Our history and impact
We began with a small team and big plans.
From a small starting point we have grown in both size and ambition - to make Australia an inclusive society for all people with disability.
2021
The Achieve Foundation Established
Achieve Australia, the for-purpose disability services organisation founded in 1952, establishes The Achieve Foundation as an independent entity with its own board and executive. The Foundation is set up to fund research and innovation that dismantles structural barriers to inclusion for Australia's 4.3 million people with disability.
Founding Senior Staff Appointed
Three senior leaders are appointed: Dr Kirsty Nowlan (Executive Director), bringing 20+ years leading systems change and policy work; Deepak Dobhal (Director of Philanthropy and Investment), previously leading $55m community investment at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in India; and Dr Deena Rosalky (Program Director), including oversight of the Disability Royal Commission's research program.
Founding Board Appointed
Professor Patricia O'Brien, Emerita of the University of Sydney and former Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, is appointed Chair. Directors include Richard Dinham (Chair, Achieve Australia), Dr Kirsty Nowlan and Lorna Hallahan (Flinders University; former senior research advisor to the Disability Royal Commission).
Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 Launched
The Australian Government launches Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031, a ten-year national policy framework replacing the 2010–2020 Strategy. It sets out seven outcome areas (rights, inclusion, community attitudes, employment, housing, learning and health), built on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
2022
Limb Family Foundation Joins as Funding Partner
The Limb Family Foundation joins as a key funding partner, supporting the Foundation's work on disability philanthropy and inclusion.
Social Impact Investing Report Published
With Social Ventures Australia, the Foundation publishes What's Next? Opportunities for Social Impact Investing to Deliver Outcomes for People with Disability. TAF convenes a range of roundtables on the results of the report.
Caroline Stewart Appointed to the Board
Caroline Stewart, CEO of Ecstra Foundation, joins as Director.
Disability Philanthropy Reports Published
With the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the Foundation publishes Philanthropy for People with Disability in Australia and The Case of the Missing Foundations, mapping disability giving in Australia.
Partnerships with FrameWorks, Deloitte and Philanthropy Australia
The Foundation partners with the FrameWorks Institute on community attitudes, commissions Deloitte Access Economics on the business case for disability philanthropy, and joins Philanthropy Australia's Disability Peer Network.
Independent NDIS Review Announced
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten announces an Independent Review of the NDIS, co-chaired by Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Lisa Paul AO PSM.
2023
The Case for Philanthropy in Disability Released (with Deloitte Access Economics)
The Foundation publishes The Case for Philanthropy in Disability, with research by Deloitte Access Economics. It finds just 4.3% of philanthropic funding reaches people with disability, who make up 18% of Australians, and that deliberate inclusion would generate an $84bn annual inclusion dividend across health, employment and education.
Fiona Reynolds Appointed to the Board
Fiona Reynolds, global specialist in responsible investment and ESG, joins as Director.
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM Appointed Ambassador
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, doctor, lawyer and Queensland's first quadriplegic medical intern, is appointed as Inclusion Ambassador.
SDA Housing Research Published with UTS
With the University of Technology Sydney, the Foundation publishes an accessible, first-of-its-kind snapshot of Specialist Disability Accommodation across NSW, based on a data-sharing agreement with the NDIA.
Disability Employment Catalyst Launched
The Foundation launches the Disability Employment Catalyst, designed, delivered and led by people with disability. The program creates employment pathways for jobseekers with disability into roles in the disability services sector, starting in NSW and Victoria with national scale as the long-term goal.
Paul Ramsay Foundation Becomes Catalyst Funder
The Paul Ramsay Foundation, one of Australia's largest philanthropic organisations, provides the grant funding that establishes and delivers the Disability Employment Catalyst.
Life Without Barriers and Yooralla Join Employment Catalyst
Life Without Barriers and Yooralla join Achieve Australia as delivery partners on the Disability Employment Catalyst.
Inaugural Disability Leadership Oration Sponsored by The Achieve Foundation
The Foundation sponsors the inaugural Disability Leadership Oration, with Natalie Wade delivering on ABC Radio National's Big Ideas.
Disability Royal Commission Final Report: 222 Recommendations
The Royal Commission delivers its final report after four and a half years. Its 12 volumes and 222 recommendations call for sweeping structural change: an Australian Disability Rights Act, a federal minister for disability inclusion, an end to segregated education, reforms to supported accommodation, and a cultural shift in community attitudes.
Independent NDIS Review Final Report: 26 Recommendations
The NDIS Review Panel delivers Working Together to Deliver the NDIS. Its 26 recommendations and 139 supporting actions call for a unified system of support for all 2.5 million Australians under 65 with disability, including foundational supports regardless of NDIS eligibility, a new Navigator role, and stronger supports for First Nations participants.
2024
Reframing Attitudes Report and "Why Attitudes Matter" Series Published
The Foundation publishes findings from the Changing Community Attitudes on Disability project with FrameWorks Institute, and launches the Why Attitudes Matter interview series.
Alastair McEwin AM Appointed to the Board
Alastair McEwin AM, former Australian Disability Discrimination Commissioner and Disability Royal Commissioner, joins as Director.
DHDA Funding Announced for Changing Attitudes Project
The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing announces funding for the Foundation's Changing Attitudes project, the first direct Commonwealth investment in Foundation programs.
2nd Disability Leadership Oration
The Foundation sponsors the second annual Disability Leadership Oration with Scott Avery, broadcast on ABC Radio National.
Roundtables on Disability Philanthropy Convened
The Foundation convenes roundtables on growing philanthropic investment in disability inclusion.
Employment Catalyst Steering Committee Established
A steering committee composed primarily of leaders with disability is established to guide the Disability Employment Catalyst, ensuring people with disability lead the work.
NDIS Amendment Act: "Getting the NDIS Back on Track"
The NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024 passes Parliament. It introduces a statutory definition of NDIS supports and establishes the framework for flexible participant budgets and foundational supports. Advocacy organisations express concern about the pace of reform.
2025
Board Advisory Committee of People with Intellectual Disability Established
The Foundation establishes a Board Advisory Committee made up of people with intellectual disability, embedding lived experience directly into governance for the first time. The committee advises the board on strategic direction and ensures the Foundation's work is grounded in the perspectives of those with the most direct experience of inclusion barriers.
Education Strategy for High Schools Begins
The Foundation begins developing an Education Strategy to help Australian high schools welcome and include students with disability, adding a third pillar alongside Mindsets and Employment.
Co-Design Panel of People with Disability Established
The Foundation opens expressions of interest for a formal Co-Design Panel, recruiting people with disability to shape program design, research questions and how findings are put into practice. Panellists bring lived experience from the NDIS, employment services and disability support in higher education and workplaces.
3rd Disability Leadership Oration
The Foundation sponsors the third annual Disability Leadership Oration, delivered by Dwayne Fernandes.
Roundtables on Changing Attitudes and Inclusive Employment
The Foundation convenes roundtables on Changing Attitudes and the Disability Employment Catalyst.
Inclusive Employment Australia Replaces DES
Inclusive Employment Australia replaces Disability Employment Services, the most significant reform to Australia's disability employment system in over a decade. It expands eligibility, removes time limits on support, introduces a tiered service model, and gives participants more choice and control. 84 organisations are awarded delivery contracts.
2026
ADS Independent Evaluation Report Due
The independent evaluation of Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 is due to report, the most comprehensive external assessment to date against the Strategy's seven outcome areas.