Welcome to the August update on all things WWDA. This update is sent directly to our members as our part of our monthly newsletter – become a member or join our mailing list today.
The NDIS Amendment Bill has now passed Parliament.
We know this may bring questions or uncertainty for people in our community. It is important to remember that the changes will be introduced over time, and there is still a lot of work to be done on how they are implemented.
We also want to acknowledge the many women, girls and gender-diverse people with disability who are not on the NDIS. You are part of this too.
As the Scheme changes, WWDA will keep pushing for accessible, properly funded supports both inside and outside the NDIS.
Our focus now is on what happens next: making sure our community is heard, people are supported through the changes, and the reforms are implemented fairly and transparently.
WWDA will keep advocating for strong protections, gender-responsive policy and a genuine say for people with disability in the decisions that affect us.
The Bill has passed, but our work is far from over.
“WWDA will keep fighting for the rights, safety and equality of women with disability. We will continue to hold the Government to account to ensure that our community is not abandoned by the systems that are supposed to support us.” – Sophie Cusworth, CEO
Government backslides on gender equality with NDIS bill
A message to our community on the NDIS Reform Bill
If this news is affecting your wellbeing, please look after yourself and reach out for support if you need it.
- Lifeline: call 13 11 14, or text 0477 13 11 14
- Lifeline online chat
- Neve Helpline Directory (Easy Read available)
CEO Sophie Cusworth addresses the National Press Club
On 10 August 2026, Sophie called for greater transparency, better inclusion, and stronger systems for people with disability at the National Press Club as the Australian Government pushed through changes to the NDIS.
She spoke as part of ‘Reasonable or Necessary? Debating Changes to the NDIS’, elevating the voices and priorities of women, girls and gender-diverse people with disability at a critical moment ahead of the Senate’s final report into the NDIS Reform Bill.
“This Bill is one of the most dangerous options on the table. It creates foreseeable risks for women, and gender-diverse people with disability and those who support us. Because this Bill does not create sustainability. It creates crisis.” – Sophie Cusworth
Submission: Making Disability-Specific Violence Visible
WWDA has released a new submission calling for disability-responsive implementation of the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
The submission recognises violence experienced by women, girls and gender-diverse people with disability outside intimate partner relationships, including violence by support workers, carers, family members, co-residents and service providers. When laws, data and services fail to recognise these experiences as violence, people can be excluded from safety, support and justice.
WWDA is calling for ongoing, dedicated funding for a disability-led gender-based violence working group to support implementation of the Second Action Plan.
Read the full submission here.
Joint Submission: Inclusive Communities Fund
WWDA has taken part in a joint submission on the Inclusive Communities Fund.
It draws directly on a recommendation jointly made by the National Women’s Alliances, calling for national investment in the Disability and Gender Leadership program. We also hold concerns about the relationship between the Fund and proposed changes to NDIS Social, Civic and Community Participation and Capacity Building Daily Activity supports.
We urge the Australian Government to reconsider broad ministerial determinations and blunt funding cuts in these areas and ensure the Fund remains additional to individualised NDIS supports.
DROs and Legal Roundtable on the NDIS Reform Bill
WWDA, alongside a number of Disability Representative Organisations, legal organisations and representatives from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing met to discuss the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
The organisations shared evidence from advocacy, legal practice and engagement with people with disability demonstrating that the Bill, as drafted, will make it harder for people to access and retain the supports they rely on, weaken review rights and legal safeguards, increase uncertainty about future eligibility and supports, and expose people with disability to significant and foreseeable harm.
WWDA attends the Annual National Women’s Forum
At the start of August, Sophie Cusworth and Dr Diana Piantedosi attended the annual National Women’s Alliances Forum in Canberra, hosted by Office for Women.
The forum focused on a range of key policy priorities impacting women across Australia including the development of the Second Action Plan of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032.
By working collaboratively and bringing women’s lived experiences and diverse perspectives directly into policy discussions, the forum helps ensure government initiatives are better designed to improve safety, economic security and opportunities of women across Australia.
[Image: Sophie and Diana are pictured with other attendees. They stand at the front of the group. Sophie has light skin and long brown hair. She is wearing a grey blazer, white shirt and a brown skirt. Diana has light skin and short curly brown hair. They are wearing a dark tan suit with a white shirt.]
Latest News
- Fears government NDIS cuts will put women in danger (10 August)
- Disability advocates call for watchdog and warn of ‘significant impacts’ as reforms loom (11 August)
- ‘We die’: disabled voices warn against NDIS cuts (12 August)
- “I would perish”: The human cost of the PM’s NDIS cuts (20 August)
- Watch: Advocates warning changes to the NDIS will cost lives (20 August)
- ‘A retrograde step’: NDIS cut without published gender data (24 August)
Community Updates and Opportunities
To find more opportunities to get involved and have your say, stay up to date with WWDA’s Have Your Say page.
- Inclusion Australia has shared an Easy Read information page on the NDIS Bill passing and what it means. Click here to read more.
- On 16 September 2026, People with Disability Australia (PWDA) are hosting a Community Attitudes webinar, focused on intersectional inclusion and creating safer, more welcoming environments for LGBTQIA+ people with disability. Click here to register.
- PWDA have released a new online learning module ‘Rights, Self-Advocacy and Speaking Up’. It is designed to help LGBTQIA+ people with disability understand their rights, make informed choices, ask for support, and decide what to do if something does not feel fair, accessible or respectful. Click here to register.
