Arrival and Registration  

Welcome and Introductions 

The Federal Government’s latest NDIS reform agenda, outlined by Minister Mark Butler, signals a decisive shift toward sustainability, tighter access, and stronger cost controls—fundamentally reshaping the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) landscape.

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With participant growth now being actively moderated and funding for certain supports being reset closer to 2023 levels, future SDA demand is expected to become more targeted.

Access will increasingly prioritise participants with significant and enduring functional impairment, narrowing the prospective tenant pool while increasing complexity of need.

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At the same time, the delay of Support Needs Assessments to April 2027, alongside the rollout of standardised functional assessments, introduces a transitional period of uncertainty. Providers may experience slower approvals, shifting eligibility thresholds, and reduced visibility over pipeline demand.

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Further, the Government’s focus on curbing “runaway spend”—particularly across high-cost supports such as Supported Independent Living and community participation-signals tighter funding alignment across the ecosystem.

These changes are likely to have flow-on effects for SDA tenancy sustainability, participant affordability, and co-resident matching.

For providers, developers, and investors, this reform phase points to a more controlled, compliance-driven market.

Expanded regulatory oversight, strengthened registration requirements, and increased scrutiny on value-for-money will require sharper operational discipline and more robust evidence of outcomes.

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This session will unpack what these reforms mean for SDA demand, design strategy, investment risk, and long-term market stability -equipping stakeholders to reposition in a more selective, regulated, and performance-focused NDIS environment.

The Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) sector is entering a period of significant legal, operational, and policy transformation as Federal Government reforms reshape funding interpretation, review rights, administrative decision-making, and compliance expectations across the NDIS.

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A key legal development influencing this shift is the Caterson decision, which has reinforced the authority and practical application of the SDA Price Guide within funding and pricing determinations. Increasingly, the Price Guide is being treated not merely as a policy reference, but as a determinative benchmark with direct implications for pricing integrity, revenue modelling, compliance exposure, operational sustainability, and investment certainty across SDA portfolios.

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At the same time, broader NDIS reforms — including the transition from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), changes to assessment frameworks, increased regulatory oversight, and more structured administrative enforcement — are fundamentally reshaping how SDA funding decisions are reviewed, challenged, and administered in practice.

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This combined session examines how legal interpretation, funding reform, operational delivery, and participant advocacy are converging in ways that directly affect SDA providers, participants, investors, and housing outcomes across Australia.

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Key Areas Covered

The Caterson Decision & SDA Pricing Frameworks

• The legal significance of the Caterson decision and its impact on the enforceability and interpretation of the SDA Price Guide

• How Federal Court decisions are influencing the practical application of SDA pricing frameworks

• The implications for provider revenue certainty, pricing integrity, evidentiary standards, and compliance obligations

Reform Direction & Administrative Change

• The transition from the AAT to the ART and the implications for external review rights and procedural fairness

• Federal reform direction toward standardised assessments and more structured administrative decision-making

• Increasing regulatory oversight and what it means for provider accountability and operational risk

Accessing & Appealing SDA Funding Decisions

• Planned reforms to external review mechanisms may significantly alter participants’ ability to obtain legally enforceable reconsideration of SDA funding decisions. This creates substantial implications across the sector, including:

• Reduced pathways for review and appeal of SDA funding determinations

• Potential delays in accessing appropriate housing and supports

• Increased uncertainty surrounding funding continuity and operational planning

Administrative Appeals & Participant Burden

• Many participants continue to navigate appeals processes with limited advocacy support while the NDIA engages external legal representation, creating structural inequities that can impact outcomes. This session explores:

• The growing advocacy gap within the SDA and NDIS landscape

• The emotional, administrative, and financial burden placed on participants and families

• The impact of appeals processes on participant wellbeing and access to frontline supports

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NDIA Payment Holds, Delays & Operational Pressures

• Increasing administrative interventions — including payment holds and delayed processing — are creating mounting operational pressure for SDA providers nationwide. Key issues include:

• Cashflow pressure and financial uncertainty

• Risks to tenancy stability and continuity of care

• Workforce and operational strain within an increasingly complex compliance environment

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This session provides a strategic and practical overview of the emerging legal and operational realities shaping the future of Specialist Disability Accommodation, highlighting where policy reform intersects with funding certainty, provider sustainability, participant outcomes, and long-term sector confidence.

Q &A  

Break  

Queensland’s transition toward mandatory Livable Housing Design Standards is reshaping the accessibility landscape across residential development and creating significant implications for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), hospital-to-home pathways, and future disability housing investment.

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As the 2026 implementation milestones approach, developers, SDA providers, certifiers, builders, allied health professionals, and investors must understand how the evolving National Construction Code accessibility requirements intersect with SDA Design Standards, participant outcomes, and long-term housing strategy.

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This session will examine how Queensland’s adoption of accessible housing requirements is narrowing the gap between mainstream housing and disability-specific accommodation, while simultaneously increasing expectations around universal design, adaptability, ageing-in-place capability, and clinical functionality.

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The discussion will explore:

• The practical impact of Queensland’s Livable Housing Design reforms on SDA feasibility and design

• Where mainstream accessibility standards overlap — and differ — from SDA certification requirements

• Emerging risks for Improved Liveability SDA models

• How hospital discharge pressures and ageing populations are driving demand for more adaptable housing

• The growing importance of Fully Accessible and High Physical Support housing aligned with health and care systems

• Design considerations for future-proofing SDA developments in an evolving regulatory environment

• How accessible housing reforms are influencing investment, planning approvals, construction costs, and participant expectations

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With governments increasingly linking housing accessibility to reduced hospital stays, aged care diversion, and community-based care delivery, this session provides critical insight into how the SDA sector can position itself within the next generation of integrated housing and health infrastructure.

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:

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• 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.

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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.

Audience Q & A  

Viewing of the Expo which includes public and professional entry .  Stand up lunch is served for Delegates in the main conference room 

Registration and Arrival for SILSDA QLD 

Australia’s disability sector is entering one of the most significant reform periods since the introduction of the NDIS, with sweeping changes reshaping participant eligibility, provider regulation, funding assessments, compliance obligations, and the future delivery of Supported Independent Living (SIL).

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As governments intensify efforts to improve scheme sustainability, integrity, and oversight, SIL providers are now facing major operational, financial, and regulatory transformation — including mandatory provider registration, tighter compliance expectations, standardised support assessments, increased safeguarding requirements, and evolving interpretations of reasonable and necessary supports.

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This critical summit session will unpack the latest NDIS reform developments and examine how the changing policy landscape is redefining the future of SIL operations, participant outcomes, workforce capability, and provider risk.

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The session will explore:

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• The Federal Government’s 2026 NDIS reform direction and sustainability measures

• What mandatory SIL registration from 1 July 2026 means for providers

• Changes to participant eligibility, reassessments, and functional capacity assessments

• How “reasonable and necessary” support interpretations are evolving

• The growing compliance and safeguarding expectations for SIL operators

• The impact of fraud crackdowns, auditing, and integrity reforms across the sector

• Future pressures on staffing models, rostering, and support delivery

• How SIL providers can remain commercially sustainable while maintaining participant-centred care

• Emerging opportunities in hospital-to-home, psychosocial disability, ageing participants, and transitional accommodation pathways

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With governments, regulators, and participants demanding greater accountability, quality, and measurable outcomes, this session provides essential insight into how SIL providers can strategically adapt to the next era of disability housing and support delivery.

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.

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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 

Break  

From 1 July 2026, the introduction of new Supported Independent Living (SIL) Practice Standards will mark one of the most significant regulatory reforms in the NDIS sector, fundamentally reshaping how SIL providers deliver, govern, audit, and demonstrate quality care across supported accommodation environments.

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Driven by recommendations from the NDIS Review, the Disability Royal Commission, and multiple inquiries into supported accommodation, the new standards are designed to strengthen participant safeguards, improve service quality, enhance worker capability, and place greater focus on human rights, dignity, choice, privacy, and participant outcomes within SIL settings.

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This critical session will examine how the new SIL Practice Standards will impact providers operationally, financially, clinically, and culturally - particularly as mandatory SIL registration and increased regulatory scrutiny come into effect nationally in 2026.

The session will explore:

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• The structure and intent of the new SIL Practice Standards

• How the reforms change provider responsibilities, auditing, governance, and compliance expectations

• Participant-centred practice and human rights-based service delivery

• Stronger safeguards in shared accommodation environments

• Workforce capability, training, supervision, and frontline accountability

• Privacy, restrictive practices, and incident management obligations

• Operational risks facing SIL providers under the new regulatory framework

• Lessons emerging from supported accommodation investigations and sector inquiries

• How providers can prepare for mandatory registration, audit readiness, and compliance transition

• The future of SIL models in an increasingly regulated and outcomes-focused NDIS environment

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The session will also examine the growing expectation that SIL providers move beyond traditional “care models” toward integrated, independence-focused, trauma-informed, and clinically responsive supported living environments that align with participant choice and long-term wellbeing.

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As the disability sector enters a new era of regulation, transparency, and accountability, this session provides essential strategic insight for providers seeking to remain compliant, sustainable, and participant-focused in the evolving NDIS landscape.

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.

Q & A and panel close 

Networking and depart