Bio: Carly Nisner is the founder of the Support Workers Association of Australia (SWAA) and a leading voice in the movement to raise the standard, standing and support of support work in Australia.
Carly started in the disability sector at 17 as a support worker - long before she became an Occupational Therapist, business owner or sector leader. That beginning still shapes everything she does. She has seen the sector from the floor, from clinical practice, from leadership, and from the messy middle where good people are often trying to do meaningful work inside systems that do not always back them properly.
Across 26 years in the sector, Carly has built a reputation as a practical, values-led voice for change. Through SWAA, she is focused on professionalising support work, strengthening ethical practice, creating clearer career pathways and making sure support workers are recognised for what they are: skilled, essential professionals.
Through SWAA, Carly is helping lead a national conversation about the future of support work - one grounded in respect for frontline workers, better outcomes for people with disability, and long-term sector reform.
Carly brings to judging a deep respect for frontline work, a strong eye for meaningful impact, and a belief that the best change in this sector is not performative - it is practical, human and built to last.
