The Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Expert Advisory Group met online on Wednesday 15 October 2025.
The meeting focused on:
- the new children’s pathway
- review of CALD Expert Advisory Group terms of reference.
New children’s pathway
- The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA):
- presented early design ideas for the new children’s pathway
- shared the purpose and objective of the Parent and Carer Engagement Group.
Members provided feedback:
- Importance of culturally competent navigators and inclusive assessment processes for children from CALD communities.
- Importance of collecting good quality data to help measure if the navigator model is increasing equity of access.
- The NDIA should consider the role advocates for CALD communities play in the assessment process.
- The NDIA should consider cultural diversity when seeking feedback on lived experiences for children and families.
Review of CALD Expert Advisory Group terms of reference
The NDIA shared proposed changes to the CALD Expert Advisory Groups terms of reference.
Members:
- supported the CALD Expert Advisory Group providing advice on NDIS reforms.
- supported changes to how often meetings are run and how long they go for.
- asked the NDIA to give enough time when asking for written feedback.
- want to ask for topics to be discussed at meetings.
Next meeting
The CALD Expert Advisory Group’s next meeting is Tuesday 10 March 2026.