Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

The South Australian Housing Trust’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) 2026–2030 signals a renewed commitment to removing housing barriers and enhancing inclusivity for people with disabilities.

With consultations open until January 25, 2026, the plan provides a framework for improving SDA accessibility, aligning housing services with community needs, and guiding long-term policy and investment decisions.

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This presentation will examine:

• The objectives and anticipated impact of the DAIP 2026–2030 on SDA design, delivery, and participant outcomes.

• How providers can contribute feedback through “YourSAy” consultations and influence the strategy.

• Practical steps for aligning SDA development and refurbishment projects with the DAIP’s accessibility and inclusivity requirements.

• Strategies for investors and providers to anticipate and respond to policy shifts, ensuring operational compliance and sustainable returns.

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Attendees will gain an in-depth understanding of SA’s new housing policy direction, actionable guidance for aligning SDA projects with DAIP principles, and insights into how early engagement can shape accessible, inclusive housing futures.

South Australia is introducing tighter SDA inspections and compliance requirements in 2026 to safeguard participants and ensure high-quality housing. Providers must demonstrate ongoing adherence to design, safety, and operational standards, with inspections becoming more rigorous and outcomes increasingly scrutinised.

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This presentation will explore:

• The key elements of updated inspection protocols and compliance expectations for SDA in Adelaide.

• Risk management strategies for providers to maintain operational compliance and avoid penalties.

• Integrating continuous quality assurance into SDA planning, construction, and refurbishment projects.

• Leveraging compliance as a driver for operational excellence and participant safety.

Delegates will leave with practical strategies to meet stringent inspection standards, embed robust compliance processes, and mitigate risk while ensuring SDA dwellings meet participant needs and regulatory requirements.

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Morning tea 

The 2025–26 SDA pricing framework introduces CPI-indexed adjustments effective 1 July 2026, affecting benchmark rates, revenue models, and investment strategies. Understanding the implications of indexed pricing is essential for maintaining financial sustainability and aligning operational plans with participant funding.

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This session will cover:

• How CPI-indexed pricing impacts provider revenue, budget planning, and cashflow projections.

• Balancing participant needs with sustainable investment returns, particularly in Fully Accessible and Robust SDA dwellings.

• Integrating pricing changes into long-term project planning and SIL cost considerations.

• Tools for investors and providers to assess financial risk and optimise SDA funding utilisation.

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Outcomes:
Delegates will gain a clear understanding of the financial implications of 2026 pricing adjustments, enabling strategic planning, accurate budgeting, and informed investment decisions.

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Data from South Australia highlights a significant under-supply of modern, suitable SDA, particularly outside metropolitan Adelaide.

This session explores strategies for aligning SDA supply with local demand, including investment opportunities in regional areas and the transition from older stock to purpose-built, accessible housing.

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Discussion points include:

• Identifying areas of unmet need across SA, including regional towns and underserved metropolitan suburbs.

• Designing and delivering Robust and Fully Accessible SDA dwellings aligned with participant requirements and NDIA standards.

• Engaging with local councils to ensure compliance with 2026–2030 DAIP requirements and leveraging community partnerships.

• Opportunities for investors to balance social impact with financial viability in high-demand regions.

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Attendees will leave with evidence-based strategies to expand SDA supply where it is most needed, optimise investment impact, and support participants’ access to high-quality, inclusive housing.

All South Australian councils are required to implement a Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) for 2026–2030, creating a critical interface for SDA providers, investors, and community housing organisations.

Effective collaboration between councils, housing providers, and community services is essential to strengthen participant outcomes and align housing development with broader accessibility objectives.

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This session will examine:

• How council DAIPs influence SDA planning, approvals, and support integration in Adelaide.

• Mechanisms for engaging councils and stakeholders in shaping accessible housing projects.

• Coordinating with support services, community organisations, and participants to implement wrap-around solutions.

• Leveraging DAIP alignment to enhance funding, approvals, and participant satisfaction.

Delegates will gain a comprehensive understanding of collaborative pathways, enabling them to navigate council engagement, align SDA and community housing strategies, and deliver socially impactful, accessible housing projects.

Lunch 

In 2026, transitional accommodation plays a structured and increasingly formalised role in supporting NDIS participants who are moving between care environments but are not yet ready for permanent housing solutions such as SDA or Supported Independent Living 

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Recent NDIA guideline clarifications have strengthened the role of Medium-Term Accommodation (MTA) and Short-Term Accommodation (STA) as planned, time-limited supports - particularly for participants exiting hospital, justice settings, or other temporary care arrangements where long-term housing decisions are still being assessed.

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This session focuses on pathway design and system coordination, rather than risk exposure, examining how transitional accommodation operates as part of an integrated housing continuum in South Australia.

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Delegates will examine:

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• The current NDIA eligibility intent and policy settings for MTA and STA, including use cases linked to hospital discharge, justice transitions, and interim housing needs.

• The role of STA as a Core Support for short-term accommodation, respite, and stabilisation, including clarification of what supports and services are fundable.

• How transitional accommodation can be deliberately aligned with longer-term housing planning, including SDA and SIL pathways, without pre-empting eligibility decisions.

• Coordination models involving support coordinators, health services, community housing providers, and allied supports that enable planned transitions rather than crisis responses.

• South Australian examples of system-enabled transition, including hospital-to-home style programs that support continuity of care and participant independence.

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Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how MTA and STA function as structured transitional pathways within South Australia’s NDIS environment. Delegates will leave equipped to design, coordinate, and deliver transitional accommodation that supports participant stability, maintains compliance, and complements - rather than replaces - longer-term housing solutions.

In Adelaide, participants may be clinically ready for discharge while SDA eligibility, design classification, funding approval, or placement decisions remain unresolved.

This misalignment places pressure on hospitals, creates uncertainty for participants, and exposes SDA providers and investors to heightened operational and financial risk.

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This session examines how SDA providers can navigate prolonged discharge processes while managing vacancy exposure, cashflow disruption, and reputational pressure. It explores the practical realities of engaging with hospitals, Local Health Networks, and the NDIA when housing readiness and funding certainty are out of sync, and how providers can respond without compromising compliance, participant outcomes, or long-term asset strategy.

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Key areas of discussion include:

• The impact of delayed SDA eligibility, design classification, and funding decisions on hospital length of stay and provider engagement.

• Managing vacant or underutilised SDA stock while participants remain in hospital, Medium-Term Accommodation (MTA), or transitional settings.

• Cashflow and financing implications arising from discharge delays, funding holds, and extended vacancy periods.

• Communication and escalation strategies with the NDIA, plan managers, support coordinators, and health services during prolonged discharge timelines.

• Reputational and governance risks for providers when SDA housing is perceived as part of hospital discharge bottlenecks.

• Investor considerations, including occupancy volatility, funding lag exposure, and practical risk mitigation strategies.

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Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how hospital discharge dynamics intersect with SDA funding and occupancy in the Adelaide market.

Attendees will leave with practical strategies to protect SDA portfolios, manage vacancy and cashflow risk, engage constructively with health and NDIA stakeholders, and align operational and investment decision-making with the realities of a constrained and highly scrutinised housing environment.

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In 2025, the NDIA initiated a formal review of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard to ensure homes continue to meet participant needs while aligning with current accessibility, building, and industry best practice.

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As a recognised Peak Body, NDISDA contributed sector feedback alongside input from Members and stakeholders.

This session brings together regulatory experts, SDA providers, policy advisors, investors, and participant representatives to discuss the review, explore potential SDA Rules reform, and examine the practical and strategic implications for the sector.

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The NDIA’s comprehensive review aims to ensure SDA dwellings deliver high-quality, accessible, and participant-centred housing that reflects industry best practice and lived experience. Consultation with participants, support workers, builders, assessors, and investors is informing the next edition of the Design Standard and its implementation framework in 2026.

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This presentation will explore the key themes emerging from the review and their implications for Adelaide-based SDA developments and assessments, including:

• The purpose and scope of the Design Standard review and the influence of stakeholder feedback on updated requirements.

• How revised design expectations may impact planning, construction, and refurbishment projects in South Australia.

• Considerations for universal accessibility, environmental sustainability, and support-enabling features.

• Effects on participant experience, from spatial layout and circulation to integration of assistive technologies.

• Strategic approaches for providers and investors to anticipate and embed new design requirements into projects.

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Delegates will leave with a clear understanding of the SDA design reform trajectory, practical guidance for interpreting emerging standards, and strategies for integrating these requirements into project planning, compliance, and investment decision-making within the Adelaide SDA market.

​The NDIA’s 2025–26 SDA Pricing Arrangements reflect ongoing reforms designed to balance supply and demand while supporting long-term sector viability. A longer-term SDA Pricing Review is shaping price limits and benchmark rates over the next five years, impacting investment and participant access.

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This session examines the implications of pricing reforms on SDA delivery.

Delegates will explore:

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• Adjusted benchmark prices and their influence on provider revenue models and investment decisions.

• Changes to participant plans and cost structures, particularly in high-cost or low-demand regions.

• How ongoing pricing consultations signal future incremental reform through 2026.

• Strategies to maintain financial sustainability while delivering participant-focused housing.

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Attendees will leave equipped to plan for evolving funding frameworks, optimise SDA revenue models, and navigate pricing changes with confidence.

In 2026, the National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) increased focus on payment integrity and pre‑payment review controls is creating a new operational reality for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers, investors, and participants alike.

While safeguards like enhanced fraud prevention and claim verification are designed to protect the long‑term sustainability of the NDIS, they have also led to more frequent payment holds and longer processing times, with legitimate claims sometimes delayed for days or even weeks before funds are released.

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For investors, prolonged payment holds can distort projected cash flows, elevate financing costs, and undermine confidence in revenue stability - especially for investment models reliant on regular Supported Independent Living and SDA payments.

For SDA providers, slower or withheld payments introduce acute cashflow risk, forcing many to self‑finance operations, delay staff payments, or absorb expenses while waiting for clearance.

This creates a tangible threat to market participation, particularly for smaller providers with limited liquidity.

For Participants, payment holds risk interruptions to essential supports and complicate relationships with plan managers or service providers.

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This session will unpack why payment holds are occurring - including heightened NDIA compliance protocols, more rigorous pre‑payment audit processes, and the integration challenges of new claims systems - and explore strategies to navigate integrity controls without compromising financial viability or client outcomes.

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Attendees will gain insight into:

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• The drivers behind NDIA payment holds and how they fit into broader fraud prevention and integrity frameworks

• Cashflow risk implications for SDA investments and operational planning

• Practical steps SDA providers and investors can take to anticipate, manage, and mitigate payment delays

• Approaches to strengthen communication with the NDIA and plan managers to reduce payment uncertainty

The Specialist Disability Accommodation  sector is navigating a period of significant reform and heightened scrutiny.

System changes, regulatory updates, and market pressures are reshaping participant access, provider sustainability, and investor confidence.

This closing panel brings together regulatory experts, SDA providers, investors, advocates, and participant representatives to examine how these factors intersect and impact the sector, with a focus on managing risk, maintaining continuity of care, and ensuring market resilience.

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Key areas of discussion include:

• Provider collapse and operational risk: financial, governance, and workforce factors contributing to instability, and strategies to safeguard service continuity.

• Transitional and regulatory pressures: navigating evolving SDA eligibility frameworks, automated planning tools, and changes in needs assessment processes including: 

Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in SDA:

• The growing role of the AAT in resolving disputes around SDA funding, eligibility, and plan approvals.

• How automated plan reviews, structured assessments, and participant advocacy affect outcomes.

• Implications of AAT decisions for providers, including adjusting operational practices, ensuring compliance, and responding to participant appeals.

• Investor considerations: exposure to occupancy and funding variability when AAT decisions delay or alter SDA placements.

• Strategies for risk mitigation, including early engagement with participants, robust documentation, and proactive dispute resolution.

• Market resilience and sustainability strategies: proactive approaches for risk mitigation, governance, regulatory compliance, and operational planning to strengthen the SDA ecosystem.

• Case studies and practical insights: lessons from provider challenges, effective risk management, and collaboration models that maintain participant wellbeing.

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Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to:

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• Navigate SDA system reforms with confidence.

• Protect participant outcomes and ensure continuity of care.

• Strengthen operational and financial resilience across SDA portfolios.

• Align investment strategies with evolving regulatory and market conditions.

• Understand the detailed impact of AAT decisions on SDA operations, participant access, and investment risk.

Networking and depart