Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

This session provides an in-depth exploration of the proposed NDIS Amendment (Integrity and Safeguarding) Bill 2025 and its anticipated impact on providers, auditors, consultants, and the broader disability sector.

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Delegates will gain a comprehensive understanding of how the Bill aims to enhance the NDIS Commission’s regulatory powers, including:

• Expanded banning powers for auditors and consultants to protect participants and uphold scheme integrity.

• Stronger penalty frameworks with increased civil penalties and the introduction of new criminal offences.

• Anti-promotion measures to prevent predatory marketing practices targeting NDIS participants.

• Enhanced information-gathering powers to improve investigation capabilities and compliance oversight.

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​​The session will also discuss how these reforms align with recommendations from the NDIS Review and the Disability Royal Commission, and the practical implications for provider operations, risk management, and safeguarding practices.​

Attendees will leave with actionable insights to ensure compliance, strengthen participant protection, and navigate the evolving regulatory landscape.

The 2026 NDIS reform agenda announced by Mark Butler , marks a fundamental shift from a demand-driven scheme to a controlled, outcomes-based model…

​With the introduction of standardised functional assessments, tighter eligibility thresholds, and a planned transition toward commissioned SIL services from July 2028, the traditional SIL operating model is being reshaped in real time.

Growth is being deliberately constrained, high-cost supports are under intensified scrutiny, and funding is increasingly tied to demonstrable functional need and measurable outcomes.

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These reforms are expected to reduce participant inflows, recalibrate funding intensity, and shift individuals with lower needs into foundational or mainstream supports -placing pressure on occupancy, rostering models, and long-term service viability.

At the same time, SIL providers must navigate increased audit activity, tighter plan management controls, and reduced flexibility in reassessments, all while maintaining quality, workforce stability, and participant outcomes.

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This session will take a system-level view of what the “SIL reset” truly means -exploring the transition from block-funded growth to commissioned service delivery, the evolving SIL–SDA interdependency, and the strategic decisions providers must make now to remain viable in a capped, compliance-driven market.

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Attendees will gain critical insight into how to reposition their services, manage funding risk, and adapt operating models in a future where SIL is no longer guaranteed—but earned through evidence, performance, and alignment with government priorities.

Morning tea 

The NDIS will introduce a more structured, rule-based planning framework that will reshape how supports are assessed, allocated, and reviewed within participant plans nationally.

These changes will have direct flow-on impacts for SDA supports, funding consistency, and provider operations across Western Australia.

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This session provides a practical, provider-focused overview of the emerging planning framework and what it means for day-to-day service delivery in SIL and SDA environments

It will unpack how evolving plan structures may influence support allocation, funding predictability, and participant access to accommodation and services.

Delegates will explore:

• How more structured plan design and funding rules may affect SDA support allocation and continuity of care

• The implications of changes to reassessment, review, and appeals pathways on budget certainty and occupancy planning

• How providers may need to adapt engagement processes, scheduling, and operational workflows to align with new planning timeframes

• Practical opportunities to improve service efficiency while maintaining participant-centred and flexible support delivery

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Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to prepare for the transition to the new planning framework and practical strategies to align SIL and SDA operations with the anticipated mid-2026 changes, reducing risk while supporting sustainable service delivery.

This session steps back from individual dispute processes to examine the broader redesign of review, planning, and funding governance mechanisms across the NDIS in 2026, including SIL, SDA, and related disability support services.

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As the system transitions from traditional external merits review pathways toward more structured internal decision-making and the reconfigured Administrative Review Tribunal framework, providers are increasingly required to operate within a more staged, rules-based funding environment.

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Rather than focusing on individual appeal cases, this session explores how system architecture is changing the way disputes, funding certainty, and service continuity are managed at a structural level.

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Key Considerations include:

• The changing role of Tribunal review within a more structured planning and staged funding environment

• How internal review pathways and decision frameworks are reshaping escalation points and dispute resolution strategy

• The impact of reform on SIL and SDA service continuity, particularly under staged or reassessed funding models

• Provider governance challenges in managing contested or transitioning plans across multiple support types

• Downstream implications for cashflow stability, workforce planning, accommodation viability, and organisational risk

• Strategic Focus

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This session shifts the conversation from individual advocacy and appeals to system-level governance, planning design, and provider strategy under reform conditions.

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Attendees will gain practical insights into:

• How to adapt organisational systems to staged and structured funding models

• How review and planning frameworks are reshaping operational risk profiles

• How to position governance, compliance, and service models for long-term sustainability in a tightening regulatory environment

The NDIS regulatory environment is entering a new phase of intensified enforcement, expanded Commission powers, and evolving Practice Standards-particularly within Supported Independent Living (SIL). With proposed amendments to the NDIS Act 2013 and a heightened focus on violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation, providers must be prepared for stricter oversight, faster response expectations, and increased accountability.

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This session unpacks what we know so far about upcoming SIL Practice Standards, including the likely introduction of strengthened safeguarding requirements and potential new compliance modules. It will also explore emerging enforcement trends, such as banning orders, registration refusals, and the growing risk of deregistration under expanded regulatory powers.

Delegates will gain practical guidance on meeting core obligations, including registration conditions, the Code of Conduct, and audit readiness, alongside insights into how breaches may trigger significant civil or criminal penalties.

The session will highlight the Commission’s evolving approach to information gathering—where providers may be required to respond to requests within significantly shorter timeframes.

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Beyond compliance fundamentals, this session focuses on real-world strategies to reduce risk and maintain service quality.

This includes strengthening governance, building a capable and values-aligned workforce, conducting proactive risk assessments, and fostering collaboration across the sector.

Emphasis will also be placed on sustainable service delivery—ensuring providers only deliver supports they can safely and effectively provide.

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of regulatory expectations, practical tools to strengthen compliance systems, and strategies to safeguard both participant outcomes and organisational sustainability in an increasingly scrutinised environment.

Q & A  and Panel Session 

Lunch 

In the evolving National Disability Insurance Scheme environment, SIL rostering has become a frontline compliance and funding issue -not just an operational function.

Under reform direction from Mark Butler, providers are expected to clearly demonstrate how every rostered hour aligns with functional capacity, participant risk, and “reasonable and necessary” funding criteria.

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As scrutiny increases, inconsistencies between rostered supports and documented need can lead to plan reductions, funding disputes, audit findings, and heightened regulatory risk.

This session will explore how to design and maintain defensible rostering frameworks that align with assessed need while maintaining service quality and workforce sustainability.

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Attendees will gain practical strategies to:

• Translate functional capacity assessments into justified support hours

• Evidence complex supports including overnight care and shared arrangements

• Strengthen documentation for audit readiness and funding continuity

• Balance participant outcomes, workforce constraints, and funding integrity

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In a more controlled and evidence-driven system, rostering is no longer just about coverage -it’s about defensibility, sustainability, and survival.

Delays in Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs) in Western Australia are more than just administrative hurdles -they create a domino effect across the disability sector. Slow or incomplete assessments impact Specialist Disability Accommodation approvals, which in turn delay Supported Independent Living (SIL) placements, wrap-around supports, and the ability of providers and investors to plan and deliver services efficiently.

This session will examine the causes of delays and gaps in evidence, the cascading consequences for participants, providers, and the investment landscape, and practical strategies to improve assessment timeliness, data quality, and sector-wide coordination.
 
Attendees will gain insights into how WA can better align assessment processes with participant outcomes and sustainable service delivery.

This session explores the evolving relationship between SDA and SIL, and why effective alignment between housing and support providers is critical to long term success. 

David will share why the 2 housing models must operate in close collaboration to achieve safe, sustainable, and participant led outcomes. 

Attendees will gain practical insight into how SDA and SIL providers can work together while maintaining appropriate separation, reduce conflicts of interest, and design operating models that support participant choice, stability, and better service delivery in an increasingly regulated environment.

SIL providers and support coordinators operate in a highly interdependent but often misaligned system under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
While coordinators act in participants’ best interests, providers rely on them for referrals, occupancy, and plan approvals.
Misalignment between operational priorities and strategic expectations can negatively affect participant outcomes, service quality, and provider sustainability.

Key challenges include referral dependency and vacancy risk, administrative duplication, unclear accountability, and workforce capability expectations.
 
Providers may be delivering care according to NDIS standards, but when coordinators’ expectations differ—whether on rostering, skill requirements, or participant choice -gaps emerge that create operational inefficiencies, risk exposure, and reputational concerns.
This session will focus on practical strategies to improve alignment between providers and coordinators.
 
It will cover clarifying roles and responsibilities, managing referral pathways effectively, balancing workforce capability with regulatory compliance, and fostering collaborative partnerships.
 
Delegates will gain actionable insights into navigating a fragmented ecosystem where accountability, operational demands, and participant-centred care intersect.

Key Takeaways
•    Understanding operational and strategic misalignment between SIL providers and coordinators
•    Reducing referral and vacancy risks to ensure stable service delivery
•    Streamlining administrative processes to optimise efficiency
•    Clarifying accountability and managing risk in participant care
•    Balancing workforce capability, participant needs, and regulatory compliance
•    Building collaborative relationships for sustainable, high-quality SIL delivery

Q & A and Panel with all Speakers above 

Networking and Depart