A Passion for Empowerment

26/07/2025

Only 2 days left until consultation period ends - this is you're opportunity to have your say about the rules - our voices are important!

One week to go!

The Department of Social Services is working with the NDIA, governments, and the disability community to develop new rules that will shape how the NDIS operates.

These rules will help make the NDIS fair, strong and more sustainable.

Consultation close on July 27.

This is a great chance for people with disability, families and advocates to have their say!

Learn more about how to have your say via this link: https://engage.dss.gov.au/ndis-supports-rule/

25/07/2025

📣 A Letter from the Inside: The Reality Behind the Paperwork

Navigating the NDIS as a late-diagnosed, neurodivergent person with a history of trauma is more than just a process—it's deeply personal, often overwhelming, and emotionally exhausting.

This is not just about funding. It's about trust. It's about being seen. It's about surviving systems built without us in mind.

This poem is their truth—a voice from within the paperwork, the meetings, the masks. For everyone out there still trying to be heard: this is for you too. 💔✨

25/07/2025

📢 New Media Release
The government’s new NDIS Support Lists are failing people with disability.
A national survey by Every Australian Counts shows the new “In and Out” rules are causing confusion, reducing flexibility, and putting safety and wellbeing at risk.
🔍 88% say risks are not being properly assessed
📉 75% are already having problems with the new rules
💬 Real stories show the serious impacts on daily life
It’s time to rethink these lists and bring back real choice and control.
👉 Read the full media release:
https://everyaustraliancounts.com.au/media-release-ndis-support-lists/

[Image description: Graphic with the Every Australian Counts logo and headline that reads: “NDIS Support Lists are Failing People with Disability, National Survey Finds”]

25/07/2025

J.O smashing goals with is TMA team!

24/07/2025

🌸 Support should never feel unsafe. Trauma-informed, empowerment-focused approaches create space for healing, choice, and true connection. 💬💪

Learn why this kind of support matters — and how it can change lives.

📖 Read the full blog here 👉 https://passionforempowerment.com.au/blog/f/why-trauma-informed-empowerment-focused-support-matters

At Passion for Empowerment, we believe that every interaction in disability and mental health support should do more than provide a service—it should promote safety, dignity, and growth. That’s why we’re passionate abou...

22/07/2025

🌀 Meet the Team… and Our Favorite Fidgets!
At Passion for Empowerment, we believe that staying grounded and focused looks different for everyone — and sometimes, that means a squishy toy, a spinner, or a tangle in hand! 🙌

Our team uses fidget tools not just for fun, but as part of creating calm, connected spaces for ourselves and our participants. 💙

👉 What’s YOUR favorite way to reset or stay focused?
Drop it in the comments — or better yet, show us with a pic! 🧠👐

20/07/2025

💡 Wellness doesn’t just happen — it takes planning. Recovery Coaching can help you create a clear path toward stability, growth, and purpose. 🌿

Find out how Recovery Coaching supports mental health and helps you build a meaningful life, your way.

📖 Read more here 👉 https://passionforempowerment.com.au/blog/f/how-recovery-coaching-can-help-you-plan-for-wellness

When managing mental health or navigating recovery, having a clear, personalized plan can make all the difference. That’s where a Wellness Recovery Action Plan, or WRAP, comes in. It’s a powerful tool that helps you und...

18/07/2025

🌱 Lived experience matters. When your Support Coordinator or Recovery Coach truly understands what you're going through, everything changes. 💬✨

Discover how the power of lived experience can lead to more compassionate, effective, and empowering support.

📖 Read the full blog here 👉 https://passionforempowerment.com.au/blog/f/the-value-of-lived-experience-in-support-coordination-recovery

In the world of disability and mental health services, lived experience is no longer just a buzzword—it's a vital tool for transformation. At Passion for Empowerment, we believe that people who have walked the path are u...

17/07/2025

🔍 Let’s Talk Consultation – Section 10 Rules & the ‘In and Out List’

Have you been impacted by the changes to the NDIS Support Rules (Section 10) introduced in October 2024? You might know it as the NDIS “in and out list” – the controversial guide that determines what supports are considered "reasonable and necessary".

🗣 Now’s your chance to have your say.

Whether you’re a participant, carer, provider, or just someone passionate about fair and inclusive systems – your voice matters.

👉 Do you agree with the changes?
👉 What’s missing? What needs to change?
👉 How has it affected your daily life or ability to access the right supports?

💬 Comment below to share your experience – I’ll be taking community concerns to an upcoming consultation forum.

📋 If you’re able, please complete the official survey here:
🔗 https://engage.dss.gov.au/ndis-supports-rule/

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📝 What is consultation?
The NDIS is required to consult with people with disability and the community on major changes. This includes rule updates that directly impact how funding is approved and supports are accessed. Your input helps shape a system that better reflects real needs.

NDIS Supports rules Open Closes in 10 days Changes to NDIS Rules We are making changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to improve the experience for participants and help make sure it is fair and sustainable for the future. Last year, the Australian Parliament passed changes to th...

16/07/2025

📣 We’re speaking up — because it’s gone too far.

I accompanied a local team of Allied Health providers yesterday to meet with our local member for Hinkler, David Batt MP to share our concerns about the NDIS.

As with any government system, I learned that it is covered in red tape and politics. Despite this Mr Batt openly listened to our concerns and real life stories and agreed to help advocate on behalf of our community in Canberra.

What we’re seeing on the ground is heartbreaking.
🔹 Providers closing their books or shutting down
🔹 Participants losing access to trusted supports
🔹 Families in crisis
🔹 Significant provider burn out
🔹 Lives disrupted — not by disability, but by a system that’s supposed to help

This isn’t just about our jobs.
This is about our community.
This is about the NDIS failing to live up to its purpose — to support people with disability to live ordinary lives.

We’re not just workers in the system.
We are participants, we are family members, we are part of the same fight.

And right now, we are exhausted from trying to hold together a system that feels like it’s falling apart.
✅ Prices are frozen or slashed
✅ Plans are being cut
✅ Transparency is nowhere to be found

The result? Increased psychological stress, rising hospitalisations, and a wave of vicarious trauma across the community.
🛑 This is unsustainable.
🛑 This is unfair.
🛑 This is harming real people.

Now we are asking for your help:

1️⃣ If you’re a provider, participant, or family member who’s feeling the impact — please log it in the NDIS Harm Tracker
📌 Link https://www.thisisanpa.org/the-harm-tracker-project General 1 — The Australian Neurodivergent Parents Association

2️⃣ If you're in the Hinkler Electorate, help us gather local data through the impact form.
📌 https://forms.gle/sooSpreUhebtg96F7 Ashby Therapy Services