About the National Disability Administrators (NDA)

Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the NDA and its functions.  Please click on the following links to learn more about the NDA:

• find out what is the NDA;
• find out who are the NDA, including the member jurisdictions and agencies;
• understand the role of the NDA in government and in disability;
• gain knowledge of the work that the NDA does;
• find out how the NDA reports on its work; and
• find out who you can contact for more information. 

What is the NDA?

The National Disability Administrators (NDA) is the key national representative body for government agencies in the Commonwealth, States and Territories responsible for the delivery of specialist disability support services to people with disabilities.

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Who are the NDA?

The NDA comprises the heads of Australian, State and Territory Government disability agencies - nine jurisdictions in total.

A head of an agency may delegate the responsibility to represent them as the NDA member to a Senior Executive or other senior officer at their discretion.

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What is the role of the NDA?

The NDA is responsible for the management and implementation of the Commonwealth-State/Territory Disability Agreement  2002 - 2007 (CSTDA). The CSTDA is the five year agreement between the Australian and State/Territory Governments that sets the national framework for the delivery, funding and development of specialist disability services in Australia for people with severe or profound disabilities.

The Agreement describes:

1. the funds to be provided by the Australian and State/Territory governments;
2. the jointly agreed areas of policy priority;
3. the services that may/may not be provided with the funding;
4. who may/may not receive services from the funding;
5. the responsibilities of each jurisdiction; and
6. the reporting arrangements in terms of a framework and timeframe for accountability.

The CSTDA defines the role of the NDA where it states that "the Disability Administrators of the Commonwealth and the States/Territories will be responsible for:

1. advising Ministers on matters pertaining to the services covered by this Agreement and the national framework;
2. providing a forum for discussing issues of national significance;
3. overseeing the development and implementation of a CSTDA performance reporting framework, a national research and development work plan and a CSTDA implementation plan;
4. promoting the exchange of information concerning best practice in specialist disability services;
5. reporting in a publicly accessible format on progress and achievements in relation to the national framework;
6. providing a forum for the discussion and resolution of issues requiring cross-jurisdictional management, including the implementation of the agreed national portability protocols and, as a priority, improving the interface between specialist disability employment services and State/Territory administered specialist disability services; and
7. providing a forum for the exchange of views on priorities and directions for research and development."

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What work does the NDA do?

The CSTDA contains five key policy priorities that were determined by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Government Ministers responsible for disability outcomes. The policy priorities are to:

1. strengthen access to generic services for people with a disability;
2. strengthen across government linkages;
3. strengthen individuals, families and carers;
4. improve long-term strategies to respond to and manage demand for specialist services; and
5. improve accountability, performance reporting and quality.

These five policy priorities focus the work of the NDA for the life of the Agreement (the five years from 2002 - 2007). To progress these five policy priorities the NDA has a workplan of projects that builds on these priority areas.  The jurisdiction responsibile for advancing these projects is in brackets beside the project as follows:

1.1  Access for people with a disability to health care (SA);
1.2  Access for people with a disability to transport (WA);
1.3  Access for people with a disability to housing (Vic);
1.4  Access for people with a disability who are ageing (Aust. Govt);

2.1  Employment/day options interface (SA);
2.2  Young people in nursing homes (WA);

3.1  Advocacy and information services (ACT);
3.2  Children and young people with a disability (NSW);
3.3  Maintaining Informal Carers (Aust Govt);
3.4  Indigenous Australians with a disability (NSW);
3.5  Language Services - Auslan Interpreters Service

4.1  Responding to demand (Qld);
4.2  Workforce Requirements and Capacity (TAS); and

5.1  Rrevision of the CSTDA performance reporting framework (Qld).
5.2 Options paper for 4th CSTDA
5.3 Review of 1993 National Standards for Disability Services

To support the workplan, the NDA also has a Research and Development Program which currently includes the following projects.  The projects are numbered to correspond to the Worplan projects (listed above) that they support:

1.3.R  Effectiveness Of Supported Living In Relation To Shared Accommodation (Vic);  
1.4.R  Disability and Ageing (WA);

2.1.R  Employment Innovation for High Support Needs Clients (SA);
2.1aR Monitoring Employment and Day Options Reforms (SA)
2.2.R  Support Needs and Service Models for Younger People with High Clinical Care Needs (NSW);

3.2.R  Children and Young People with a Disability (NSW);
3.4.R  Building Culturally Secure Services for Indigenous Australians with a Disability (NT);

4.1.R  National Assessment and Resource Allocation and Framework (SA);
4.1aR Demand Management (QLD)
4.2.R  Workforce Capacity (QLD);

5.1R     NDA Website (WA). (Completed)

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How does the NDA report on its work?

Each NDA Workplan or NDA Research and Development project is coordinated by one lead jurisdiction. The lead jurisdiction provides a regular report to the NDA on the progress of the project. Each year the NDA provides a progress report to Ministers on the work that has been undertaken. The NDA also publishes a CSTDA Annual Public Report that contains an overview of each jurisdiction's services provided to people with disabilities and other initiatives taking place to further the objectives of the agreement.

CSTDA Annual Public Report (2002 - 2003).

CSTDA Annual Public Report (2003 - 2004)

CSTDA Annual Public Report (2004 - 2005)

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Who can you contact for more information?

For 2007-2009, the NDA Secretariat is based with the Department of Human Services in Victoria. The NDA Chair is Mr Arthur Rogers, Executive Director Disability Services in Victoria. You can contact the NDA Secretariat by e-mail at DPRWG.Secretariat@dhs.vic.gov.au or by telephone on (03) 9096 7937

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