Sandy Liddell

30/10/2026

When someone receives support in their own home, whose routines shape their day?

The person living there?
Or the service providing the support?

The NDIS Commission’s inquiry into seclusion and deprivation of liberty raises important questions about people’s freedom, dignity and everyday choices.

As the founder of Total Support Services, I believe we need to be willing to ask these questions of ourselves as providers.

Do we listen when someone communicates discomfort, including without words?

Do we adapt support around the person, or expect the person to adapt around us?

Can someone question a decision and feel confident they will be heard?

Supporting someone’s safety carries real responsibility. So does respecting their right to make choices about their own life.

Good intentions alone aren’t enough. We need capable teams, thoughtful leadership and a willingness to change practices that have become familiar.

The Commission is inviting participants, families, workers and providers to contribute to the inquiry. Those perspectives matter, particularly the voices of people directly affected.

A home should feel like your home, even when you need support to live there.

Read about the inquiry and how to contribute:
https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/quality-practice/deprivation-liberty

Own Motion Inquiry into the deprivation of libertyThe NDIS Commissioner is using her own-initiative powers under the NDIS Act and Reportable Incident Rules to conduct an Own Motion Inquiry into whether the use of seclusion on NDIS participants may result in actual or potential deprivations of libert...

14/10/2026

When we encourage people to speak up about their mental health, we need to be ready to listen—and respond with care.
That stayed with me after Saturday night’s SPEAK UP! Stay ChatTY Ball, where Total Support Services was proud to be the major sponsor.
It was lovely to spend the evening with our Tasmanian team. I’m proud of the work they do and the care they show participants and one another. Supporting Stay ChatTY felt closely connected to that everyday commitment.
As a CEO, I know that what leaders say about wellbeing matters. The decisions we make matter just as much as how we manage workloads, support our teams, respond to concerns and make help accessible.
People notice what happens when someone asks for support. That response can influence whether the next person feels comfortable doing the same.
Within disability services, connection and belonging are central to our work. We have opportunities every day to listen, notice when someone may be struggling and help them access appropriate support. We also need to extend that care to the people delivering those services.
Our sponsorship reflects a cause I care deeply about and a responsibility I take seriously as a leader. There is always more we can learn and do to create environments where people feel heard, respected and supported.
Thank you to Mitch McPherson and the Stay ChatTY team for bringing us together and keeping these conversations moving across Tasmania.

16/09/2026

The 2026–27 NDIS pricing update invites an important discussion about value, workforce costs and the long-term sustainability of quality support.

Providers must operate efficiently, remain accountable and demonstrate responsible use of public funding. At the same time, pricing must recognise the real cost of attracting and retaining skilled employees, providing supervision, maintaining quality and safeguarding systems, responding to complexity and delivering continuity.

Sustainability is not about protecting organisations for their own sake. It is about ensuring participants can rely on safe, consistent services—not just today, but over the longer term.

When pricing does not reflect the genuine cost of quality delivery, the consequences can include workforce instability, reduced service availability and greater pressure on participants and families. Good policy must achieve both value for money and a healthy, responsive provider market.

These are not opposing goals. Responsible providers need the capacity to continue investing in their people, systems and services.

How can NDIS pricing better support both value and continuity?

2026–27 pricing information: https://www.ndis.gov.au/providers/pricing-and-payments/pricing/pricing-updates

10/09/2026

Compliance is the floor—not the finish line.

The NDIS Commission’s stronger regulatory focus sends an important message: participants deserve safe, capable and accountable providers.

Registration, audits and practice standards establish essential safeguards. But genuine quality goes further.

It is visible in the everyday decisions made when no auditor is present. It means listening when something does not feel right, learning from incidents, investing in workforce capability and asking whether support is genuinely improving a person’s life.

At Total Support Services, we were proud to achieve our third consecutive certification, with areas of best practice identified in Medication Management and Specialist Support Coordination.

That recognition matters—but the greater responsibility is to ensure quality remains visible every day, across every service and every interaction. The strongest providers will not treat quality as an audit event. They will treat it as a leadership responsibility, an organisational culture and a daily practice.

How does your organisation make quality visible beyond compliance?

NDIS regulatory reform: https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about-us/ndis-commission-reform-hub

04/09/2026

I am incredibly honoured to be recognised as a finalist in The CEO Magazine’s 2026 Executive of the Year Awards – Australia.

When I founded Total Support Services in 2010, we began by supporting just three participants. I could never have imagined the journey that would follow or the extraordinary people I would have the privilege of working alongside.

Today, Total Support Services supports people and families across Australia, but our purpose remains the same: to listen, to care and to provide support that makes a genuine difference in people’s lives.

This recognition belongs to the entire Total Support Services team. I am incredibly proud of our people and grateful for the passion, dedication and care they bring to their work every day. I am also deeply thankful to the participants, families and communities who place their trust in us.

Thank you to The CEO Magazine for this recognition. It is a wonderful reminder of how far we have come and an inspiration to keep learning, growing and making a positive difference.

Learn more: https://www.theceomagazine.com/australia-awards/

02/09/2026

Total Support Services began in 2010 by supporting just three people.

We started from my home, without a grand expansion plan. We began because an individual needed continuity of support, and I believed we had a responsibility to find a way.

Today, Total Support Services employs hundreds of people and operates across South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. Two of the original three participants continue to receive support from us. That continuity means as much to me as the growth itself.

Over the past 16 years, I have learned that growth in disability services should never be measured by size alone. It should be visible in stronger systems, a more capable workforce, broader access and better outcomes.

As organisations grow, leaders must work deliberately to keep participant voice close to decision-making. Processes become more complex, but the purpose must remain clear.

For me, sustainable growth means developing the capacity to support more people without losing the personal approach that earned their trust in the first place.

What has helped your organisation protect its purpose while growing?

https://www.totalsupportservices.com.au/

28/08/2026

The NDIS is entering another important period of change.

Reform is necessary to protect the Scheme’s future—but sustainability cannot come at the expense of dignity, choice, safety or meaningful outcomes for people with disability.

As a provider and founder, I welcome stronger accountability. Providers should be able to demonstrate that they are meeting their obligations, using public funding responsibly and delivering services that make a genuine difference. But successful reform also requires trust.

Participants need confidence that their voices will be heard. Providers need clear and consistent expectations. Government must engage openly with the people who will experience the practical consequences of change.

A sustainable NDIS and a person-centred NDIS should never be competing objectives. We need both. The real test of reform will not be how quickly change is implemented, but whether it produces a safer, fairer and more dependable system for the people the NDIS exists to support.

What do you believe must remain at the centre of NDIS reform?

Further information: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/disability-and-carers

26/08/2026

What does 16 years really represent?

It is more than a milestone. It is thousands of moments—some celebrated publicly, and many quietly life-changing.

It is the participant who felt genuinely heard.
The family who found reassurance during an uncertain time.
The employee who stayed a little longer because someone needed them.
The goal that once felt out of reach but gradually became possible.

For 16 years, Total Support Services has continued to grow, adapt and challenge itself—not simply to deliver more services, but to provide support that is meaningful, respectful and centred on the individual.

From humble beginnings to an expanding national organisation, we are now supporting communities across South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, while beginning to build our presence in New South Wales and Victoria.

But growth is not simply about placing more dots on a map. It is about taking the values, experience and lessons developed over 16 years and using them to create meaningful impact in more communities.

The disability sector has changed enormously during that time—and so have we. But one thing has remained constant: our belief that every person deserves to be understood, respected and supported to live a life that is truly their own.

Today, we celebrate how far we have come and acknowledge every participant, family member, employee, partner and community connection who has helped shape our journey.

As we look to the future, the question is not simply, “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸?”

It is, “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦?”

Here’s to 16 years of connection, courage and meaningful support—and to the next chapter still waiting to be written.

19/08/2026

NDIS Overhaul Passes the Senate: The Real Test Will Be What It Delivers for Participants

The NDIS must be sustainable—but sustainability cannot come at the expense of the people it was created to support.

The passage of these reforms through the Senate marks a significant turning point for the NDIS. Stronger action against fraud, kickbacks and unethical providers is necessary and long overdue. Providers who exploit participants or misuse public funding have no place in this sector.

But we must be equally clear: reform cannot be driven by savings alone.

Changes to eligibility, functional assessments and funded supports will have real consequences for participants and families. These reforms must be implemented transparently, carefully and with the voices of people with disability firmly at the centre.

Having worked in this sector for many years, I know that a strong NDIS depends on more than legislation. It depends on capable and ethical providers, a skilled workforce, genuine accountability and services that deliver measurable outcomes.

At Total Support Services, we welcome greater scrutiny and higher expectations. Quality providers should be able to demonstrate the value of their supports, the outcomes they achieve and the difference they make in people’s lives.

A strong, safe and sustainable NDIS is something we should all support. But the real measure of these reforms will not be the dollars saved. It will be whether people with disability experience a safer, fairer and more dependable system—one that protects their choice, dignity and access to the right support.

The legislation is an important step. Implementation will be the real test.

Read more: https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/legislation-to-secure-the-future-of-the-ndis-passed-by-the-senate

18/08/2026

Strong providers welcome accountability—but accountability alone will not fix the NDIS.

At Total Support Services, we support stronger regulation that protects participants from unsafe and unethical practice. However, regulation is only one part of the solution.

As the founder and CEO of Total Support Services, I have seen the sector evolve significantly over more than 16 years. Lasting reform must also address the conditions that enable quality providers to succeed—workforce shortages, pricing pressures, administrative complexity and gaps in service availability.

Throughout our growth across South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland, Total Support Services has remained focused on personalised support, skilled people and meaningful participant outcomes. Responsible providers invest significantly in their workforce, quality systems and service delivery, and these investments must be recognised within future policy settings.

The sector needs reform that:
• Acts decisively against unsafe and unethical practice.
• Recognises providers that consistently invest in quality.
• Supports a skilled and sustainable disability workforce.
• Reduces unnecessary complexity.
• Protects participant choice and continuity of support.

Accountability and provider sustainability should not be competing priorities. We need both to deliver the safe, reliable and person-centred NDIS participants deserve.

What should government and the sector prioritise to ensure quality providers can continue to deliver?

Further reading:
• NDIS Commission Regulatory Reform Hub (https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/about-us/ndis-commission-reform-hub)
• NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 (https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=r7487)
• NDIS Review—support and service marketplace (https://www.ndisreview.gov.au/resources/reports/what-we-have-heard-report/support-and-service-marketplace)