5.1
This chapter considers issues raised in the committee's NDIS Workforce Interim Report (the interim report) in relation to the effects of thin markets on the NDIS workforce and examines the NDIS National Workforce Plan 2021-2025 and government responses to recommendations made by the committee in the interim report.
5.2
Key issues concerning thin markets that have been raised in evidence throughout the inquiry include:
the effects of thin markets in regional, rural and remote areas
the maldistribution of allied health professionals across all areas of Australia; and
the availability of culturally safe support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants.
Interim report
5.3
In its the interim report, the committee explored a number of issues relating to thin markets and the effects of thin markets on the NDIS workforce. The National Disability Insurance Agency explains that, in the context of the NDIS, 'thin markets exist where there is a gap between participant needs and their use of funded supports'.
5.4
Thin markets in the NDIS occur both by geography (i.e. regional, rural and remote Australia) and by service type (for example, allied health). In its interim report, the committee also considered the effects of thin markets on a number of different groups, which will be further discussed in this chapter.
5.5
The committee considered that limited progress had been made in addressing the issues associated with thin markets, noting that this issue had been raised consistently during the committee's previous inquiries, as well as other review processes. The committee was of the view that there should be a targeted intervention by the government to address the issue of thin markets.
Regional, rural and remote Australia
5.6
The committee in its interim report observed that regional, rural and remote communities experienced a number of challenges in establishing a suitable qualified workforce.
5.7
Some contributing factors to these challenges, such as the time required to build trust and establish relationships with remote communities and issues arising from the higher costs of service delivery in regional, rural and remote areas, were more specific to regional, rural and remote areas. Other contributing factors, such as high staff turnover, high travel costs and an inadequate number of service providers, while not necessarily specific to regional, rural and remote areas, may be ‘exacerbated by the additional cost and administrative burden associated with remoteness and professional isolation.’
5.8
Evidence from several submitters considered in the interim report noted that strategies to combat some of these challenges should, in addition to developing initiatives to attract people to work in regional areas, place a focus on development and training to grow the capability of local workforces.
Maldistribution of allied health professionals
5.9
A number of submitters told the committee that maldistribution of allied health professionals was a key issue affecting access to allied health services across Australia.
5.10
The committee heard that maldistribution of allied health professionals gave rise to a number of issues including challenges for supervision and providing effective professional support, limiting the quality of assessments and impacts on retention of workers in the regional and remote allied health sector.
5.11
The committee heard that many practitioners in regional, rural and remote areas were unable to operate by solely offering NDIS-funded services, indicating an inability of practitioners to specialise in these areas.
5.12
Evidence provided to the committee emphasised the utility of local workforce development strategies and initiatives, with a focus on individuals with existing skills in health and social services.
5.13
Considering these matters, the committee made the following recommendation:
Recommendation 11: the committee recommends that the Commonwealth, states and territories, through the appropriate inter-governmental forum, consider the matter of allied health workforce maldistribution and implications for service access for people in regional, rural and remote Australia, and develop strategies for enabling workforce distribution, sustainability and growth.
Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants
5.14
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants in the NDIS faced significant difficulty in accessing services, which witnesses and submitters observed could be largely attributed to the lack of culturally appropriate and affordable services available, particularly in rural and remote areas.
5.15
Submitters told the committee that initiatives to grow the workforce in regional, rural and remote areas should place an emphasis on engaging members of local communities to enter the workforce to ensure better cultural safety and increase capacity building of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
5.16
Additionally, the committee heard that a key component of developing a local workforce was to ensure that local Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations were adequately resourced to deliver NDIS supports and to train and support the development of a local workforce.
5.17
The committee recommended that the Australian Government develop, publish and implement a national strategy for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and community leaders, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and other key stakeholders (recommendation 12).
Workforce plan and government response
Thin markets
5.18
The Workforce Plan recognises NDIS workforce issues are 'more acute and varied' in thin markets, with challenges including 'a lower supply of providers and workers already operating in these markets, difficult working conditions and barriers to accessing training and support'. The plan identifies issues for regional and remote communities and supporting participants with complex needs as areas of particular concern, noting that:
…attracting workers is particularly challenging in regional communities, with longer vacancy times and smaller applicant pools. It takes regional employers 22 per cent longer to fill vacancies in disability and aged care roles, with each vacancy attracting 55 per cent fewer suitable applicants. Remote and regional workers often have limited access to supervision, support and training in their communities, which can lead to talent drain to metropolitan areas.
NDIS providers also report having difficulty recruiting and retaining an adequately skilled and experienced workforce to support participants with high and complex needs. This includes a lack of workers with the ability to assist participants with psychosocial disability.
5.19
Initiatives 11 and 12 of the Workforce Plan specifically reference issues of thin markets, and commit to improving pricing approaches in the context of thin markets, and to providing 'market demand information across the care and support sector to identify opportunities and make informed business decisions about market entry and growth, particularly in thin markets'.
5.20
The plan also suggests that the adoption of ‘innovative service models’ to allow workers to move across different areas within the sector will assist in reducing the number of thin markets. The plan states that the government will assist in facilitating these service models by taking ‘actions to improve alignment of provider and worker regulation across the sector.’
Allied health
5.21
The Workforce Plan also includes 2 initiatives intended to support the allied health workforce, and address workforce maldistribution, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia:
Initiative 14: explore options, through co-design, to support allied health professionals to work alongside allied health assistants and support workers to increase capacity to respond to participants needs.
Initiative 15: enable allied health professionals in rural and remote areas to access professional support and supervision via telehealth.
5.22
However, while priority 2 of the plan recognises a 'lack of workers with the ability to assist participants with psychosocial disability', the plan does not set out specific initiatives to address this issue.
5.23
The government supported in principle recommendation 11 in the committee's interim report. The government noted that it had created of the role of ‘Chief Allied Health Officer’ in July 2020. This officer would play a key role in ‘supporting increased access to allied health services in the regions through Stronger Regional Health Strategy and other health workforce reforms.’
Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants
5.24
The Workforce Plan includes one specific initiative aimed at addressing workforce concerns regarding the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants. Other initiatives in the plan also refer to these needs or have elements of their implementation that are directed to growing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce.
5.25
Initiative 16, under priority 3, commits to ‘help build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector to enhance culturally safe NDIS services’. The government intends that this initiative will support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations to become registered to deliver NDIS services through the 'NDIS Ready' project. The government further commits to engaging in continued efforts to explore options to attract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers in this space.
5.26
Under initiative 6, under priority 2, the government intends to ‘develop micro-credentials and update nationally recognised training’ to both enhance career pathways for practitioners and improve the quality of care provided. As part of this initiative, the government plans to explore options to assist in the development of micro-credentials that will enhance culturally safe practices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) care recipients.
5.27
The implementation of initiative 1 (promote opportunities in the care and support sector) will also include 'targeted public relations activities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences'.
5.28
Recommendation 12 in the committee's interim report was supported by the government, who noted that there were ‘several initiatives underway to build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander care and support workforce’, including:
finalisation of a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021-2023, co-designed with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled health sector
an allocation of $5.9 million (from an overall Government investment of $64.3 million into the NDIS jobs and market fund) to the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation to strengthen disability support services within Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander communities; and
the implementation of the NDIS Workforce Capability Framework which includes a capability relating to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.
Submitter and witness views
Thin markets for allied health
5.29
Submitters outlined specific areas of continuing allied health shortages in the NDIS workforce including orthotists/prosthetists, behavioural support practitioners, support coordinators and the psychosocial workforce. These shortages arise from a number of factors including poor geographic dispersion of practitioners, increasing demand the competitive nature of the market in relation to finding, recruiting and retaining qualified workers.
Insufficient focus in the Workforce Plan
5.30
The committee heard that the Workforce Plan largely focuses on disability support workers, with several submitters suggesting that the plan should make further efforts to address gaps which exist for specific sections of the allied health workforce. Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), for example, considered that allied health has been 'treated as an afterthought' in the Plan, and that the proposed strategies for allied health are 'thin and do not address the fundamental issues for our workforce'. Ms Catherine Maloney, Chief Executive Officer, SARRAH, argued that the plan should not view allied health and disability support workers ‘a unified workforce’ when there are ‘significantly different levels of qualifications and expertise’ across workers who support NDIS participants.
5.31
AHPA further cautioned against a ‘flawed conflation of thin markets with rural, regional and remote’ and noted that allied health services were also distributed unevenly in metropolitan and regional areas. AHPA called for 'full… resourcing of new and diverse service models so we can overcome the problem of thin markets, and not only in rural and remote areas'.
Allied health assistants
5.32
Submitters to the inquiry expressed a range of views about measures to increase the use of allied health assistants (AHAs) under initiative 14. A number of allied health submitters saw benefits from increasing the capacity of allied health practitioners in this way, by allowing practitioner to work at 'top of scope'. SARRAH observed that:
Allied Health Assistants are a key potential workforce that is increasingly proving its capacity and value across and between the NDIS, aged care, health and other service systems, but has yet to be recognised and supported at the system level to deliver participant/client/patient impacts and/or the service reach and sustainability benefits their training and skills are tailored to achieve. AHA skills sets and capability are extremely well designed to meet the needs of communities trying to meet disability related service demands, shifts in the burden of disease toward lifestyle related illness and reduced independence, management of chronic conditions, rehabilitation, restorative care and healthy ageing.
5.33
However, submitters also cautioned against the overuse of AHAs, and emphasised the need for supervision and the use of an appropriate delegation framework within which to support the use of AHAs. Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), for example, reflected that:
The establishment of a nationally consistent supervision and delegation framework was a feature of the Overview, but is absent from the Plan which makes no reference to the current and real dangers of inappropriate use of this workforce without appropriate supervision and delegation. Instead, the Plan simply refers to exploring options through co-design and in future stages exploring additional training and regulatory requirements for allied health assistants and support workers.
AHPA recommends the development of uniform entry level qualifications and a national supervision and delegation framework for allied health assistant practice, and refers the Committee to the Victorian Supervision and Delegation Framework as a resource for this process.
5.34
These views were shared by Speech Pathology Australia (SPA), who were mindful that funding of allied health assistants should not be to the exclusion of ensuring that practitioners have a role in determining what level of service provision is clinically appropriate. SPA further emphasised that assistants do not have an official code of conduct, regulatory body, mandated training or qualifications, and that the responsibility and insurance liability for actions of an AHA remain with the supervising professional.
5.35
National Disability Services (NDS) observed that the training for AHAs is currently 'very health setting focused' and hoped that current reviews of training for these positions would provide pathways to ensure that training packages 'will better skill these roles for the disability and other care sectors'. NDS further recommended that implementation of the Plan should consider increasing training offerings of allied health assistant training packages by education providers, particularly in regional areas, as well as the promotion of allied health assistant work to school leavers and job seekers.
Allied health workforce data
5.36
Submitters expressed concerns regarding the lack of reliable data with respect to the allied health workforce, particularly in relation to specific services, and that this lack of reliable data creates difficulties for accurately measuring the needs of participants in relation to allied health. AHPA suggested that data which is reflective of both current providers as well as broader private and community-based allied health services would be better able to ‘inform a full understanding of the local workforce’ and allow ‘a meaningful picture of the Australian allied health workforce at national, regional and local levels.’
Existing initiatives
5.37
Submitters and witnesses made several comments regarding the appointment and effectiveness of the Chief Allied Health Officer role, created in July 2020. The committee heard that, while the appointment was a ‘good step’, the capacity of a person holding that position to achieve change may be limited, given the level of power and influence currently attached to the position, which is at an assistant secretary level within the Commonwealth Department of Health. Ms Catherine Maloney, Chief Executive Officer, Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH), suggested that the position 'must be enabled with resources and have sufficient clout to influence policy and funding decisions'.
5.38
The committee also heard that other initiatives referenced in the government response to the committee's interim report, including the Stronger Regional Health Strategy and Workforce incentives program, have to date not provided direct support or funding for increased allied health services.
Proposed solutions
5.39
Representatives from AHPA and SARRAH expressed support for measures that improve the 'training pipeline' for allied health, including increasing the number of disability placements for trainees, and increasing the number of students undertaking training in allied health, particularly from rural backgrounds.
5.40
SPA also put forward a range of potential pricing incentives that may increase the numbers of NDIS allied health providers including 'free training, paid administration time, paid time for professional development in registration groups who have less providers, and a surcharge for expertise in certain skillsets'. SPA however noted that contracting arrangements with organisations or sole traders outside the NDIS may be needed for services that are not provided by the market, and to ensure that participants have access to culturally appropriate services.
Regional, rural and remote Australia
5.41
The prevalence of thin markets in regional, rural and remote areas continued to be a significant concern for submitters, and the committee heard that these issues may in part be attributed to smaller candidate pools, and the ability of providers to attract and retain workers in regional, rural, and remote areas. While some submitters referenced general concerns about the availability of NDIS workers to provide support in rural and remote areas, the bulk of evidence on this topic was received in relation to allied health shortages in regional, rural and remote Australia.
5.42
For example, Ms Catherine Maloney, Chief Executive Officer, SARRAH, told the committee that individuals in rural and remote areas experienced ‘persistent disparity’ in accessing allied health services, evidenced by ‘consistently lower NDIS utilisation rates’ and ‘lower use of allied health items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule in rural and remote areas.’ Ms Maloney also explained that some of these issues had compounded during the COVID‑19 pandemic:
Maldistribution of the allied health workforce in Australia is a severe and longstanding issue. Unfortunately, most of the allied health workforce and service access issues being raised with the committee in July last year remain unchanged and may have worsened in that time. We believe that limited workforce mobility, stemming from prolonged border closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated this longstanding problem over the past 18 months. SARRAH has seen an increase in the number of inquiries to our office from NDIS providers requesting assistance with workforce recruitment and retention, with some providers disclosing vacancy rates of up to 50 per cent of their workforce and others describing significant unmet need in their communities that they are unable to meet due to lack of capacity.
5.43
Ms Catherine Maloney, concluded that ‘coordinated action and commitment across the board in health, aged care, education and across…sectors is required.’
5.44
In this vein, some submitters expressed support for the plan’s proposal under initiative 10 of priority 3 to achieve better regulatory alignment between various areas of the care sector including veteran’s affairs and aged care. National Disability Services (NDS) stated that streamlining of services across the sector would be useful in areas that experience thin markets.
5.45
Mr Allan Groth, Director of Policy and Strategy, SARRAH, also observed that in some areas a thin market may not actually be a thin market where the market is examined on the basis of community need, where there may be ‘desperate need’ for services. Describing systemic barriers, including costs and other impediments relating to registration, time frames and access to service supports, Mr Groth stated that a thin market may not necessarily be an issue of cost effectiveness, but rather the consequence of ‘a particular mechanism that doesn’t work in those environments’. Mr Groth advocated for mechanisms to allow practitioners to derive income from a range of sources across service systems which are 'coordinated and able to be accessed to support a strong service base'.
5.46
The committee also heard that a lack of mentorship and professional development opportunities played a significant role in contributing to the issue of thin markets in regional, rural, and remote areas. The Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association (AOPA) explained that low practitioner prevalence in the workforce in these areas contributed to professional isolation as well as a lack of mentorship opportunities which disadvantages junior practitioners who in turn are unable to benefit from ‘practical and context-specific knowledge and support.’
5.47
With reference to initiative 15 of the Workforce Plan, AHPA observed that while telehealth can be useful in rural and remote areas, it should not be viewed as a solution to workforce development or the provision of treatment. Speech Pathology Australia added that the initiative failed to address currently existing issues experienced by practitioners in the space, including issues with consistent internet access and lack of remuneration for professional supports. Audiology Australia contended that an essential component of conducting successful telehealth appointments is ensuring that practitioners have an appropriate level of digital literacy, noting that not every practitioner currently has these skills.
Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants
5.48
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) told the committee that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were under-represented in the NDIS and faced limitations in participating effectively in the NDIS, owing in part to the development of the NDIS which did not take into account the ‘needs, situation and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’. NACCHO emphasised that there are 'thin markets issues in accessing culturally appropriate NDIS supports across all regions in Australia'.
5.49
NACCHO submitted that the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) sector would be the most effective sector to deliver an integrated care service delivery model as its workforce are ‘best placed to deliver culturally competent care’ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.
5.50
To enable ACCHOs to provide comprehensive care, NACCHO recommended a streamlining process of integration between various services and embedding a ‘strong multidisciplinary care workforce’ to provide these services to communities. ACCHOs largely operate as primary health services, and NACCHO contends that structural reform is required in the care space, as the current separate of health, disability and aged care has 'created barriers and access issues which has a flow-on effect to the workforce and the number (and competency) of employees available to support some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia'.
5.51
NACCHO described the workforce challenges experienced by ACCHOs, estimating that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander care workforce (across the broader health care and social assistance sectors) needs to grow by an additional 8,223 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers by 2025. NACCHO submitted that this expansion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce is needed to improve access to services and ‘support the provision of culturally appropriate care and service provision.’ Ms Patricia Turner, NACCHO CEO, further explained to the committee:
By employing trained Aboriginal staff, we can break down a lot of the barriers that they encounter with non-Indigenous service providers. They will feel culturally safe and respected. It’s having the relationship with the people, building the communications and the trust, understanding their individual and family circumstances, and being able to respond in a holistic was to meet that person’s and that family’s needs.
5.52
Ms Turner expressed support for the proposals to improve alignment across the care and support sector, and confirmed that there is not adequate flexibility for the development of the type of multiskilled workforce to work across different special needs groups that is currently being considered by NACCHO. Ms Turner also informed the committee that NACCHO was working with the Minister for the NDIS, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, to develop a separate plan for care services and care workers required for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia, including a plan for building a more integrated workforce. At the time of drafting, the committee understands that this plan is being considered by the Minister.
5.53
NACCHO stressed that 'the ultimate aim of branching into NDIS service provision for ACCHOs is to ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can access culturally appropriate services and supports no matter where they live in Australia'. Additional matters raised for consideration by NACCHO to achieve this included:
fully funding a workforce mapping exercise to understand NDIS workforce numbers and capacity of current ACCHOs
establishing links with culturally appropriate mainstream organisations for ACCHOs for whom NDIS service provision is not economically viable, and exploring 'regional consortium models'; and
continuation of block funding for workforce support to ensure appropriate delivery of wrap-around care and support.
Committee view
5.54
While the challenge posed by thin markets was not a core focus of this inquiry, it was a consistent theme in evidence. Thin markets are a central and persisting issue within the NDIS, and the impacts for participants and the disability sector have been discussed in a number of the committee's previous reports. The NDIS has been designed as a market-based scheme with the expectation that individualised funding would catalyse the development of an appropriate workforce to provide these services. Given the history of moving from charitable and state-based support, some fostering of the market is required to ensure that appropriate supports are available to NDIS participants. It is the committee’s view that developing and maintaining an appropriately skilled and qualified workforce is essential to the success of the scheme if it is to meet the demand that exists now and into the future. Given significant thin markets remain this far into the life of the scheme, it is critical that workforce planning for the NDIS seeks to address thin market issues.
5.55
The NDIS National Workforce Plan 2021-2025 recognises that thin markets have a significant impact on the ability to grow and sustain an appropriate NDIS workforce. Unfortunately, the plan lacks detailed strategies, actions or proposed outcomes that would assist the committee to evaluate the likely success of the various initiatives that seek to address thin market concerns. For example, the plan's focus on streamlining regulatory requirements has been welcomed by many submitters and witnesses, but there is very little detail on how this is expected to impact specific thin markets, apart from potentially making it easier to support a practice servicing disability, aged care and other clients in regional, rural or remote areas. Meanwhile, there is only limited attention given to allied health in the broader plan.
5.56
A particular shortcoming in the plan is the focus on measures to grow the disability support worker cohort, without a similar focus on increasing more specialised practitioners. Evidence to the committee cautioned against viewing the workforce as a single, unified workforce. It is apparent that measures that may be effective to attract disability support workers, while important, will not necessarily be effective to grow the allied health workforce, particularly at the professional practitioner level, or, of themselves, support appropriate development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce.
5.57
As a demonstration of the government’s commitment to address thin markets through the workforce plan, the committee considers that the utility of the plan would be improved if a clear, measurable set of outcomes were attached to initiatives in the plan to deal with thin markets, and associated reporting of progress towards these outcomes. The committee considers these outcomes should be developed through consultation or co-design processes with the allied health and wider disability sector, as well as participants and their representatives, and workers and their representatives. The committee makes a recommendation with respect to developing measurable outcomes for all initiatives in the Workforce Plan in Chapter 8 of this report.
Allied health maldistribution
5.58
It is further unclear how measures in the plan that are directed to allied health will be effective to assist in addressing concerns about allied health maldistribution. As discussed in the committee's interim report, the factors which contribute to this are varied and complex, including the proportion of Commonwealth funding allocated to workforce development, distribution and sustainability, a lack of stakeholder input and allied health expertise in workforce planning processes, and the allocation of funding between service sectors. These factors are accompanied by cross-jurisdictional issues, including coordination of priorities and actions across ministerial councils, and considerations of the benefits and risks of cost-shifting between governments.
5.59
The committee also notes that the government response to recommendation 11 of the committee's interim report highlighted the creation of the position of Chief Allied Health Officer in the Commonwealth Department of Health, and this positions support for increased access to allied health in regional Australia through the Stronger Regional Health Strategy and other health workforce reforms. The government did not, however, commit to escalating the issue of allied health maldistribution to an intergovernmental forum such as that of national cabinet. Noting the concerns raised in evidence about the ability of the Chief Allied Health Officer to influence policy or decision-making, and ongoing concerns about allied health maldistribution in the NDIS, the committee also encourages the government to reconsider its response to recommendation 11 in the committee's interim report.
Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants
5.60
The committee welcomes the government's response to recommendation 12 in the interim report for this inquiry, and particularly notes the advice that the government is finalising a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021-2031 (Health Workforce Plan) to strengthen and grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce across health roles and locations across Australia, including in the aged care and disability sector.
5.61
The committee is persuaded by evidence received from NACCHO arguing that a plan that prioritises an integrated, multi-skilled, and culturally competent workforce is needed to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants are able to receive holistic and effective support. The committee therefore considers that, once the Health Workforce Plan is finalised, the implementation of the NDIS Workforce Plan should be carefully aligned to this broader plan.
5.62
It will also be important to continue to monitor and evaluate how the Workforce Plan can support growth in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce. In addition to the specific measures contemplated in item 16 of the plan, other broader initiatives in the plan should be implemented in a manner that supports the specific needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce as well as supporting growth in the broader NDIS workforce. The committee therefore considers that implementation of the plan should include development of specific outcomes, co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations and other key stakeholders, for developing and supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce and regular reporting on these outcomes.
5.63
The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through co‑design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations, develop and report on specific outcomes for initiatives in the NDIS National Workforce Plan 2021-2025 to support the growth and development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS workforce.