The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) has delivered over $1.25 million in grants to 57 Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) to support the delivery of culturally safe and appropriate National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) services to their communities. The grants were delivered through the NDIS Ready program which is funded by the Department of Social Services.

The Indigenous Business Support Funding (IBSF) grants, worth $22,000 each, are designed to build the capacity of ACCHOs and ACCOs to deliver disability services sustainably under the NDIS by empowering them with the resources they need to be NDIS ready. This will support the growth of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDIS market and workforce and help improve access to culturally safe services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.

National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) Chief Executive Officer Pat Turner welcomed the funding.

“These grants will enable the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation sector to expand into the NDIS, to provide additional essential supports for people with disability” Ms Turner said.

Chief Executive Officer of Danila Dilba Health Service in Darwin, Rob McPhee, said:

“Danila Dilba is committed to helping our Mob with disabilities live the life they want. The IBSF grant will help us further the work we do in supporting our communities in accessing NDIS services. Demand for support and services is much higher than what we can provide alone – but the IBSF grant can assist in strengthening our internal business planning and development and organisational readiness for addressing the unmet need of many in our community with a disability.”

Chairperson of the South Australian West Coast ACCHO Network (SAWCAN) Cindy Zbierski said that “Access to culturally respectful and Aboriginal-led disability services is vital to improving life outcomes and achieving equity for our Mob. The IBSF grant provides us with the opportunity to scope what these Aboriginal-led disability solutions look like within our communities”.

Michael Graham, the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, said the “IBSF grant will not only assist our community to access [the] NDIS, but the grant will also enable us to operate our NDIS program within governance frameworks, and to expand it after robust business modelling”.

For the full media release including the list of IBSF recipients DOWNLOAD HERE.