NDIS Consent, Disclosure & Conflict of Interest Terms
Effective & Last Updated: 25 August 2026 | Compliant with the NDIS Act 2013, NDIS Code of Conduct, NDIA COI Position Statement, and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
1. Our Family Story & Direct Benefit Disclosure
Steady Guide is a family-owned and operated business based in Toowoomba, Queensland. We operate with complete transparency across our dual activities:
- Our NDIS Service: Support Coordination delivering high-quality, independent capacity-building supports to NDIS participants.
- Our E-Commerce Publishing: We write, publish, and curate specialised educational books (such as Securing the Future, The Autistic Guide to Communicating and Connecting, and The Young Person’s Guide to Autistic Burnout) and specialised laptop setups.
- Family Benefit Transparency: Our family consists of three members, two of whom live with disability. Proceeds from book and laptop sales directly benefit our family members by funding essential assistive technology, therapy, and personal support.
💡 As active members of the Australian disability community, your privacy, dignity, and participant rights are profoundly important to us.
2. NDIS Conflict of Interest Declaration (COI)
Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the NDIA Position Statement on Conflicts of Interest, NDIS providers must identify, declare, and manage any real, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest so participant choice and control are never compromised:
⚠️ Declaration of Potential Conflict
Support Coordination services are delivered while our family business sells commercial products (educational books and laptops) to the disability sector. There is a potential risk that coordination services could be perceived to favor our commercial products.
🛡️ Our Ethical Firewall Commitment
We maintain a strict Ethical Firewall between NDIS Support Coordination and retail operations. We will never bundle, mandate, or exert undue influence on any participant or carer to purchase our books or laptops.
3. Choice, Control & Freedom of Referral
In alignment with the NDIS Code of Conduct and Practice Standards (Rights and Responsibilities), we guarantee:
1. Absolute Independence
Subscribing to the Steady Steps Newsletter, downloading checklists, or purchasing books/laptops carries zero obligation to sign an NDIS service agreement or engage Steady Guide for Support Coordination.
2. Freedom of Referral
When delivering Support Coordination, we are legally and ethically bound to present you with a broad range of independent service and product options across Toowoomba and nationally. We never prioritise Steady Guide resources over other suitable options. Your goals drive every referral.
3. No Coercion or Undue Influence
You are entirely free to exit our newsletter, decline services, or purchase resources elsewhere at any time without penalty or impact on your support services.
4. Privacy, Data Protection & System Segregation
We implement strict “Privacy by Design” protocols under Australian Privacy Principle 11 (APP 11 – Security) to isolate sensitive records:
📂 NDIS Participant Records
Stored securely in Astalty (encrypted support coordination software) and a dedicated, enterprise-grade Microsoft 365 environment hosted in Australian data centres (Sydney & Melbourne).
🛒 E-Commerce & Marketing
Newsletter signups, store transactions, and Meta ad-tracking run on completely separate accounts and databases (FluentCRM & Stripe). Participant data is never exposed to marketing tools.
- Zero Data Leakage: Sensitive health and funding data will never be uploaded, merged, or exposed to social media custom audiences, ad pixels, or marketing lists.
- AI Ethics & Safeguards: We do not use AI bots to write NDIS reports, process participant records, or make service decisions. Workspace data is strictly locked and excluded from AI training models.
5. Direct Marketing & Spam Act 2003 Compliance
Subscribing to the Steady Steps Newsletter constitutes express opt-in consent under APP 7 (Direct Marketing) and the Spam Act 2003:
- Monthly Updates: Educational email updates are sent on the 1st of each month with practical checklists and sector insights.
- No Secondary Sharing: We never sell, lease, or transfer email addresses to third parties.
- Instant Opt-Out: Every email includes a prominent 1-click Unsubscribe link. Unsubscribed addresses are securely deleted from our marketing database within 30 days.
6. Supported Decision-Making & Advocacy
In accordance with the NDIA Supported Decision-Making Policy, we recognise that people with disability have the right to make their own decisions with the support of their chosen networks:
- We warmly welcome Decision Supporters, family members, carers, advocates, or legally appointed Representatives (plan/correspondence nominees) in all service discussions.
- This disclosure document and our Privacy Policy are available in accessible, plain-English formats upon request.