Disability Service Plan 2024–2026

We are pleased to present the National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland’s first Disability Service Plan 2024–2026.

In doing so, we acknowledge the responsibility we have as an Agency to actively progress the rights of people with disability by building the foundations to improve outcomes for our participants and our staff.

Our commitment to actively progress the rights of people with disability is evident in our values, strategies and plans. This Disability Service Plan makes clear the actions we are taking to deliver on these commitments.

The plan will be reviewed annually and may be amended from time to time.

Disability Service Plan 2024-2026 (PDF, 807KB)

  • I am pleased to present the National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland’s first Disability Service Plan 2024–2026.

    In doing so, I acknowledge the responsibility we have as an agency to actively progress the rights of people with disability by building the foundations to improve outcomes for our participants and our staff.

    Our commitment to actively progress the rights of people with disability is evident in our values, strategies and plans. This Disability Service Plan makes clear the actions we are taking to deliver on these commitments.

    The plan will be reviewed annually and may be amended from time to time.

    Sincerely,

    Neil Singleton
    Chief Executive Officer

  • I am proud to be the Executive Champion for the Disability Service Plan 2024–2026.

    The NIISQ Agency is a place where talented and passionate people can be empowered to put their best work into the support for people seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident on a Queensland road, including those needing lifetime treatment, care and support. We are always striving to be a more inclusive workplace, where everyone feels valued.

    I thank the dedicated team that worked hard to develop the Plan. On behalf of all Agency staff, I share a commitment to its fulfillment and to recognising the guiding role the Plan will play in the important work we perform.

    Sincerely,

    Gaenor Walker
    General Manager, NIISQ

  • The NIISQ Agency acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live and work and recognise their connection to land, sea and community.

    We acknowledge Elders of the past, present and emerging for they are the holders of culture, knowledge, wisdom and leadership that is passed from generation to generation.

Contents

  • The National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland (NIISQ) supports people who are seriously injured in motor vehicle accidents in Queensland. A significant proportion of the people we support experience disability because of these injuries. Some people will have experienced disability before they became participants in the Scheme.

    Our staff

    The National Injury Insurance Agency, Queensland (NIISQ Agency) is established by, and staff are employed under the National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016. We are a public sector entity under the Public Sector Act 2022.

    While we are not compelled to have a Disability Service Plan (DSP) by the Disability Services Act 2006, we have voluntarily developed a DSP in recognition of the benefits that a DSP can have for our staff, and the broader Queensland public.

    How we work

    We fund necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support for people who have sustained an eligible serious personal injury in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland, on or after 1 July 2016.

    We work with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), and Nominal Defendant, which together form Motor Accident Injury Schemes, Queensland (MAIS-Q). This DSP has a strong connection with the Queensland Treasury DSP, which encompasses staff who work for MAIC and the Nominal Defendant.

    What we do

    We are responsible for administering the National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland. We do this by assessing eligibility for the Scheme, assessing the treatment, care and support needs of participants in the Scheme, and making payments for these supports. We also perform a similar role for eligible injured workers under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.

    Why our Disability Service Plan is important

    The development, implementation, and monitoring of this DSP is intended to sharpen our focus on the impact of disability. It seeks to achieve this by structuring the DSP consistent with Queensland’s Disability Plan 2022–27: Together, a better Queensland (QDP), and Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (ADS). The QDP describes the strategies and plans which aim to drive actions to improve the lives of people with disability. The QDP identifies key building blocks and impact areas which guided us in the development of this DSP.

    This DSP also includes information about how it fits in with state and Commonwealth legal and policy frameworks that relate to supporting people with a disability.

    Wherever the DSP refers to ‘disability’, it is the intention that this is a reference to all types of disability, including invisible disability.

  • Our DSP complements the Reconciliation Action Plan and the Equity and Diversity Plan (EDP) in establishing our commitment to create an inclusive workforce and accessible environment. The EDP also establishes a high-level target for the employment of persons with disabilitya.

     

    Group Agency target Queensland public sector target Current representation
    Employees with a disability 15% 12% 4.6%

    Co-design through our Disability Working Group

    The Disability Working Group was essential to designing, consulting on, drafting and delivering this DSP. It is acknowledged that the Executive Championb for the DSP may need to re-establish the Disability Working Group from time to time, after the DSP comes into effect, to ensure that it is meeting its objectives, or to provide any other advice required to support its evolution.

    How we developed our plan

    We used the QDP as a framework for building this DSP. The QDP identifies four building blocks which should inform the development of Disability Service Plans.

    Co-design

    Our staff shaped the actions identified in the DSP through their voluntary participation in the Disability Working Group and through their contributions to the consultation process.

    Our Participant Reference Group also contributed to the identification of themes which influence this DSP.

    We worked with the Queenslanders with Disability Network to design, develop and communicate this DSP.

    Human rights

    We have considered Queensland and Commonwealth legislation which promotes and protects the rights of people with disability.

    We have also ensured that the design of this DSP is consistent with the QDP, and by extension the ADS, including the eight guiding principles in the ADS which are based on Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

    Measurement

    Our staff assisted to identify the actions and how we measure our progress against these actions. We are committed to pursuing these targets and adjusting where appropriate.

    In developing the DSP, we took steps to collect the right information, ensuring respect for the privacy of our staff with a disability.

    Cultural and systems change

    Our co-design activities have identified themes which have informed our actions and measures.

    These themes include the identification of structures and systems.

    We understand that growing a culture of inclusion requires perseverance and commitment, and recognise that there is immense value in realising the potential of people with disability in the work we do. We were supported by the General Manager, NIISQ who championed the DSP within MAIS-Q.

    This DSP is our first plan and contains practical actions to improve disability outcomes for our participants and staff with disability. It does this by providing a framework to encourage ongoing engagement in key focus areas of our organisation including our participants, our staff, our physical and online workplace, and the broader Queensland community.

    How we will monitor our progress

    We will assess our progress toward achieving the actions described in this DSP annually by drawing on a variety of data sources, including the Working for Queensland (WfQ) employee opinion survey, NIISQ participant and actuarial data and funded research programs data.

    The plan will be reviewed annually and may be amended from time to time.

     

    a See: NIISQ Equity and Diversity Plan 2024–2026. Current NIISQ representation of staff with disability derived from September 2023 Aurion payroll data.
    b Note: For this DSP, the Executive Champion is the General Manager, NIISQ.

  • DSP consultation theme legend
    ★ Appeared in one consultation group
    ★★ Appeared in two consultation groups
    ★★★ Appeared in all consultation groups
    Our participants
    Action Measurement Timeframe Responsibility Queensland Disability Plan DSP consultation themes
    1 Support participants who are a part of the Participant Reference Group (PRG) with education and training that improves their ability to contribute to PRG discussions Participants in the PRG are supported to undertake training December 2025 Participant Operational Support Services Education and Learning Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    2 Ensure that major initiatives which significantly impact how participants engage with us are presented to the PRG for direct feedback Establishment of ways to identify significant initiatives
    All significant initiatives are presented for feedback to the PRG
    December 2025 Legal Services and Claims
    Participant Operational Support Services
    People, Culture and Communication
    Policy
    Innovation and Delivery
    Inclusive Homes and Communities Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    3 Consider alignment between new research funding and how the research contributes to the policy priorities identified in Australia’s Disability Strategy Internal processes for assessing new research opportunities include considering outcome areas in Australia’s Disability Strategy December 2025 Innovation and Delivery Education and Learning Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    4 Complete research funding which aligns with Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority areas including:

    • Feasibility of a regional community integrated team (CIT) in Far North Queensland and North West Queenslandc
    • PEERS Project (social skills for teenagers with brain injury)d
    • Technology-enabled homes for people with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injurye
    • SPARKY Project (clinicians in the community to provide mental health services to children and young adults with a TBI)f
    • Virtual Reality Wheelchair studyg
    Progress towards completing existing research funding commitments will be measured against established key performance indicators N/A Innovation and Delivery Health and Wellbeing
    Personal and Community Support
    Education and Learning
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    5 Review the Treatment, care and support guidelines and Provider guidelines and ensure they are accessible Plain language variants of the Treatment, care and support guidelines and Provider guidelines are published on the Agency’s website December 2025 Policy Personal and Community Support
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    Explore adaptive reading aids and assistive technology to optimise accessibility of Treatment, care and support guidelines and Provider guidelines People, Culture and Communication
    6 Develop an approach to identify where co-design is needed for the development of new forms, policies and participant-facing processes The approval process for new forms, policies and participant facing processes requires our decision makers to specifically consider co-design prior to approval where appropriate Ongoing Participant Care
    People, Culture and Communication
    Finance, Risk and Assurance
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Personal and Community Support
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    7 Review information published on our website to ensure it is accessible to participants and consistent with best practice Completion of a desktop audit of information on our website and review to ensure it is consistent with best practice
    In publishing information on our website, decision makers should consider co-design prior to publication
    December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Personal and Community Support
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★

     

    c Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority area: Health and Wellbeing.
    d Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority area: Health and Wellbeing, Personal and Community Support.
    e Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority area: Inclusive Homes and Communities, Personal and Community Support.
    f Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority area: Health and Wellbeing, Personal and Community Support.
    g Australia’s Disability Strategy policy priority area: Community Attitudes, Personal and Community Support.
    Our people
    Action Measurement Timeframe Responsibility Queensland Disability Plan DSP consultation themes
    8 Undertake a comprehensive review of recruitment practices in alignment with Queensland Government directives and policies to identify opportunities to attract and increase engagement by people with disability
    This review will inform the development of a Disability Employment Model that should consider both the attraction of potential NIISQ staff and the retainment of existing staff

    Recruit
    • targeted internships
    • language uplift for job advertisements (and role/position statements)
    • information about reasonable adjustments available to prospective staff
    • appropriate advertising platforms used by people with disability
    • requirements for recruitment services providers and hiring managers to demonstrate understanding of the DSP and the supports available to applicants. Ensure that people with disability can participate in recruitment processes without experiencing disadvantage as a consequence of their disability
    • embedded methods for measuring the effectiveness of the Disability Employment Model
    • establish clear career pathway for staff with disability, and prioritisation for staff with disability where there is significant underrepresentation
    Delivery of Disability Employment Model in partnership with peak disability bodies, and in consultation with staff with disability December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Employment and Financial Security
    Community Attitudes
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Education and Learning
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Addressing barriers to disclosure to understand our workforce ★★
    Increasing the number of staff with disability ★
    Lived experience amplifies knowledge ★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    Listening to staff with disability ★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    • design of an approachh which promotes and leverages lived experience of staff members with disability to ensure effective support planning

    Retain

    December 2025 Participant Care
    Participant Operational Support Services Policy
    • identify and address the systemic barriers to career progression for staff living with disability, and barriers arising as a consequence of disability
    • ensure staff with disability are consulted on career development activities and strategies
    Consider staff living with disability satisfaction with career development activities and strategies December 2026 People, Culture and Communication
    9 Enhance our culture by delivering the following:

    • disability awareness and inclusion training to all staff, including recognition and support for staff who have carer responsibilities
    • lift the profile of staff with disability within our workplace to increase their visibility
    • tailored disability awareness and inclusion training for managers and the Executive Leadership Team to ensure the need to support staff with disability is understood, and embedded in key leadership positions
    95% of all new staff complete disability awareness and inclusion training within six months of commencement
    Disability awareness and inclusion training refreshers are offered three times per year with staff required to complete/ attend at least one session per year
    95% of existing managers and Executive Leadership Team complete disability awareness and inclusion training within 12 months of commencement of the DSP
    Annual training: Ongoing
    Existing staff: December 2025
    Whole of agency (measurement is the responsibility of People, Culture and Communications) Education and Learning
    Personal and Community Support
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Community Attitudes
    Employment and Financial Security
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Addressing barriers to disclosure to understand our workforce ★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    Achieving authenticity ★
    Lived experience amplifies knowledge ★
    Lived experience can enhance connection ★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    10 Improve the reliability of our workforce demographic comprising staff with disability, including intersectionalities (for example, staff with disability from a culturally and linguistically diverse background) The identification of workforce demographics for staff with a disability
    It is acknowledged that the identification of this demographic is dependent on the success of our actions and measures, which build trust and reduce barriers to disclosure
    December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Safety, Rights and Justice
    Addressing barriers to disclosure to understand our workforce ★★
    11 Improve the workforce representation of staff living with disability to meet or exceed our target 15% of staff identify as living with disabilityi December 2026 Whole of agency Employment and Financial Security Increasing the number of staff with disability ★

     

    h Note: the approach could include consideration for leveraging understanding of community support services by staff with disability, and the development of internal resources (whether captured in a document library, or internal-facing documents).
    i See: NIISQ Equity and Diversity Plan 2024–2026.
    Our places and online environment
    Action Measurement Timeframe Responsibility Queensland Disability Plan DSP consultation themes
    12 Ensuring our website is optimised for accessibility Confirmation that our website meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA)
    Significant changes to our website are provided to the PRG for feedback on accessibility
    Plain language communication training delivered to staff
    December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Safety, Rights and Justice
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Personal and Community Support
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    13 Ensure NIISQ social media presence is optimised for accessibility Completion of a social media accessibility desktop audit
    Digital accessibility training delivered to staff
    December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Safety, Rights and Justice
    Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Personal and Community Support
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    14 Undertake an audit of internal communication channels to identify opportunities to improve accessibility Completion of a review of Across the Agencies newsletter and Sharepoint intranet page December 2026 People, Culture and Communication Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Personal and Community Support
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    15 Improve our physical environment for accessibility for people with disability Completion of a desktop audit of the physical environment to identify accessibility for staff with disability
    Recommendations arising from the audit are implemented unless implementation is not viable
    December 2025 People, Culture and Communication Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Personal and Community Support
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    16 Improve accessibility of conference room doors (subject to viability) Installation and completion of new conference room doors June 2025 People, Culture and Communication Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Personal and Community Support
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    Enhancing our work with lived experience ★
    Our community
    Action Measurement Timeframe Responsibility Queensland Disability Plan DSP consultation themes
    17 Develop an Event Accessibility Toolkit for events organised by the NIISQ Agency to ensure accessibility for people with disability Event Accessibility Toolkit developed and published on our intranet June 2025 People, Culture and Communication Inclusive Homes and Communities
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Promoting flexibility and universal design ★
    18 Be accountable for achieving actions identified in the DSP Publication of the DSP Report Card on our website every 12 months. March 2026 General Manager
    People, Culture and Communication
    Community Attitudes
    Safety, Rights and Justice
    Understanding barriers ★★★
    Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    19 Promote and participate in Disability Action Week and other days of celebration focused on disability Ensure annual events schedule for the NIISQ Agency includes Disability Action Week
    Ensure planning of communications and events for Disability Action Week involves people with disability
    Develop and implement a communications plan for Disability Action Week
    External publication of our involvement in Disability Action Week
    January 2025
    December 2025
    General Manager
    People, Culture and Communication
    Community Attitudes Embedding disability in our agency ★★
    Lived experience can enhance connection ★
    20 Prioritise procurement from social enterprises for the goods and services the NIISQ Agency requires where possible Number of social enterprises engaged per financial year July 2025 Finance, Risk and Assurance Employment and Financial Security
    Community Attitudes
    Leveraging knowledge of disability ★★★
    Enhancing connection ★

  • International

    The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is an international human rights instrument which aims to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and freedoms by all people with disability.

    The UNCRPD provides a framework to ensure the rights of people with disability are identified and protected.

    National policy framework

    Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 was signed by all states and territories, and on behalf of the Australian Government on 3 December 2021.

    It is the national disability policy framework which sets out a broad plan for improving the lives of people with disability in Australia.

    It identifies seven outcome areas which people with disability have said to improve in order to achieve the strategy’s vision. Within each outcome area there are a number of policy priorities.

    Queensland’s legal framework

    The Queensland Government implements the UNCRPD through legislation, including the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991, the Disability Services Act 2006, and the Human Rights Act 2019.

    State policy framework

    The Queensland’s Disability Plan: Together, a better Queensland 2022–27 describes the strategies and plans which aim to drive actions to improve the lives of people with disability. The plan identifies key building blocks and impact areas to develop disability action plans. The intention of the plan is to be the primary mechanism to drive the implementation of Australia’s Disability Strategy by tailoring the outcome areas to the diverse and unique nature of individual experiences across the Queensland community.

    Our strategic plan

    Our strategic plan puts the participant at the centre of what we do. Our vision is to ensure that the right support is provided to our participants at the right time to make a difference in the lives of our participants. We strive to ensure that participants can access the services and support that matter to them.

    Our policy framework

    NIISQ’s DSP highlights our awareness of the needs of people with disability and demonstrates our commitment to create an inclusive workforce and accessible environment that is meaningful and extends beyond the workplace and into the broader community.

Last updated: January 2025