD Candidate) for more information at p.ologhlen@uq.edu.au or (07) 3443 2917. 