PWDA Recommendations for Design of the Inclusive Communities Fund
About the consultation
PWDA recently contributed to the consultation on the design of the Inclusive Communities Fund (the Fund).
The Australian Government will provide $200 million over three years from 2026-27 to establish the Inclusive Communities Fund (the Fund).
The Fund aims to create opportunities for people with disability, including NDIS participants, to take part in social, recreational, arts, sporting, cultural and other community activities.
The Fund will provide support for community organisations to strengthen their capability to offer more inclusive and accessible services. It will not pay for the delivery of community activities.
PWDA position on the Inclusive Communities Fund
PWDA strongly supports investment that improves social participation which is essential for Australians with disabilities as it provides a sense of belonging, increases safety, builds skills and social networks, and reduces isolation.
However, the Fund should not be considered in isolation. It must be assessed in the context of the upcoming 50% cuts to social, civic and community participation (SCCP) supports under the NDIS Bill 2026.
The Fund must prioritise overcoming the persistent barriers that prevent people with disability from having the same opportunities as people without disability to be part of our communities. To achieve this, funding must go beyond one-off projects and support sustainable organisational and cultural change.
PWDA Member and Community Views
To better understand community views about the Fund, PWDA released an Inclusive Communities Fund member and community consultation survey on August 11.
We received a total of 197 responses.
- 87% of respondents said taking part in their community was essential or very important to their lives.
- 91.5% said organisations should have to show how they will work with people with disability to design activities before receiving funding.
Respondents said the creation of the Fund does not remove the need for disability supports.
- Even if community activities became more accessible and inclusive, 81% of 140 respondents said they would still need support at least some of the time to participate.
To be successful, PWDA recommends the Fund be grounded in disability leadership, meaningful co-design, accessibility, accountability and sustainability.
Investment should focus on creating lasting organisational and community change rather than temporary activities.
People with disability must remain at the centre of the Fund’s design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
By embedding these principles, the Inclusive Communities Fund can contribute to building communities where people with disability are welcomed, valued and able to participate on an equal basis with others.
Recommendations
- Recommendation 1 – Require community organisations applying for funding to partner with disability-led organisations
- Recommendation 2 – Ensure disability leaders are involved in planning, managing, implementing, and reviewing all funded projects.
- Recommendation 3 – Adopt a broad understanding of accessibility that includes cost, physical access, digital, information and cultural accessibility and genuine inclusivity.
- Recommendation 4 – Prioritise investment in regional, rural and remote communities so everyone has the same chance to take part, no matter where they live.
- Recommendation 5 – Focus on projects that create lasting positive changes and can continue to make a difference even after the funding has ended.
- Recommendation 6 – Make sure that people from all different disability groups and those with more complex or high-level support needs have the same opportunity to receive funding..
- Recommendation 7 – Include strong rules for responsibility, checking, and reporting that focus on the experience of people with disability. Requiring a fix for any issues found. If there is serious or repeated failure to meet these standards, some or all of the funding provided should be paid back.
- Recommendation 8 – The Inclusive Communities Fund should support both mainstream community inclusion and disability-specific opportunities. It’s important to understand that true inclusion means giving people real choices about how and where they take part. Funding should enable people with disability to engage in community activities alongside people with and without disability, while also preserving disability-led spaces, peer support networks and disability-specific activities that many people value.
- Recommendation 9 – The Australian Government should regularly check how the Fund works alongside wider NDIS changes to make sure that people get the support they need to take part in community activities offered through the Inclusive Communities Fund.
- Recommendation 10 – The Inclusive Communities Fund should be created with the understanding that many community groups are already under a lot of financial pressure and rely heavily on volunteers. The funding should help support lasting programmes that promote inclusion, without transferring costs from government support for people with disability to community organisations. It should also recognise that volunteers have limits and and address financial barriers that prevent people with disability from participating in community life.
