National Disability Agreement
What is the National Disability Agreeement?
Brief History
Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS)
Privacy and Data Principles
DS NMDS Due Dates
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
What is the National Disability Agreement (NDA)?
The National Disability Agreement (NDA) is ana greement between the Australian and State/Territory Governments that sets the national framework to fund, monitor and support quality services for people with a disability.
The NDA places people with disability, their families and carers at the centre of services across Australia. The NDA identifies a single long-term overarching aspiration that:
“People with disability and their carers have an enhanced quality of life and participate as valued members of the community.”
The NDA will contribute to the following outcomes for people with disability and those who support them:
- people with disability achieve economic participation and social inclusion;
- people with disability enjoy choice, wellbeing and the opportunity to live as independently as possible; and
- families and carers are well-supported.
The NDA will contribute to the following outputs in support of the above outcomes:
- services that provide skills and supports to people with disability to enable them to live as independently as possible;
- services that assist people with disability to live in stable and sustainable living arrangements;
- income support for people with disability and their carers; and
- services that assist families and carers in their caring role.
Under the NDA, all Ministers with responsibility for disability services agreed to pursue several strategic policy priorities. These priorities are:
- Better measurement of need
- Population benchmarking for disability services
- Making older carers a priority
- Quality improvement systems based on disability standards
- Service planning and strategies to simplify access
- Early intervention and prevention, lifelong planning and increasing independence and social participation strategies
- Increased workforce capacity
- Increased access for Indigenous Australians
- Access to aids and equipment
- Improved access to disability care
The complete Agreement can be viewed by clicking one of the links below.
National Disability Agreement [RTF 183KB]
National Disability Agreement [PDF 99KB]
Brief History of the NDA
The first Commonwealth State Disability Agreement (CSDA), established in 1992, was a landmark event for the disability sector. It sought to rationalise the provision of specialist disability services in Australia and develop, on a national basis, integrated services to ensure that people with disabilities had access to appropriate services to meet their individual needs.
The second Commonwealth State Disability Agreement (CSDA) (1997-2002) sought to build on the achievements of the first Agreement. It included a national framework for disability services and a bilateral capacity to target funding towards strategic issues in particular jurisdictions; a coordinated approach to addressing unmet need (an injection of $510 million nationally); and the development of the first interstate service portability protocols.
The third Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) (2002-2007) was the first to require a growth commitment from State/Territory Governments (bilaterally agreed) as a condition of signing. The Agreement also introduced a stronger accountability framework; included a preamble, developed in consultation with State and national advisory bodies, outlining the commitment of all governments to people with disabilities; identified national policy priorities; and required States and Territories to enter into bilateral agreements (without funding attached) with the Australian Government, scoped around the national policy priorities.
The fourth agreement between the Australian Government and State/Territory Governments, replacing the third CSTDA, came into effect on 1 January 2009 and was renamed the National Disability Agreement (NDA). The NDA outlines the primary outcomes for people with disability, and states key performance indicators for the measurement of progress towards these outcomes.
Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS)
Under the National Disability Agreement (NDA), the ACT has a responsibility to report to the Australian Government on disability service provision. This reporting takes the form of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set (DS NMDS), an annual collection of information from services that receive funding from or are operated by Disability ACT.
The DS NMDS is used in a number of publications such as the Disability Support Services report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and the Report on Government Services produced by the Productivity Commission. The data are also used to inform state planning on a wide range of issues such as demand and supply of disability services, and the needs of carers.
This site contains information and resources relevant to the collection of the DS NMDS for use by providers of disability support services.
Disability ACT NMDS Contact Information
Vijaya Goundar
Data Coordinator
Disability ACT
GPO Box 158
Canberra City ACT 2601
telephone 6205 0728
email dactcstdanmds@act.gov.au
Key Dates
Data Collection and Reporting Period: 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011
Reference Week: 24 June 2011 to 30 June 2011
Date Data Due to Disability ACT: 31 July 2011 (or earlier)
Support Materials and Resources for DS NMDS Data Collection
Below are links to resources such as forms, the data guide and the data transmission and technical guide.
If you would like printed copies of these, please email dactcstdanmds@act.gov.au or alternatively you can contact Vijaya Goundar on 02 6205 0728. Please note a number of these documents are published by AIHW and do not meet the DACT accessibility requirements.
DACT is in the process of sourcing accessible versions of these documents.
Forms for 2010-11
The Data Co-ordinator will contact all funded agencies individually and advise them about the forms they are required to submit. Copies of these forms will be provided to agencies that require it.
ACT Specific Questions
The ACT specific questions requests information on why a user commenced a particular service and if they have made requests for additional services.
The ACT specific forms need to be filled in relation to each service type provided to a user and can be attached at the end of each of the service user form. Note a copy of this form is attached on Page 9 of the service user form.
ACT Specific Questions [XLS 27KB]
ACT Specific Questions [PDF 25KB]
Service User Form
The service user form requests information about users and their carers. It seeks information such as the user’s gender, age, indigenous status, information about their disability, their care needs, information about their primary informal carer if they have one and their sources of funding if they are receiving any. Please note this data will only be used for statistical purposes and will not affect entitlements.
Service user forms are only required for users who access accommodation support, community Support, community access and respite in 2010-2011 financial year. Service user forms are not required for service types such as Advocacy, Information and Alternative forms of Communications (service outputs 6.01 to 6.05) or for other support (service outputs 7.01 to 7.04).
Service User Form [XLS 98KB]
Service User Form [PDF 130KB]
Service Received Form
(Please refer to question 17 in the service user form)
The service received form contains 6 questions in relation to the service accessed such as the amount and the last access date in 2010-2011. The Service Received questions are numbered 17a to 17F in page 8 of the Service User form.
Service Type Outlet (STO) Form
All funded agencies are required to provide service type outlet forms in relation to the services listed in their funding contract.
Service Type Outlet Form [XLS 38KB]
Service Type Outlet Form [PDF 31KB]
DS NMDS Information Guides and Manuals
ACT Specific Questions Data Guide
This data guide provides detailed data requirements in relation to all data items requested in the NMDS collection.
ACT Specific Questions Data Guide [RTF 941KB]
ACT Specific Questions Data Guide [PDF 177KB]
Data Guide
The data guide provides detailed data requirements in relation to all data items requested in the NMDS collection.
Data Guide [PDF 930KB]
Data Guide [Word 3MB]
Data Transmission & Technical Guide
The following document has been developed as a resource, related to the NDA NMDS Data Guide, to support data transmission and the development of related software. If you are considering using this document, it is essential that you contact the Network representative in your jurisdiction (see caveats in document).
Data Transmission and Technical Guide [PDF 430KB]
Data Transmission and Technical Guide [Word 776KB]
Country Classifications
Country codes may be required in relation to question 4 in the service user form.
Standard Country Classifications 
Privacy and Data Principles
The Privacy and Data Principles governing the NMDS can be found in chapter six of the Data Guide. Privacy and Data Principles
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) http://www.aihw.gov.au/
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is Australia's national agency for health and welfare statistics and information. The AIHW role in the NMDS is to coordinate the overall production of national NMDS data.
It does this by providing:
- a link between jurisdictions;
- support and assistance throughout the NMDS collection process (e.g. developing timetables based on agreed data requirements);
- data expertise (e.g. relating the NMDS to national and international data dictionaries and frameworks); and
- assistance in developing standardised national collection tools.
The AIHW prepares the Disability Support Services (DSS) report annually and provides data to the Productivity Commission for use in the annual Report on Government Services (ROGS) publication. Below are links to recent publications by the AIHW and the Productivity Commission.
Recent Publications
Disability Support Services (DSS)
2007-08
National data on services provided under the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement
2006-07
National data on services provided under the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement
Report on Government Services
Report on Government Services - 2011
Report on Government Services - 2010
Report on Government Services - 2009
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