Finding Opportunities for Impact: Reflections from IDSS 2025

3 December marks Australia’s International Day of People with Disability – a reminder that inclusion is everyone’s responsibility. For actuaries, this commitment is embedded in the work we do every day through injury and disability schemes that enable recovery, independence and dignity.

Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress

This year’s UN theme - Fostering disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress - calls on society to eradicate poverty, promote full and productive employment and support social integration for all. ^[1]

For actuaries practising in injury or disability fields, this message sounds familiar. Medical professionals, actuaries and workers' compensation experts routinely highlight the value of work. A 2011 position statement released by the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine ^[2] summarises the health and wellbeing impact of being out of work. It paints a sobering picture, stating that:

Barriers to accessing gainful and productive employment for those with disability are equally impactful.

The NDIS, alongside the numerous state and territory injury insurance schemes and disability departments, have at their core an objective to support the independence, social and economic participation of people with disability. Our actuarial profession has the privilege and responsibility of informing the financial sustainability of these schemes, with this work often being enshrined in legislation.

In David Bowen’s tribute to John Walsh AO (1954-2024), a passionate disability advocate, actuary and business leader, Bowen reminds us of the importance of considering the story behind the numbers: it is not about the numbers, but rather what they represent as behind those numbers, there lie real people. ^[3]

As actuaries, our impact is tangible to those who rely on the existence and support of injury and disability schemes.

Reflections from IDSS 2025

The 2025 Injury and Disability Schemes Seminar (IDSS) was held in Brisbane from 16 to 18 November and showcased how our profession is driving positive change. The IDSS is a vibrant forum for collaboration, bringing actuaries together with operators, regulators, clinicians, system participants and advocates to discuss today’s challenges, share expertise, challenge perspectives and advocate for co-created solutions.

This year’s theme, Ecosystem of Support, explored how interconnected schemes and stakeholders can collaborate to deliver better outcomes with many speakers explaining  why collaboration matters in creating change:

• Matthew Ames, advocate and industry professional ^[4] :  Are our policies and processes working for those who rely on them?
• Graeme Innes AM ^[5] , Chancellor of CQUniversity and NDIS Board member: Success requires people with disability at the table
• Nick Kendrick ^[6] , Clinical Innovation Manager of Axis, was just one of many presenters at IDSS 2025 who demonstrated the value of person-centred care: Flexible systems aimed at supporting and engaging each individual’s unique circumstances achieve better life and cost outcomes
• Professor Marek Kowalkiewicz ^[7] , global AI thought leader: Your value lies in the skill you bring to the table (not the tasks you perform each day). This raises the question of how actuaries will leverage AI to support injury and disability schemes to deliver more person-centred processes.

From left to right, Matthew Ames, Graeme Innes AM, Nick Kendrick and Professor Marek Kowalkiewicz presenting at IDSS 2025

IDSS 2025 reminded us that these conversations should not happen in a silo as they belong in forums that invite all stakeholders to the table, where we listen, learn and innovate together. This collaborative approach was exemplified by the Taylor Fry Prize-winning paper by Aaron Cutter and colleagues, which demonstrated how cross-jurisdictional collaboration can deliver insights that wouldn't be achievable through single-jurisdiction analysis alone

Supporting International Day of People with Disability activities

On this International Day of People with Disability, the Actuaries Institute Diversity and Inclusion Working Group encourages members to reflect on how you can make your workplaces more accessible. A simple step? Ask meeting attendees if they have accessibility requirements. Consider how your communications, office spaces and event venues accommodate diverse needs. Small actions create big impact.

This piece is one of many initiatives under the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group, which seeks to highlight the diverse experiences that strengthen our profession. By celebrating different voices, identities and stories, we aim to show how diversity and inclusion make us stronger, more innovative and better equipped to serve our communities.

References

^[1] United Nations. (n.d.). International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December. https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities

^[2] The Royal Australasian College of Physicians. (n.d.). Realising the health benefits of work. https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/advocacy-library/realising-the-health-benefits-of-work.pdf

^[3] The Actuaries Institute. (n.d.). Tribute to John Walsh AO. https://www.actuaries.asn.au/research-analysis/tribute-to-john-walsh-ao

^[4] Matthew Ames. (n.d.). LinkedIn profile [Profile page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 1, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ames-5b350016/?originalSubdomain=au

^[5] Innes, G. (n.d.). LinkedIn profile [Profile page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 1, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/graeme-innes-am/

^[6] Kendrick, N. (n.d.). LinkedIn profile [Profile page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 1, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-kendrick/

^[7] Kowal, M. (n.d.). LinkedIn profile [Profile page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 1, 2025, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/marekkowal/?originalSubdomain=au