A Step Closer to an Easy-to-Use, Mana-Enhancing Disability Support System Posted by Posted by Jade Farrar on 4 September 2025 Posted on: 4 September 2025

The Enabling Good Lives National Leadership Group (NEGL) acknowledges the recent announcement by Minister Upston that effectively embeds some Enabling Good Lives (EGL) principles and concepts into new approaches to assessment, allocation and flexible funding.

We note that principles such as self-determination and being mana-enhancing are being brought to life through increased flexibility, an increased focus on family wellbeing and plan-based approaches. While it is too soon to understand how this may result in changes for disabled people and families, NEGL looks forward to a process of co-development where disabled people and families can contribute to the detailed design and monitoring of these changes. NEGL emphaises the value in regional leadership networks that are enabled to work together in this change process.

NEGL is committed to an initial intent of EGL which is to bring about cross-government EGL-based change. We acknowledge that the announcement on 3 September 2025 is a tangible step in DSS embarking on a phased process to bring about much need change.

NEGL highlights the substantial guidance that the “high-level design” can provide to framing these steps in the context of a wider change process. The EGL National Leadership Group (NEGL) is pleased that EGL is a growing social movement and the EGL principles and concepts are a strong foundation for these changes. We have a considerable distance to travel before we become close to realising cross-government EGL-based change. However, each potentially positive step brings us closer to experiencing an easy to use, mana enhancing and principles based system that makes it easier for disabled people and families to create good lives for themselves.