How much does a disability advocate cost?

Advocacy through the National Disability Advocacy Program is free and confidential. It’s funded by the Australian Government so that people with disability can get independent help without cost being a barrier. Use the Disability Advocacy Finder to locate a funded service near you.

What is the difference between an advocate and a support coordinator?

A support coordinator, funded in your NDIS plan, helps you find and organise supports and make your plan work. An advocate is independent of your plan and the provider — they help you understand your rights, speak up and challenge decisions. You can have both, and they play different roles.

Can an advocate help me appeal an NDIS decision?

Yes. If you disagree with an NDIS decision you can ask for an internal review, and an advocate can help you understand the decision, gather evidence and put your case. If you need it, they can also help you navigate the next step at the Administrative Review Tribunal. Reaching out early gives you the most time.

Who can use disability advocacy services?

Any person with disability can access advocacy, whether or not you’re an NDIS participant. Family members and carers can also seek support. Advocacy is especially valuable when you feel unheard, face a complex decision, or are worried about your safety or treatment.

How do I report abuse or neglect of a person with disability?

Call the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline on 1800 880 052, or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 for concerns about an NDIS provider or worker. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. You can raise concerns anonymously.

Advocacy & your rights

A disability advocate is someone independent who helps you understand your rights, speak up, and be heard — with the NDIA, a provider, or another service. Advocacy through the National Disability Advocacy Program is free and confidential, and the advocate is on your side, not the provider’s or the government’s.

When an advocate can help

You disagree with an NDIS decision and want help to request a review.
You feel unheard in a meeting and want someone beside you.
You are worried about your safety, or about how a provider is treating you.
The paperwork or the system feels like too much to face alone.

The kinds of disability advocacy

Self-advocacy: You speak up and represent yourself. You’re not on your own — an advocacy organisation can coach you on your rights and how to put your case, and self-advocacy groups bring people together to build confidence and skills.
Individual advocacy: A professional (or a trained peer or carer) advocates alongside one person on a specific issue — for example, challenging an NDIS decision, sorting out a housing problem, or being heard by a provider. This is the most common kind for NDIS matters.
Family advocacy: A family member advocates for their relative with disability, helping them get what they need to live a full and equal life. Family advocacy organisations support families to do this well.
Citizen advocacy: A trained community volunteer is matched with a person with disability — often someone with intellectual disability — for a long-term, one-to-one relationship, coordinated by a citizen advocacy organisation.
Legal advocacy: A lawyer gives legal advice or representation — for example on discrimination, human rights or an NDIS appeal — and works to change unfair laws. Legal Aid and community legal centres provide this, often free for eligible people.
Systemic advocacy: Working for long-term change to laws, policies and practices so the whole system is fairer for people with disability. It uses individual experiences to show where the system fails and how to fix it.

How to appeal an NDIS decision

If you disagree with a decision the NDIA has made — about access, your plan, or your funding — you have a right to challenge it, and there is free help to do so.

Step 1 — Ask for an internal review

First, ask the NDIA to review its own decision (a “review of a reviewable decision”). You generally have three months from getting the decision to ask. A different NDIA delegate takes a fresh look. An advocate can help you gather evidence and put your case.

Step 2 — Apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)

If you’re still unhappy after the internal review, you can apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), the independent body that replaced the AAT in October 2024, for an external review. It’s designed to be accessible, and you don’t need a lawyer to take part.

Free support through the NDIS Appeals Program

The NDIS Appeals Program is free. It gives you a skilled disability advocate (an NDAP advocate) to act as your support person through the ART, and, where a case would benefit from it, free legal help through Legal Aid in your state or territory.

Find an advocate

Find a disability advocate — Disability Advocacy Finder (Ask Izzy) — The government finder — now on Ask Izzy — to search free, funded advocacy services near you by postcode.
Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) — The national network of independent disability advocacy organisations — find a member advocate in your state or territory.
National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) — The government program that funds free, independent disability advocacy across Australia.

Advocacy services by state & territory

A starting point of free, government-funded advocacy services in each state and territory. It’s not the full list — use the Disability Advocacy Finder above for every service near you — and details can change, so confirm on each organisation’s website.

National — Disability Gateway — Advocacy Support helpline: 1800 643 787 — Free national line (Mon–Fri) that helps you find an advocate near you.
National — People with Disability Australia (PWDA): 1800 422 015 — National individual advocacy and information for people with disability.
NSW — Disability Advocacy NSW: 1300 365 085 — Free individual advocacy across much of New South Wales.
VIC — Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service: 1800 014 111 — Free Victoria-wide disability rights legal advocacy.
QLD — Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI): 1300 130 582 — Independent advocacy and a specialist disability community legal centre.
WA — People With disabilities WA (PWdWA): 1800 193 331 — WA’s peak disability consumer organisation — individual and systemic advocacy.
SA — Disability Advocacy & Complaints Service of SA (DACSSA): (08) 7122 6030 — Free, independent advocacy across metropolitan and country South Australia.
TAS — Advocacy Tasmania: 1800 005 131 — Free advocacy for Tasmanians with disability (text 0457 806 963).
ACT — ADACAS (ACT Disability, Aged & Carer Advocacy): (02) 6242 5060 — Independent advocacy across the ACT and surrounding region.
NT — Darwin Community Legal Service — Disability Rights Service: 1800 812 953 — Disability advocacy and rights service in the Top End.

Key hotlines

NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission: 1800 035 544 — Complaints about the quality or safety of NDIS supports. TTY 133 677.
National Disability Abuse & Neglect Hotline: 1800 880 052 — Report abuse or neglect of a person with disability (Mon–Fri, 9am–7pm AEST).
NDIA (general enquiries): 1800 800 110 — Plans, payments and general NDIS questions.
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, family & domestic violence): 1800 737 732 — Free, confidential 24/7 counselling and support.
Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 — If you or someone else is in distress or crisis.
Translating & Interpreting Service (TIS National): 13 14 50 — Free interpreter to speak with these services in your language.
National Relay Service (NRS): 1800 555 677 — For people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment — then ask for the number you need.

What disability advocacy is

A disability advocate is someone independent who helps you understand your rights, speak up and be heard — whether that’s with the NDIA, a provider, a school, a hospital or another service. They’re on your side, not the government’s and not the provider’s. Advocacy funded through the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) is free and confidential, and it exists precisely for the moments when the system feels too big to face alone.

What an advocate does

Depending on what you need, an advocate can help you understand a decision and your options, come to meetings and speak alongside you, help you write or lodge a request or complaint, and make sure your views — not someone else’s assumptions — drive what happens. Advocacy is not the same as support coordination or legal advice, though an advocate can point you to those where they’re needed.

Who should reach out, and when

Anyone with disability can use advocacy, and it’s worth reaching out early rather than waiting for a crisis. Common moments: you disagree with an NDIS decision and want help to challenge it, you feel unheard in a planning meeting, you’re worried about your safety or how a provider is treating you, or the paperwork and phone calls have simply become too much. Family members and carers can seek advocacy support too.

How to find help

Use the Disability Advocacy Finder to search free, government-funded advocacy services near you by postcode, and keep the key hotlines handy — the NDIS Commission for concerns about a provider’s quality or safety, and the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline if someone is at risk. If you’re in crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. Novida can also help you find verified providers and coordinators once you know what you need.

Advocacy — common questions

How much does a disability advocate cost?: Advocacy through the National Disability Advocacy Program is free and confidential. It’s funded by the Australian Government so that people with disability can get independent help without cost being a barrier. Use the Disability Advocacy Finder to locate a funded service near you.
What is the difference between an advocate and a support coordinator?: A support coordinator, funded in your NDIS plan, helps you find and organise supports and make your plan work. An advocate is independent of your plan and the provider — they help you understand your rights, speak up and challenge decisions. You can have both, and they play different roles.
Can an advocate help me appeal an NDIS decision?: Yes. If you disagree with an NDIS decision you can ask for an internal review, and an advocate can help you understand the decision, gather evidence and put your case. If you need it, they can also help you navigate the next step at the Administrative Review Tribunal. Reaching out early gives you the most time.
Who can use disability advocacy services?: Any person with disability can access advocacy, whether or not you’re an NDIS participant. Family members and carers can also seek support. Advocacy is especially valuable when you feel unheard, face a complex decision, or are worried about your safety or treatment.
How do I report abuse or neglect of a person with disability?: Call the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline on 1800 880 052, or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544 for concerns about an NDIS provider or worker. If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. You can raise concerns anonymously.

Novida is an independent directory, not the NDIA. We explain each form in plain English and link you to the official copy — always download and submit the current version from the official website, as forms are updated from time to time.