Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 Outcomes Framework: 4th annual report

Why is this outcome area important?

Personal and community supports are fundamental to improving overall outcomes for people with disability. It is important for people with disability to be able to live independently and be involved in community activities such as education, work, training, recreation, cultural life and neighbourhood activities. Personal and community supports can include:

• specialist disability services (for example, the NDIS)
• mainstream services
• unpaid carers
• carer supports services and assistive technology. 

For more information, see Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031.

Policy priorities

1. Availability of support (3 measures): Making sure people with disability have access to and receive the support services they need.
2. People with complex, high needs are supported (2 measures): Providing services that support those people with disability who have complex high needs.
3. Informal and carer supports (2 measures): Providing enough services and alternative care arrangements to give carers of people with disability the support they need.
4. Availability of assistive technology (2 measures): Improving access to assistive technologies and aids for people with disability.

The policy priority "Informal and carer supports" did not have data updates for 2025 and is not included in this report.

2025 Summary

Data are available for 8 of 9 measures. In 2025:

• 2 measures were updated (Table 5.1)
• 1 measure had data available for the first time (Table 5.2)
• 5 measures were not updated.

Of the 2 updated measures:

• 1 showed improvement
• 1 showed regression.

Overall, this Outcome Area is not improving since 2021. 

• Two of the 3 measures for Availability of the support showed no change and regression. Progress for the third measure is not yet known.
• The only measure for People with complex, high needs are supported policy priority is improving.
• Of the 2 measures for Informal and carer supports, 1 regressed and 1 showed no change.
• Both measures for Availability of assistive technology showed regression.

Key findings

• According to the latest data (2024–25 Q3), 80% of NDIS participants aged 15–64 believed that the NDIS had helped them have more choice and control over their life after 2 years in the scheme. This was an increase of 5 percentage points since baseline (2021–22 Q2; 75%) (Figure 5.1). The proportion has increased gradually over the life of the Strategy.
• Since baseline, the proportion of NDIS participants who received assistive technology supports has decreased by 13 percentage points, from 49% in Q2 of 2021–22 to 36% in Q4 of 2024–25. This indicated a regression since the Strategy began (Figure 5.2).

Information on each measure below includes the latest update, baseline and progress status, key demographic insights, and a chart showing the direction of the change since baseline.

NDIS – National Disability Insurance Scheme; pp – percentage points.