Public consultation to help inform a possible ‘commissioning’ approach for part of the SIL market

Overview

About this consultation

This consultation asks for views on whether a commissioning approach could improve the quality and sustainability of SIL supports.

Your feedback will help government think about how the SIL market is working and whether changes may be needed in the future. This includes looking at participant outcomes, whether services are safe and reliable, whether providers can keep delivering services, and how any changes could work in practice.

The Government has not decided whether or not it will introduce SIL commissioning

Your input to this consultation will inform possible next steps of SIL commissioning and future government decisions.

Who we want to hear from

The department wants to hear from:

people with disability
families
carers
providers
workers
advocates
peak bodies
researchers
state and territory governments.

The department also welcomes views from people and organisations who are not currently using or providing SIL.

The consultation is not limited to current SIL arrangements. We are interested in views about participant cohorts with similar support needs across different housing and living arrangements.

What is SIL?

SIL is a type of NDIS support for people who need help with everyday tasks at home. This can include personal care, meals, daily routines, housework, and building independence. SIL supports are used by participants who need a lot of daily support. Any changes to SIL could affect participants, families, carers, providers, workers, advocates, and governments.

What is commissioning?

Commissioning means government takes a more active role in making sure services are available, safe, good quality, and meet people’s needs. It does not mean government would deliver the services itself.

Commissioning could include government taking a stronger role in how services are planned, funded, delivered, and checked. This may include:

setting clear goals for services
- for example, better safety, quality of life, choice, independence, or service continuity
deciding what providers need to do before they can deliver services
- for example, meeting extra quality, skills, or workforce requirements
making sure services are available where they are needed most
- for example, for particular groups of participants, communities, or service types
using funding and contracts to support better results
- for example, linking funding to quality, availability, or participant outcomes
checking how services are performing
- for example, looking at participant outcomes, service quality, and provider performance
taking action when the market is not working well
- for example, responding to service gaps, quality problems, or risks to provider sustainability.

Why your views matter

We have heard that there may be opportunities to improve SIL supports. This consultation will help us understand what good SIL supports look like and whether commissioning could help improve outcomes for participants. We want to hear what matters most to you. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of SIL supports.

Next steps

The department will use the feedback from this consultation to provide advice to government on possible future approaches to SIL commissioning.

The department will continue to engage with key people and organisations in the coming months. The department aims to provide advice and options to government in late 2026.