The National Disability Insurance Agency Board and the NDIS Independent Advisory Council appointed new board members with disability on January 5, 2025, emphasising the importance of lived experience.

Although Bill Shorten is expected to leave his role as NDIS Minister in February 2025, the decision to appoint more people with disability to the NDIA Board and NDIS Independent Advisory Council is promising.

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten appreciated the new board member appointments, citing their diverse life experiences and expertise.

“We welcome Vaughn Bennison, Associate Professor Lorna Hallahan, Dr Gill Hicks AM MBE, Andrew Vodic and Jane Wardlaw to the Independent Advisory Council, each bringing lengthy careers within the disability sector as well as their own personal lived experience as people with disability,” he said.

“As the NDIS undergoes significant reform to ensure it can best support people with disability now and into the future, it is critical NDIS participants’ voices are represented by experts from their own community, which each of these new members are [sic].

“The strength of their collective experience and their commitment demonstrates the Independent Advisory Council’s crucial role in the NDIS.”

Each of these members will join their respective boards on a part-time basis and will serve a term of three years.