Australia’s Disability Strategy Advisory Council
Australia’s Disability Strategy Advisory Council (the Advisory Council) was established in December 2021 when Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 (ADS) was launched.
All core members of the Advisory Council are people with disability. You can find out more information about each member of the Advisory Council by going to the Advisory Council biographies.
The Advisory Council’s role and work
The Advisory Council’s role is to advise Australian governments and disability ministers on the implementation of ADS. It is responsible for reviewing and advising on progress of ADS features that aim to drive actions and improvements for people with disability, including:
- Targeted Action Plans
- Outcomes Framework
- Associated Plans
- ADS reports and reviews
The Advisory Council is scheduled to meet four times in 2025, with out-of-session meetings as required.
In 2024, the Advisory Council met twice with other state and territory disability advisory councils through Jurisdictional Leads meetings. The Advisory Council has established a Housing Working Group that commenced at the beginning of 2024 and met 3 times.
Meetings of both Jurisdictional Leads and the Housing Working Group will take place in 2025.
The Advisory Council’s work
The Advisory Council provides its advice to all levels of government including the Australian, state, territory and local governments. This is because all governments signed up to ADS and are involved in the implementation.
The Advisory Council has a direct connection to disability ministers, with the Council Chair to attend disability ministers meeting twice a year. At each meeting, the Chair provides advice to disability ministers.
Advisory Council documents
On 21 February 2025, Disability Reform Ministers met and endorsed the updated Terms of Reference, 2025 Annual Work Plan and 2024 Annual Report.
Terms of Reference
The Advisory Council Terms of Reference set out the Council’s key purpose, to give high-level advice to the Australian, state and territory Disability Ministers and governments (including local governments) on the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Australia’s Disability Strategy.
The Advisory Council’s Terms of Reference require an annual review. This provides an opportunity to make changes to improve the administration of the Council. You can access the Terms of Reference by going to the Advisory Council Terms of Reference.
Annual Work Plan
The Advisory Council’s Annual Work Plan provides a schedule of priority topics important to Council members. The Annual Work Plan helps the Chair decide agendas, guests and focus for each meeting, and guide Council discussion and advice on the implementation of Australia’s Disability Strategy.
You can access the Council’s Work Plan by going to the 2025 Work Plan.
Annual Reports
The Advisory Council reports each year to Disability Reform Ministers on how its Work Plan and activities have helped inform the implementation of Australia’s Disability Strategy. The Annual Report provides a snapshot of the Council’s work over a 12 month period.
You can access the Council’s Annual Report by going to the 2024 Annual Report.
Meeting Communiques
You can find out more information about the outcomes of each Advisory Council Meeting by going to the Advisory Council Meeting Communiques.
Membership
The Advisory Council is made up of 12 positions, which includes the Chair, core members, four rotating state and territory disability council representatives and two special advisors.
Members are drawn from a range of states and territories. Sub-groups of the Advisory Council are set up as required.
Advisory Council core members are all people with disability and includes women; First Nations people; culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people; young people; and people with lived experience of rural and remote communities. Only state and territory disability council representatives and special advisors of the Advisory Council can be people without disability.
The membership provides a cross section of people with experience in similar roles and people new to an advisory role that can provide a ‘fresh voice’.
The special advisors have Australian Government experience, experience in Commonwealth and State relations and a background in disability policy. The special advisers support the Council members by advising on government relations and relevant policy.
You can find out more information about the Advisory Council members in the table below.
| ADS Advisory Council Role | Name | Position | Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chair | Jane Spring AM | Chair Chair Vice President | Disability Council New South Wales University of Sydney Sports Foundation Institute of Public Administration Australia New South Wales |
| Core Member | Seriako Stephen | Board member | First Peoples Disability Network Australia |
| Core Member | Akii Ngo | Member | Victorian Disability Council Ambassador for International Day of People with Disability (2022) |
| Core Member | Uncle Wilfred Prince | Member | Ambassador for International Day of People with Disability (2022) |
| Victorian Representative | Chris Varney | Member | Victorian Disability Advisory Council |
| Northern Territory Representative | Sarah Skopellos | Vice Chair | Northern Territory Disability Advisory Committee |
| South Australian Representative | Sisaleo Philavong | Chair | South Australian Disability Advisory Council |
| New South Wales Representative | Kelly Cox | Member | New South Wales Disability Council |
| Special advisor | Helen McDevitt | Chair | Australian Capital Territory Disability, Aged and Carers Advocacy Service |