Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

From 2026, Victoria’s Specialist Disability Accommodation  sector enters a period of heightened regulatory scrutiny and legal reform.

This session provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving compliance landscape, including tighter SDA enrolment requirements, the increasing use of specialised SDA residency agreements, and strengthened resident protections under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic).

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The presentation will unpack how these reforms reshape provider obligations, risk exposure, and governance responsibilities—particularly for SDA providers operating at the intersection of housing law, disability regulation, and tenancy rights. Attendees will gain clarity on what “compliance-ready” looks like in 2026 and how to proactively respond to regulatory change rather than react to enforcement.

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Key Themes Covered

• SDA enrolment and registration tightening: what’s changing and why

• SDA residency agreements vs standard tenancy arrangements

• Managing legal risk under the Residential Tenancies Act

• Governance, documentation, and audit preparedness

• What regulators will expect of “fit-for-purpose” providers in 2026

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As Victoria prioritises quality uplift alongside supply growth, SDA design standards are being enforced more rigorously than ever. This session explores how 2026 design expectations are shaping new SDA developments—particularly across High Physical Support, Fully Accessible and Improved Liveability categories.

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The session will examine what regulators and assessors now consider “minimum compliance” versus “best practice,” and how advanced assistive technology, automation, and smart-home integration are rapidly becoming baseline expectations rather than optional extras.

Attendees will gain practical insights into aligning design, construction, and certification processes with emerging standards to avoid costly retrofits and approval delays.

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Key Themes covered: 

• 2026 SDA design compliance expectations in Victoria

• Automation, assistive technology and digital accessibility

• Designing for longevity, adaptability, and participant choice

• Certification challenges and common compliance pitfalls

• Future-proofing SDA assets for regulatory and market change

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Morning tea 

The Victorian Government’s extended Disability Action Plan 2024–2026 signals a strategic shift toward strengthening the SDA market through targeted supply expansion and a renewed focus on quality outcomes.

Central to this agenda is the review and redevelopment of existing government-owned SDA and disability housing assets.

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This session provides an in-depth analysis of current and emerging policy signals, funding priorities, and partnership opportunities. It explores how providers can align with government objectives, participate in redevelopment initiatives, and position themselves as trusted delivery partners in a more selective, outcomes-driven market.

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Key Themes Covered

• Victorian Government SDA policy priorities to 2026

• Reviewing and redeveloping legacy government-owned SDA

• Market gaps, unmet demand and strategic investment signals

• Public–private partnerships and co-investment models

• What “market strengthening” means in practice for providers

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As Australia’s SDA market matures, Basic SDA remains a pressing structural challenge.

Despite growth in New Build SDA, many participants still live in outdated, inaccessible, and high-maintenance homes that fall short of contemporary expectations for independence, choice, and community inclusion.

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This research-informed session examines the drivers sustaining Basic SDA, systemic barriers to renewal, and opportunities for coordinated reform across policy, funding, and practice.

Drawing on stakeholder insights and quantitative data, it explores:

• Physical and accessibility limitations in legacy housing

• Financial pressures from pricing, maintenance, and vacancies

• Structural and policy barriers preventing redevelopment or replacement

• Funding gaps that exclude SDA from broader housing initiatives

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The session highlights promising strategies and emerging practices demonstrating how coordinated action between government, providers, and disability stakeholders can transition Basic SDA to contemporary, sustainable, and participant-centred housing models.

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Attendees will gain evidence-based insights into one of the most complex issues in the SDA market, understand why renewal has stalled, and explore actionable pathways to a future-ready SDA system that prioritises quality, accessibility, and participant choice.

In 2026, Specialist Disability Accommodation  providers face a dynamic funding landscape shaped by the NDIA’s ongoing pricing reforms and CPI-indexed adjustments.

Understanding these changes is critical for aligning operational plans, optimising investment decisions, and maintaining participant-focused housing outcomes.

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This session provides a comprehensive overview of SDA pricing and funding trends, covering both immediate 2025–26 benchmarks and longer-term adjustments anticipated through 2026. Delegates will gain clarity on how pricing reforms affect provider revenue models, investment planning, and participant plan structures, particularly in high-cost or low-demand regions.

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Key areas include:

• ​​Benchmark Price Adjustments: Exploring the impact of revised pricing frameworks on provider revenue, SIL costs, and financial sustainability.

• CPI-Indexed Changes: Understanding the July 2026 CPI-indexed adjustments, and their implications for budget planning, cashflow management, and long-term project forecasting.

• Participant Funding Considerations: Navigating plan structures, cost allocations, and funding alignment to ensure participant-centred housing outcomes.

• Investment and Risk Strategies: Integrating pricing reforms into strategic planning, assessing financial risk, and optimising funding utilisation for both existing and new SDA dwellings.

• Future-Proofing SDA Projects: Planning for long-term compliance, participant choice, and sustainability in a changing regulatory and funding environment.

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Attendees will leave with a practical, actionable understanding of the SDA funding landscape in 2026, including strategies to adapt to CPI adjustments, optimise investment, and deliver sustainable, participant-focused housing solutions.

Q & A and Panel on the above sessions 

Lunch 

Specialist Disability Accommodation properties differ from traditional residential real estate, with unique accessibility features, support requirements, and funding models that complicate conventional valuation. These challenges affect investor confidence, financing options, and sector growth, potentially slowing the development of high-quality housing for participants.

This session will explore:

• Why SDA properties resist standard valuation models.

• Impacts on financing, supply, and investor behaviour.

• Practical strategies to align valuations with long-term housing outcomes, including emerging frameworks, data sharing, and lender education.

Delegates will gain a clear understanding of SDA valuation risks, insights into market implications, and strategic considerations for providers, investors, and policy planning in 2026.

The Specialist Disability Accommodation  sector continues to grow, but provider viability remains a critical concern. The collapse or exit of a provider can disrupt participants’ housing and support, create operational pressure for other providers, and challenge investor confidence.

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This presentation provides a focused overview of the risks, impacts, and practical strategies for maintaining stability and protecting participants. Attendees will gain insights into:

• Participant Impact: Ensuring housing security and continuity of supports during provider transitions.

• Provider & Market Implications: Managing operational pressures, vacancies, and service quality.

• Investor Considerations: Mitigating financial risk and maintaining confidence in SDA investments.

• Funding & Policy Challenges: Navigating NDIS payment timing and compliance requirements.

• Strategies for Resilience: Strengthening governance, risk management, and cross-sector collaboration.

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By the end of this session, delegates will leave with practical strategies to safeguard participants, support providers, and enhance sector resilience in 2026

From mid-2026, the NDIS will implement a structured, rule-based planning framework affecting SDA supports within participant plans, including funding consistency, appeals, and reassessment pathways.
This session provides an overview of the planning framework and its practical impact.

Delegates will explore:

•    How plan structures and funding consistency affect SDA support allocations.
•    Changes in appeals and reassessment pathways influencing budget certainty and participant access.
•    Adjustments to provider engagement and operational practices to align with new planning timelines.
•    Opportunities to streamline service delivery while maintaining participant-centred outcomes.

Attendees will gain practical strategies to navigate the new planning framework and ensure SDA operations are aligned with mid-2026 reforms.

The Specialist Disability Accommodation landscape in 2026 is evolving under complex legal, regulatory, and advocacy pressures. Changes to external appeal rights, administrative processes, and NDIA oversight are creating new challenges — and opportunities — for participants, providers, and investors alike.

This session explores how these reforms affect access to funding, participant outcomes, and operational continuity

Key topics include:

• Appealing SDA Funding Decisions: Understanding the implications of changes to AAT/ART processes for participants and providers.

• Administrative Burdens: Addressing inequities in appeal representation, limited advocacy resources, and the impact on participants’ daily lives.

• Payment Delays: Managing operational and financial risks from NDIA system transitions, including SDA and SIL-related payments.

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Delegates will leave with practical strategies to navigate legal, operational, and advocacy challenges, maintain compliance, and safeguard participant housing and support outcomes.

Consequences for providers include cashflow pressures, risk to service continuity, and increased administrative burden.

In 2026, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) development in Victoria is being shaped not only by national funding and compliance requirements but also by local planning system reforms designed to improve housing delivery efficiency.

A key planning mechanism impacting SDA is Clause 52.22 – Community Care Accommodation of the Victorian Planning Provisions (VPP), which has been amended to provide planning exemptions that can significantly streamline SDA project approval pathways.

This session will provide an in‑depth exploration of how Victoria’s town planning framework interacts with SDA developments, what has changed in recent years, and how providers, investors, planners, and support professionals can navigate, leverage, and plan around these changes to improve development outcomes.

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Key topics include:

Clause 52.22 – Community Care Accommodation Exemptions

A central feature of Victoria’s planning reforms is the planning permit exemption for Community Care Accommodation, which includes SDA projects by registered NDIS providers that meet specified criteria.

When applicable, this exemption can:

• Remove the requirement for standard planning permits for SDA uses and, in some cases, buildings and works;

• Minimise advertising and third‑party review rights, reducing delays associated with objections or appeals;

• Enable a faster pathway to development commencement, shortening typical planning timelines from months to potentially weeks.

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The session will outline the essential compliance requirements for Clause 52.22 exemptions - such as SDA provider registration and design certification processes - and how these interact with local planning interpretations and overlays that may still trigger permits.

In 2026, Victoria’s disability housing system is increasingly defined not just by the bricks and mortar of Specialist Disability Accommodation , but by how effectively Short‑Term Accommodation (STA), Medium‑Term Accommodation (MTA) and other transitional housing supports are integrated with holistic wrap‑around services.

This panel session brings together policy makers, providers, support coordinators and community sector leaders to explore why wrap‑around supports are essential to the success of transitional accommodation models, and how current regulatory and policy settings can enable or hinder effective service integration across the housing continuum.

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Victoria’s recent reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act and related legislation, including expanded residential rights protections and broader definitions of SDA residency, provide a backdrop for this discussion about supports that go beyond physical accommodation and embed participants within services that help them thrive.

These legislative changes aim to strengthen protections for people with disability living in SDA settings, but also signal the importance of rights, continuity and integrated service pathways in all forms of supported accommodation.

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Wrap‑around supports -including allied health and therapeutic services, supported decision‑making networks, life‑skills development, transition planning and community participation programs -are critical enablers of positive outcomes for participants in STA and MTA settings.

They help ensure that transitional accommodation is not simply temporary housing, but a stepping‑stone that supports participants’ stability, capability and confidence as they move toward longer‑term living arrangements.

Without effective wrap‑around services, transitional stays can become isolated experiences that increase risk of social isolation, service discontinuity or missed opportunities for genuine choice and control.

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This panel will address:

• Why wrap‑around supports must be integrated into STA and MTA delivery models to support participant wellbeing, continuity of care and readiness for long‑term housing.

• How Victoria’s evolving regulatory framework and tenancy protections—such as strengthened rights under the Residential Tenancies Act for SDA residents—can create opportunities for connected support planning across accommodation types.

• Practical strategies for multi‑disciplinary coordination, including the role of support coordinators, allied health professionals, housing providers, and community services in seamless transitions.

• Barriers and enablers to effective wrap‑around service delivery in transitional contexts—from funding arrangements to workforce capacity, information sharing and planning processes.

• Participant‑centred perspectives on what supports matter most when people move between STA, MTA and longer‑term living settings.

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By centring wrap‑around supports as an essential feature of Victoria’s housing continuum -including STA, MTA and SDA transitions -this panel will help delegates understand what good transition support looks like in practice, the policy levers that can strengthen it, and how an outcomes‑focused approach can be embedded across service systems.

Networking and depart