Roles and responsibilities
Australian, state, territory, and local governments (commonly known as local councils) all play a part in delivering services that help people with disability. Here you can find out which government is responsible for which services. There are also contact points for these services, whether they are disability-specific or for mainstream services used by everyone.
This can be useful if you want to give feedback or make a compliant about a service. Remember all governments have obligations to provide services to all Australians and are responsible for making reasonable adjustments to assist people with disability so they can access and use the same services as everyone else.
In many cases more than one government is involved in funding or delivering a service system. But in most cases one level of government has the main responsibility for delivering the system.
A quick overview table on which level of government provides which service or system will help you get a broad picture of government roles and responsibilities.
The Applied Principles and Support Tables explain how responsibilities are shared between the NDIS and other service providers that support people with disability. The Applied Principles and Tables of Support to Determine the Responsibilities of the NDIS and other Service Systems. These were published in 2015 and should be read with the current reforms in NDIS legislation National Disability Insurance Scheme review and reforms.
Australian Government and shared services
The Australian Government provides a number of disability services nationally, so you can get the same service no matter which state of territory you are in.
There are also some types of services for people with disability that are delivered by both the Australian Government and all the state and territory governments.
Learn more about Australian Government Disability Services and Shared Responsibilities
Read the National Disability Agreement (PDF)
Learn more about agreements between governments with the NDIS
State and Territory and local government services
All states and territories have its own policies and services for people with disability. States and territories (except the Australian Capital Territory with local councils have a range of services in their region. These can include things like public transport, health services, housing, community programs and more.