THE SDA HOUSING PODCAST

In this episode, Debbie dives into the oversupply of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in Mackay, Queensland. Initial data hinted at an imbalance, but deeper analysis reveals a 132% oversupply , with over 100 excess places. The episode serves as a critical warning for investors and providers eyeing projects in the area. Key Insights: Geography & Demand: Mackay (within the Mackay-Isaac-...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie analyse Barwon Investments' May SDA data report, drawn from the latest NDIS quarterly report (as of 31 March 2025). Moving beyond stats, they examine key trends reshaping the SDA market's current landscape. Risk of Unsuitable SDA Properties Requiring Divestment: A portion of newly developed SDA properties may become unsuitable due to oversupply in certain...

The Right Fit Australia, recently launched by Jessica Dale, is a unique bridging housing brokerage service for NDIS participants. It finds participants first and then matches them with suitable properties and providers, effectively reverse-engineering support coordination.  Background Jessica is a Melbourne-based Support Coordinator with expertise in complex cases since 2019. She specialises in ad...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie explore Appendix H—a pricing rule allowing SDA participants to live with non-eligible individuals (family, partners, or even SIL participants, with approval).! What Is Appendix H? Appendix H is a pricing provision within the SDA pricing arrangements that addresses how SDA funding is calculated when a participant lives with people who are not eligible for SDA.  This...

In this episode, we welcome back Tania from Tania Gomez Consulting. Tania chats with Debbie about the recent NDIS Pricing Arrangements & Price Limits (applicable as of 1st July 2025) and why there is so much concern within the NDIS community over financial viability and quality of service provision following a lack of insufficient pricing increases and in some cases price cuts for certain sect...

In this insightful episode of The SDA Housing Podcast , Debbie goes and visits a local Brisbane SIL Provider. She sits down with Naeem Patel, Director of Hope & Care Community, to explore the critical relationship between Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).  Naeem shares his journey into the NDIS space and provides valuable insights into what makes...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie review and discuss an email response from Bruce Bromley of Equal Access Group and SDA Consulting. The email letter addresses a question posed in a previous episode regarding his perspective on the current 2025 state of the play across Specialist Disability Accommodation. Bruce's expertise and leadership have made him a trusted authority in the field of Special...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss an open letter from Katalin Jakus (Hand in Hand Support Coordination) to Ministers, outlining critical NDIS concerns: Unethical Referral Fee Practices Some NDIS providers pay referral fees to hospitals, government staff, and Support Coordinators. This practice, originating before the NDIS legislation, is described as unethical and undermines participants’...

In this 4th instalment of our popular 'Ask Us Anything' series, we dive deep into an email from Andy, a builder from Adelaide who is a regular podcast listener, and has SDA build ideas for his son. We answer his questions and explore his theories. His questions sparked a discussion about the realities of SDA development, from financial considerations to design best practices, and even hi...

In this episode, Minh chats with Tanisha Simunic, an SDA Assessor, accredited Access Consultant and OT, about her work, background and her view of the SDA world. Tanisha’s Professional Background and Role Tanisha is an accredited access consultant, registered occupational therapist, and SDA assessor with nearly a decade of experience in the SDA sector. Her career began in occupational therapy, whe...

Goodbye Postcode Restrictions ... & Hello Distance Restrictions!  Big changes (again) are reshaping NDIS lending landscape, and in this episode, Debbie sits down with Paul Grant from Axis Lending to unpack the latest finance requirements for NDIS property investing, from their perspective as a Mortgage Manager. This episode only relates to Origin, the largest wholesale NDIS lender across Austr...

In this episode, Minh chats with Bill Kavvadas, Founder of The Fire Knight. Overview of the Fire Knight   The product is an advanced, self-sustaining fire suppression system designed to proactively counter fires by detecting true flames and threats early Intended for residential use—including group homes and disability accommodations—offering an essential extra layer of safety Key Product Features...

Join Debbie and Denise from NDIS Property Australia’s feasibility team as they explain their groundbreaking nationwide research reports process in identifying the most promising suburbs for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) development. This project was a custom engagement from a NSW developer seeking a top 30 SDA locations report around Australia. This work took 2 months to finalise, and...

Recently the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission have been going around to meet with several large SDA Providers. Paramount Disability Homes was one such Provider who welcomed the NDIS Commisson to give industry feedback. In this episode, Minh talks to Kevin Chen from Paramount about their recent meeting with the NDIS Commission. Representatives from the NDIA flew into Melbourne to meet Param...

This episode is all about Hand in Hand Support Coordination. Minh talks to Katalin Jakus, who runs a business that distinguishes itself from other Support Coordination brands through several unique features and approaches: 1. Person-Centred, Holistic Approach Hand in Hand employs a deeply person-centred and holistic model of support coordination. This means they focus on understanding the whole in...

In this episode, Debbie provides a detailed analysis of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) supply and demand dynamics in two key NSW regions: Newcastle & Lake Macquarie and the Illawarra (Wollongong) area. She examines current property enrolments across both the broader SA4 regions and the more localised SA3 sub-regions, revealing a critical need to replace older Group and Existing...

This is a special episode featuring several news articles from The Australian . These articles were randomly selected from 19 stories published over past 10 weeks, covering the Cocoon allegations that have unfolded publicly. The audio files merged in this episode are the exact word-for-word content of these five articles, extracted from the website's text-to-speech software. We’re republishin...

This episode was recorded on 19.05.25, & since then, more articles have been  published by various newspapers, leading to the permanent banning of Cocoon’s parent company Horizon SolSolutions, aswell as its ‘nominated’ Director, by the Commission. There will be a follow up of this episode to discuss the fallout across the NDIS from this scandal which has been played out in plain sight for many...

In this special 300th episode of the SDA Housing Podcast, we have Ian, Minh & Debbie reflecting on the journey travelled — sharing insights about our show, and the process of educating the SDA and NDIS market, to shaping conversations around Specialist Disability Accommodation. We revisit standout episodes, memorable guest speakers, and important people who have supported our brand, to which h...

In this episode, Minh and Debbie dive into the recent quarterly SDA data released by the NDIS on May 16th. They unpack the surprising surge in Pipeline SDA numbers and explain why this jump doesn’t necessarily reflect new development activity over the past three months - but rather stems from projects dating back to mid-to-late 2024. They explore where the pipeline is still growing, the limitation...

The next episode of our sub series ‘Ask Us Anything' which was once managed by Matt, introduces Sim from our office, joining Minh & Debbie to address some of the most recent inquiries submitted to our team. We regularly field a wide range of questions from prospective investors and developers, many of which offer valuable insights that we believe would benefit our audience. It’s fascinati...

This episode is about the new frontier of SDA - managed funds, and “fund of funds” (FoF) and property syndicates and unlisted property trusts. Why? Because we recently saw on Facebook, a well known SDA property spruiker’s new online marketing to lure investors into their new SDA unlisted property trust. We then thought about it and realised, that every "man and his dog" are now trying to...

This episode is a casual chat about Sydney, and how Minh and Debbie sees its growth in the biggest untapped market for SDA housing.  Minh recently went down for 7 days in Sydney for Easter to meet up with 3 different SIL providers, and 2 different developers working in different parts of Sydney on SDA projects, or planned expansion into SDA accommodation. He discusses with Debbie the potential of...

In this episode, Minh & Debbie discuss the macro state of the SDA market in Australia with respect to the supply and demand, particularly the fact that the huge undersupply over the past several years has shrunk, to the point that Australia-wide, supply is meeting demand. However not all is as it may seem when so much of the supply is not in the right areas. They both discuss the data analytic...

In this eye-opening episode, Minh & Debbie dive into the shocking case of a man who went from driving a taxi to amassing a multimillion-dollar empire—with 24 companies, some NDIS businesses—in just six years. Now under investigation by the NDIA and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), he stands accused of fraudulently claiming over $10 million from vulnerable NDIS participants while engaging i...