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 

As Australia’s Specialist Disability Accommodation market matures, Basic SDA has emerged as one of the most pressing structural challenges facing the sector in 2026.

Despite continued growth in New Build SDA, Basic dwellings still account for a significant proportion of enrolled stock and remain home to many people with disability -often in housing that is increasingly recognised as outdated, inaccessible, costly to maintain and misaligned with contemporary expectations of choice, independence and community inclusion.

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

Drawing on stakeholder insights from government and the community housing sector, alongside available quantitative data, the presentation highlights the physical, financial and regulatory constraints that limit the ability of providers to upgrade, replace or transition away from legacy housing models.

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A central finding is the structural misalignment between SDA pricing for Basic dwellings and the capital investment required to bring these homes up to contemporary standards

Combined with high maintenance costs, ageing assets, and persistent vacancy issues, many Basic SDA properties are financially unsustainable over the medium to long term.

For community housing providers in particular, these challenges are compounded by limited borrowing capacity, restricted access to affordable land, and funding frameworks that often exclude SDA dwellings from broader housing finance mechanisms such as non-SDA capital grants and concessional finance programs.

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The session also explores policy and financing gaps that inadvertently entrench outdated housing, including funding rules that constrain access to mainstream affordable housing initiatives, and the lack of coordinated pathways to support transition or redevelopment at scale. Importantly, it identifies promising practices and emerging strategies that demonstrate how renewal can be achieved when government, housing providers and disability stakeholders work in alignment.

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Positioned squarely within a 2026 reform context, this presentation challenges attendees to move beyond incremental fixes and consider what a deliberate, system-wide transition away from Basic SDA could look like—one that prioritises quality, sustainability, accessibility and participant preference.

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Key Issues explored:

• Why Basic SDA remains a significant proportion of enrolled dwellings in 2026

• Physical, accessibility and condition challenges in legacy SDA housing

• Financial sustainability pressures: pricing, maintenance costs and vacancies

• Structural barriers to redevelopment and replacement

• Funding and policy misalignment between SDA and broader housing programs

• Pathways for coordinated renewal across government and community sectors

• What a planned transition to contemporary SDA models could look like

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Why this Session matters in 2026

This presentation provides evidence-based insight into one of the most complex and under-addressed issues in the SDA market. It equips policymakers, providers, investors and housing organisations with a clearer understanding of why Basic SDA renewal has stalled -and what must change to support a future-ready, participant-centred SDA system.

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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​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.

Q & A and Panel on the above sessions 

Lunch 

As the National Disability Insurance Scheme  continues to evolve, property valuation challenges have emerged as a central issue shaping investor confidence, provider viability and long‑term sector sustainability.

Specialist Disability Accommodation  properties are inherently different from traditional residential real estate - they are designed to meet highly specialised accessibility standards, support needs and design categories, which complicates conventional valuation practices. Despite growing interest in disability housing investment, the lack of standardised, widely understood valuation methodologies remains a persistent barrier across the sector.

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This presentation explores why valuing SDA properties is uniquely challenging, how these challenges affect financing, investment decisions and market development, and what this means for participants, providers and investors in 2026.

Conventional valuation approaches often fail to capture the specialised nature, higher construction costs, unique revenue models and long‑term tenure characteristics of SDA dwellings. As a result, lenders may assess SDA properties as if they were regular residential homes — ignoring their specialist features — leading to lower valuation outcomes and constrained financing options.

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Key factors that complicate SDA valuation include:

• Specialist features and design requirements: Custom accessibility elements (e.g., widened corridors, automated systems, assistive technology fitouts, hoists and high‑support layouts) are vital for participant needs but are not easily benchmarked in traditional property markets.

• Limited comparable sales evidence: Many SDA properties do not have clear precedent sales, making market comparisons difficult and leading valuers to default to broader residential benchmarks rather than specialist valuations.

• Perceived liquidity and market depth issues: Lenders and valuers often treat SDA properties as niche assets with limited resale markets, increasing perceived risk and reducing assessed values relative to development or contract prices.

• Disconnect between income streams and valuation base: While SDA funding under the NDIS can generate higher rental returns compared with general market rents, traditional valuation may focus on market rental rates, underestimating the actual cashflows linked to participant funding.

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These valuation challenges have material implications for the NDIS housing ecosystem.

Lower valuations can restrict access to finance, reduce leverage (loan‑to‑value ratios), and increase the cost of capital, making it harder for new supply to enter the market and for existing stock to be refinanced or repurposed.

Valuation uncertainty also affects investor confidence and can lead to misalignment between the recorded asset value and the economic utility of the property as an SDA dwelling.

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For providers, inconsistent valuation practices can complicate balance sheet planning, long‑term financing strategies and partnership arrangements.

For Participants, these challenges can indirectly slow the development of much‑needed high‑quality housing supply and limit geographic and category choice.

The session will conclude by outlining emerging approaches and thought leadership on improving SDA valuation practices, including the development of specialised valuation frameworks, improved data sharing between stakeholders, and greater lender education on specialist disability housing as a unique asset class.

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Attendees will gain:

• A clear understanding of why SDA properties resist traditional valuation models

• Insight into how valuation impacts financing, supply and investor behaviour

• Practical ideas for aligning valuations with long‑term service and housing outcomes

• Strategic considerations for policy, investor, and provider 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

Supported Independent Living (SIL) funding ratios are a critical driver of financial performance in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), directly affecting operational viability, participant outcomes, and investor returns.

While SDA is often evaluated as a standalone asset, its true profitability is closely tied to SIL staffing ratios, participant needs, and funding structures that underpin daily service delivery.

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This presentation explains why investors must understand SIL ratios: misaligned funding assumptions or inappropriate ratios can reduce cash flow, create operational risk, and impact long-term asset returns.

Providers will also gain insight into balancing participant support requirements with financial sustainability, ensuring SDA developments remain both ethically sound and commercially viable.

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Attendees will learn how to assess SIL ratios, identify risk exposure, and make informed decisions that safeguard participant outcomes while optimizing investment performance.

New and evolving Appendix H initiatives represent a significant shift in SDA policy, enabling participants to live with non-SDA-funded family members or informal supports while remaining eligible for SDA.

This session provides a clear, practical explanation of how these arrangements work, where risks arise, and how providers can structure shared living models that are compliant, sustainable, and participant-centred.

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The presentation will address tenancy structures, funding considerations, design implications, and operational safeguards- ensuring providers understand how to support family inclusion without undermining SDA eligibility or regulatory compliance.

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Key Themes covered: 

• Understanding Appendix H in practice

• Shared living design and planning considerations

• Tenancy, funding and compliance safeguards

• Managing risk, conflict, and role clarity

• Supporting family inclusion without compromising SDA integrity​

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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