CEO Reveals How NDIS Australia is Transforming Lives
Revesby, Australia – January 22, 2026 / Ability to Achieve /
Jones spent nearly two decades in New Zealand’s telecommunications and IT sectors, leading business operations, driving strategic growth, and improving team performance and day-to-day processes. When he moved to Australia to lead and grow Ability to Achieve from a business operations perspective, he expected a corporate turnaround project. What he didn’t expect was to find the most impactful work of his life—or to discover that not understanding the disability sector would become his greatest asset.
The Advantage of Being an Outsider
Jones entered the disability sector with no prior industry knowledge—no familiarity with complex clinical language, therapy protocols, occupational therapy frameworks, or behaviour support plans. Initially, this felt like a significant obstacle. But he soon realised it was precisely what many families needed.
“Many families don’t understand the system either—the therapy language, behaviour support plans, OT terminology,” Jones explains. “Coming from outside the industry, I can communicate with them from that same perspective. I can translate complicated processes into language that everyday families can understand. But our focus is always on what matters: real outcomes for real people, not just paperwork.”
This outsider’s lens has shaped how Ability to Achieve operates. While clinical expertise remains essential behind the scenes, the organisation prioritises making support accessible, understandable, and—most importantly—effective in participants’ daily lives.
What Support Work Actually Looks Like
While public debate around the National Disability Insurance Scheme often centres on costs and controversies, Jones sees something different unfolding daily: lives being fundamentally transformed through consistent, patient, skilled support work.
A typical shift for Ability to Achieve’s community support workers involves far more than supervision. Workers help build toward participant goals through what Jones calls “building blocks”—helping someone apply for university, obtain identification documents, practise using public transport independently, or develop confidence in social settings. They manage safety for participants, staff, and the broader community whilst understanding behaviour support plans intimately and thinking proactively, often four to five steps ahead of potential challenges.
“Support workers are thinking four to five steps ahead every shift,” Jones says. “They’re not just managing the moment—they’re building toward long-term independence. That kind of work requires constant awareness, deep commitment, and genuine care. These are unsung heroes doing deeply transformative work.”
Lives Changed: The Stories Behind the Statistics
Jones has witnessed transformations that challenge negative perceptions of the NDIS. Whilst protecting participant privacy, he shares the scope of change Ability to Achieve has supported:
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A participant who was hospitalised 365 days a year now lives independently
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Someone battling severe addiction has been drug-free for three months and counting
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A person who refused to leave their house for months now confidently communicates, explores Bondi cafés, as actively became a functioning member of the community
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Multiple participants have moved from requiring one-to-one care to shared supported living
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One individual successfully transitioned completely off the NDIS after three years of sustained progress
“We’ve supported people to move from round-the-clock care to independence, from daily hospitalisation to stable community living, from severe addiction to sustained recovery,” Jones notes. “These aren’t isolated cases—this is what happens when support is consistent, compassionate, and focused on genuine outcomes. Every Australian knows someone with a disability—whether they realise it or not. It’s time the success stories get equal attention alongside the controversies.”
Reframing the NDIS Narrative
Jones believes public perception of the NDIS remains mixed. Those without lived experience often view it as a financial burden or misused taxpayer system, whilst families who rely on it see firsthand how life-changing it can be.
“The NDIS is working. Lives are being changed daily across this country,” he emphasises. “Yes, the system needs continuous fine-tuning—that’s true of any large-scale programme. But the outcomes speak for themselves when providers are committed to real transformation rather than just ticking boxes.”
He notes that Australia’s structured disability support system helps avoid issues visible in other countries, such as the homelessness crises and tent cities seen in parts of the United States. While New Zealand maintains a stronger cultural perception of disability support, Australia’s NDIS framework—though relatively new—is well-designed as an insurance scheme and improving steadily.
A Culture Where Vision Is Lived, Not Just Written
Perhaps what most distinguishes Jones’s approach is his insistence on remaining hands-on despite holding a CEO title. He maintains deep involvement with participants and operational realities, ensuring that Ability to Achieve’s culture reflects its values in practice, not just in policy documents.
“Our goal is to keep growing whilst never becoming over-corporatised or losing sight of what matters,” Jones says. “We’ll remain participant-centred, grounded, and heart-driven. Everyone who joins Ability to Achieve needs to live this vision—not just repeat it—because that’s the only way real transformation happens. We all need to sing from the same songbook.”
This commitment to maintaining a personal, non-corporate culture even whilst serving 200+ participants reflects Jones’s belief that scale and genuine care needn’t be mutually exclusive.
Looking Ahead
As Australia continues to debate and refine the NDIS, voices like Jones’s offer crucial perspective: the system, when implemented with commitment and compassion, creates outcomes that fundamentally change lives. His journey from corporate IT leader to passionate disability care advocate demonstrates that fresh perspectives—those unencumbered by “how things have always been done”—can drive meaningful innovation in how support is delivered.
For Jones, the work has become deeply personal. The “business leadership challenge” that initially brought him to Ability to Achieve evolved into something far more significant: a mission to ensure that participants have access to the same choices, dignity, and opportunities that most Australians take for granted.
“Every person deserves the chance to build the life they want,” Jones reflects. “Support workers help make that possible—one shift, one conversation, one small victory at a time. That’s the story that deserves to be told.”
About Ability to Achieve
Ability to Achieve is a disability support provider serving over 200 participants across Sydney, Canberra, and Wollongong. Under the leadership of CEO Michael Jones, the organisation focuses on real-world outcomes, compassionate care, and long-term participant independence. Through community support workers committed to consistent, patient guidance, Ability to Achieve helps participants overcome challenges ranging from addiction and social isolation to complex behavioural needs, with many achieving full independence. The organisation maintains a participant-centred, non-corporate culture that prioritises lived values over paperwork.
For more information, visit https://abilitytoachieve.com.au/
Contact Information:
Ability to Achieve
6 Marco Avenue
Revesby, NSW 2212
Australia
Michael Jones
(02) 8311 7163
https://abilitytoachieve.com.au
