Why community connectors exist
The NDIS can be hard to navigate, and harder still if you live far from services, speak a language other than English, have had bad experiences with government, or care for an adult child as you get older yourself. Community connectors are people who already have the trust of a community and can bridge that gap.
They are not NDIA planners and they do not decide your funding. Their role is to explain, connect and support, in a way that is culturally safe and local.
Remote Community Connectors
The NDIA's Remote Community Connector program supports people with disability in remote and very remote communities, many of them First Nations communities. Connectors are employed through local service partners, mostly Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
According to the government's Disability Royal Commission progress report, last updated in November 2025, the NDIA funds $14.5 million for Remote Community Connectors through 38 contracts across the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, covering more than 480 communities. The NDIA Board approved an expansion in December 2024, aiming for about 50 contracts covering around 575 communities, plus 16 urban hubs for people travelling off country. The NDIA has since announced connectors will support over 500 communities.
What a community connector can help with
- Explaining what the NDIS is and whether it might help you or your family
- Gathering information and evidence to apply for NDIS access
- Preparing for planning conversations and understanding your plan
- Finding local services and providers, and connecting you with them
- Using your plan, including how to pay providers and what to do when things change
- Linking you with mainstream and community services outside the NDIS
Other connector programs
The NDIA has also funded a National Community Connector Program for four groups that face barriers to the NDIS: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with psychosocial disability, and ageing parents and carers of people with disability. It was delivered by national organisations working with NDIS partners in the community, using in language webinars, radio, phone services and outreach. A virtual connector service and referral pathway was also developed with the Department of Social Services and Carers Australia for ageing parents and carers.
In addition, Aboriginal Disability Liaison Officers, delivered through the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and its members, work in urban and regional areas where there are NDIS partners in the community.
Do I pay for a community connector?
No. Community connector programs are funded by the NDIA. They do not come out of your plan, and you do not need to be an NDIS participant to talk to one. That is different from a support coordinator, which is a funded support in some participants' plans.
How to find one
Ask your local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation or health service whether it has a Remote Community Connector. You can also ask the NDIA on 1800 800 110, your local area coordinator, or the NDIA staff who visit your community. In remote areas without an NDIS partner in the community, the NDIA's remote service delivery model gives you NDIA staff linked to your region who can connect you with local connectors.
Why it matters now
Big changes are coming to how people get into and use the NDIS, including new framework planning from 1 April 2027 and new access rules from 1 January 2028. Trusted local help to understand these changes matters most in the communities where services are thinnest. The Disability Royal Commission recommended more community connectors for First Nations people with disability in remote areas, delivered by and for community.