Our expert NDIS advisors

Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM is the Executive Chair and Director of the Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne. He is a disability reformer, economist and one of the key architects of the NDIS. From 2013 to 2016, he was the Inaugural Chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency and he was Co-Chair of the NDIS Review in 2022 and 2023. Professor Bonyhady has three adult sons, two of whom have disabilities, and he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010 for services to people with disability, their families and carers.

Simon Darcy is a Professor of Social Inclusion and Co-Director of the University of Technology Disability Research Network in Sydney. Professor Darcy is a power wheelchair user since 1983 and specialises in developing inclusive organisational practices for marginalised groups, including people with disability. 

Professor Darcy’s work has spanned transport, tourism, employment, entrepreneurship, the built environment, sport, events, volunteers, and disability services sectors. His transdisciplinary mixed method research is characterised by providing an evidence based-based approach to developing transformative solutions for business, government, and not-for-profit sectors. 

Professor Darcy’s work on disability is framed by understanding disability citizenship through codesign processes that have included projects involving the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the Australian Disability Strategy 2021-31, Disability Royal Commission and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

Internationally, he is involved in understanding legacy outcomes of major events, and the importance of accessibility for the sustainability and liveability of cities. Connected to all this work is how disability relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Damian Griffis is a descendant of the Worimi people and a leading advocate for the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability. 

Damian has been a central figure in the establishment of both the Aboriginal Disability Network NSW and First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN) where he is the CEO. Damian represents FPDN at regional, national and international forums. In 2014, he won the Tony Fitzgerald (Community Individual) Memorial Award at the Australian Human Rights Awards.

Dr Philip Haywood is a health economist and physician at the Menzies Centre for Health Economics and Policy. His diverse career spans academia, clinical practice, and policy development, research and evaluation. Phil led on health system resilience at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phil practiced emergency medicine in the Asia-Pacific region, including in remote and Indigenous communities. He is currently working on virtual care and funding reform in health and social care systems. He has been an independent advisor to health departments in New Zealand, Singapore, and Australia. 

Ms Kelly has extensive experience in public policy and economics consulting. Her career began at a boutique consultancy (the Allen Consulting Group) before launching a start-up firm, Insight Economics, as a Company Director with four co-investors. The venture was successful, and in 2007, the company was acquired by Deloitte Australia. 

As a Director at Insight Economics today she is focused on life sciences & health policy, industry and innovation, business case development, cost benefit analysis, market analysis, scenario development and government strategy. 

She has served on the National Blood Cancer Taskforce and as a Director for the Victorian Endowment for Science, Knowledge and Innovation. 

The Honourable Vicki O'Halloran AO CVO FASCID served as the 22nd Administrator of the Northern Territory from 2017 to early 2023. Her Honour was invested as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2019 and was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by His Majesty The King.

Prior to her appointment as Administrator, Her Honour was a chief executive officer in the disability, early childhood and community sector for 30 years. She has been a chair and member of a range of boards and committees locally and nationally. Her Honour was Chair of National Disability Services Northern Territory, serving as National President of National Disability Services from 2012 to 2015, and Chair of the Northern Territory Government Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability Reform.

Her Honour is passionate about good governance and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is currently the National President of The Order of Australia Association and is a member of the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce. 

Mr Trevor Sutton was most recently a Deputy Australian Statistician at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He also chairs the Governing Council of the Statistical Institution for the Asian and Pacific Region. 

Having stepped down from leading the Australian Bureau of Statistics Organisational Transformation Program in April 2017, he has focused on leveraging his skills and experience into a career as a Management Consultant. He is the Director of Python Hill Advisers, which specialises in business, compliance and service delivery strategy, business case development, program management and evaluation and Big Data strategy and analytics. He also continues to make public good contributions to global health.