The cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) expert advisory group met online on Tuesday, 1 September 2026.
The meeting focused on:
- Participant experience testing workshops
- Engagement strategy: CALD communities
- CALD Strategy Annual Report 2026.
Participant experience testing workshops
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) provided an update on participant testing workshops being held as part of the new way of planning.
The workshops help the NDIA better understand participant experiences along the journey and what supports people might need along the way. Members were invited to the workshops to help the NDIA better understand what people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds might need during the new way of planning.
Member feedback included:
- The importance of maintaining participant choice and control under the new way of planning, including when choosing service providers.
- Concerns that assessment terminology and the use of closed questions, may not fully capture the needs and circumstances of CALD participants.
- The value of including face-to-face testing and observation alongside online testing methods.
- The important role of advocacy services and the need to increase participant awareness of advocacy services.
- Ongoing evaluation of participant experiences and outcomes as part of testing activities for the new way of planning.
- The importance of providing evaluation and feedback opportunities in accessible formats and languages other than English.
The NDIA provided an update that testing will continue across diverse participant cohorts. Participants who speak a language other than English at home or come from diverse cultural backgrounds are encouraged to get involved.
Engagement strategy: CALD communities
The NDIA shared the CALD Community Engagement Strategy. The strategy outlines a tailored approach to plan and deliver engagement activities with multicultural communities.
Member feedback included:
- Agreement that an implementation plan is needed to clearly outline priorities, actions, timeframes and measures of success.
- Importance of using ethnic and multicultural media channels to reach diverse communities.
- Partnering with existing community support networks, such as faith leaders, pharmacists and medical practitioners as important, trusted sources of information.
- Importance of promoting disability acceptance, inclusion and participation in community activities.
- Opportunities to strengthening bilingual and bicultural engagement and communication in a persons preferred language.
CALD Strategy Annual Report 2026
The NDIA shared the CALD Strategy Annual Report for 2026.
The report provides an update on progress against the CALD Strategy 2024-28 and outlines key activities and action items delivered up to 30 April 2026.
Member feedback included:
- Acknowledgment of the amount of work being delivered across the NDIA as part of NDIS reforms and impact on delivering actions.
- Agreement that CALD Strategy commitments continue to be important and need to be progressed alongside reforms.
- Including a summary of activities and progress against actions will make the report easier to navigate and understand.
Next meeting
The next CALD expert advisory group meeting is Tuesday, 24 November 2026.