Media releases

25 September 2025

The Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO) notes the announcement by Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, that the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) will introduce the Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs      (I-CAN v6) as part of a new NDIS planning framework.

AFDO welcomes efforts to simplify and make fairer the pathway for people with disability to access the supports they need. However, the federation stresses that a single assessment tool can never fully capture every person’s unique circumstances and must not override medical evidence or the long-standing knowledge of the individual and their health professionals, families and carers who have supported a person with disability over their lifetime.

AFDO is calling for comprehensive pilots and independent evaluation before any full rollout of I-CAN v6. These pilots and the subsequent evaluation must be conducted with full independence from influence by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and actively involve people with disability and their representative organisations to ensure that the tool is tested and refined using genuine lived experience input.

AFDO President Grant Lindsay said:

“People with disability deserve an assessment process that is person-centred and fair. While tools such as I-CAN can help structure planning, they cannot replace the nuanced understanding that comes from lived experience and the clinical evidence gathered over a lifetime. We need to see robust pilots and transparent evaluation before any national rollout.”

AFDO CEO Ross Joyce said:

“Experience from the aged care sector shows that structured tools can be useful, but they work best when complemented by professional judgement and strong safeguards. It is essential that the design, pilots and any evaluation are undertaken with clear independence from NDIA influence. AFDO will work with the NDIA and our member organisations to make sure that the introduction of I-CAN v6 is transparent, carefully evaluated and firmly centred on the rights and choices of people with disability.”

AFDO emphasises that people with disability and their advocates must have clear rights to provide additional evidence and to challenge or appeal outcomes if the tool does not reflect their real needs.

ENDS

For media inquiries, please contact: Ross Joyce, AFDO CEO – mobile;  0402 842 040 (text preferred to connect) or email: ceo@afdo.org.au

About AFDO

For over twenty years, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), a Disabled Peoples Organisation (DPO), is the pre-eminent national peak in the disability sector, along with its disability-specific and population or cross-disability members, representing people with disability with a total reach of over 4.5 million Australians.

AFDO continues to provide a strong, trusted, independent voice for the disability sector on national policy, inquiries, submissions, systemic advocacy and advisory on government initiatives with the Federal and State/Territory governments.

We work to develop a community where all people with disability can participate in all aspects of social, economic, political, and cultural life.

This includes genuine participation in mainstream community life, the development of respectful and valued relationships, social and economic participation, and the opportunity to contribute as valued citizens.

AFDO’s Full & Associate member organisations: