Spinallife Australia
Spinal Life Australia is a Queensland-based not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider delivering allied health, personal support, peer mentoring, community nursing, assistive technology, and plan management to people with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1960
- HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Spinallife Australia does
Spinal Life Australia is a not-for-profit disability services organisation founded in 1960 and headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. The organisation is a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider delivering allied health services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, hydrotherapy), personal support, peer support from staff with lived experience of spinal cord injury, community nursing, assistive technology mentoring, NDIS support coordination, and plan management to people with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities. It operates two purpose-built Healthy Living Centres in Brisbane and Cairns and serves a primary market of more than 1.2 million Queenslanders living with disability, with additional operations in Western Australia.
The business model is anchored in NDIS-funded service delivery under the NDIA Price Guide, supplemented by donations, philanthropy, short-term accommodation fees at the Healthy Living Centres, and grant-funded programs such as the Access Accelerator (Queensland Government Accessible Tourism Enablers Grant) and EnABLED Business (Tourism Workforce Project / Growing Workforce Participation Fund). Distribution is direct: 830 employees deliver services through in-person clinical care, home-based personal support, and community programs; the Accessible Australia app and The Advocate magazine provide top-of-funnel community engagement and content marketing. Strategic acquisitions of Move Mobility (mobility equipment retail, October 2023) and Sporting Wheelies (disability sports and recreation, January 2024) have expanded the service portfolio beyond clinical allied health into equipment supply and adaptive sports.
The organisation also operates B2B-facing consulting offerings — Access and Inclusion Consulting for tourism operators and businesses, the EnABLED Business Program for SMBs (delivered with Epic Assist), and the Accessible Australia app — positioning it as both a clinical care provider and a thought leader on accessible tourism and disability employment. Governance is provided by an independent Board with executive leadership under CEO Mark Townend; the FY2025 audit was moved from KPMG to Pitcher Partners following a competitive RFP, signalling governance maturation.
Spinallife Australia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spinallife Australia
- Legal name
- Spinal Life Australia Ltd
- Website
- https://spinal.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1960
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Spinal Life Australia is a Queensland-based not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider delivering allied health, personal support, peer mentoring, community nursing, assistive technology, and plan management to people with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spinallife Australia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability Support Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (62134), Home Health Care Services (62161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Social Services (8300), Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies (3842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centers (HLAFAFAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Mobility Device Sales, Rental & Service (Wheelchairs, Scooters, Walkers) (HSABAKAC), Recreational Outings, Community Participation & Mobility Support (Non-Clinical) (HSABAAAI), Rehabilitation Return-to-Exercise Training (Non-Clinical) (HSADAAAK)
Keywords
Where Spinallife Australia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brisbane
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Spinallife Australia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- NDIS-funded service delivery: Spinal Life Australia is a registered NDIS provider. Services including personal support, allied health (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology), peer support, community nursing, assistive technology, support coordination, and plan management are funded through NDIS participant plans. Pricing follows NDIS Price Guide guidelines set by the National Disability Insurance Agency.
- Donations and philanthropy: The organisation receives donations from the public and corporate sponsors to support its advocacy, community programs, and Accessible Australia app. POA Billboards' Doing Good Sponsorship Program provides outdoor advertising packages valued at more than $75,000.
- Short-term accommodation / Healthy Living Centres: The organisation operates Healthy Living Centres in Cairns and Brisbane offering short-term accommodation, hydrotherapy, and therapy programs. Revenue is generated through NDIS-funded short-term accommodation packages and fee-for-service therapy programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | NDIS-funded services priced per NDIS Price Guide |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Spinallife Australia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spinal Life Australia is a not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider delivering allied health and therapy services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, hydrotherapy), personal support, peer support, community nursing, assistive technology, and NDIS support coordination and plan management for people with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities. It also provides disability advocacy and accessibility consulting to businesses and tourism operators.
Product overview
Spinal Life Australia operates as a not-for-profit disability services organization offering a comprehensive suite of allied health and therapy services for individuals with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities. The core service portfolio includes personal support solutions delivered by Personal Support Workers, allied health services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology), peer support mentoring, community nursing, assistive technology assessments and mentoring, and NDIS support coordination and plan management. The organization operates two Healthy Living Centre facilities in Cairns and Brisbane, providing hydrotherapy services and short-term accommodation. Accessibility-focused programs include the Access Accelerator Program (tourism accessibility transformation), EnABLED Business Program (business inclusion), and the Accessible Australia mobile application for accessibility reviews. The 2024 merger with Sporting Wheelies expanded services to include disability sports programs. All services are delivered by a team of over 830 employees with guidance from people with lived experience of disability.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Healthy Living Centre (HLC): Specialist allied health and therapy centres offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, and hydrotherapy services in Cairns and Brisbane.
- Accessible Australia
- Access Accelerator
- EnABLED Business
- EverActive
- Back2Work
Products and services
- Allied Health Services Comprehensive allied health services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, and allied health assistants supporting individuals with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities.
- Personal Support Solutions Personal care and support services delivered by Personal Support Workers (PSWs) to assist individuals with daily activities at home, work, and in the community.
- Peer Support One-on-one support and mentoring provided by people with lived experience of spinal cord injury, offering guidance from hospital to home and in the community.
- Community Nursing Professional nursing services for individuals with spinal cord damage and physical disabilities.
- Assistive Technology Assessment, guidance, and support for assistive technology and home automation solutions including impartial information, product recommendations, home installation, and troubleshooting.
- Support Coordination NDIS support coordination services to help participants navigate and maximise their NDIS plans.
- Plan Management NDIS plan management services to assist participants with financial administration of their plans.
- Advocacy Advocacy services to support members and clients, including preparing for NDIS plan reassessment meetings and representing disability rights.
- Access and Inclusion Consulting Business accessibility consulting services to help organisations improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities, including disability awareness training.
- Healthy Living Centre State-of-the-art allied health and therapy facilities located in Cairns and Brisbane, featuring hydrotherapy pools and comprehensive rehabilitation services.
- Hydrotherapy Services Therapeutic water-based exercise programs utilising heated pools to improve mobility, strength, and pain management for individuals with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities.
- Short-Term Accommodation Temporary accommodation services for NDIS participants, branded under Healthy Living Centre.
- Back2Work Vocational rehabilitation and employment support program to help individuals return to work after spinal cord injury.
- Mobility Aids and Equipment Equipment supply services including mobility aids, available through the Move Mobility business.
- Assistive Technology Mentoring Service Impartial guidance and support for selecting assistive technology solutions, including home automation assessments, installation, programming, and troubleshooting without product sales.
- Accessible Australia App Free mobile and web application providing first-hand accessibility reviews and experiences for hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, shopping centres, public bathrooms, beaches, and parks to help people with disabilities make informed travel decisions.
- Access Accelerator Program Queensland Government-funded program designed to transform tourism destinations into inclusive and accessible havens through disability awareness training, inclusive technology adoption, and access planning.
- EnABLED Business Program Free business inclusion program providing small business mentoring, disability awareness training workshops, and recommendations to improve access and inclusion for businesses in Ipswich, Sunshine Coast, and Wide Bay regions.
- The Advocate Magazine Quarterly magazine publication providing news, stories, and resources for the spinal cord injury community.
- Sporting Wheelies Programs Disability sports and recreation programs including wheelchair basketball, boccia, adaptive aquatics, wheelchair cricket, and EverActive programs for over 60s, merged into Spinal Life Australia in 2024.
Quantifiable outcome
- Access Accelerator program targets 50 tourism operators on the Sunshine Coast with accessibility improvements
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Spinallife Australia
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Spinallife Australia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Spinallife Australia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- POA BillboardsminorSpinal Life Australia is a recipient of POA Billboards' Doing Good Sponsorship Program, receiving an outdoor advertising package valued at more than $75,000 to help raise vital awareness across Queensland.
- Epic AssistcoreEpic Assist, a disability employment specialist, partners with Spinal Life Australia to deliver the EnABLED Business program in the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay regions. Epic Assist Employment Advisors work alongside Spinal Life's Small Business Inclusion Mentors to connect businesses with potential employees with disability and provide expertise on disability employment.
- Sporting WheeliescoreIn January 2024, the members of Sporting Wheelies voted unanimously to transition their organisation to become part of Spinal Life Australia. This integration brings disability sports and recreation programs (wheelchair basketball, boccia, swimming, cricket, EverActive for over 60s, Adaptive Aquatics) under the Spinal Life umbrella, significantly expanding the community ecosystem.
- Queensland CricketminorSporting Wheelies (now part of Spinal Life Australia) partnered with Queensland Cricket to launch a brand-new Wheelchair Cricket program in Brisbane in 2025, expanding disability sports offerings.
- Australian Tourism Industry CouncilcoreSpinal Life Australia announced a partnership with the Australian Tourism Industry Council in December 2023 to promote accessible tourism. With one in six Australians (4.4 million) living with disability and being underserviced in the tourism industry, the partnership aims to drive change and improve accessibility in tourism experiences nationwide.
- Move MobilitycoreMove Mobility is a Spinal Life Australia business venture focused on mobility aids and equipment supply. More information about Move Mobility is available through Spinal Life's equipment supply service pages.
- Queensland Government (State Government)coreThe Queensland State Government announced funding for the Spinal Injuries Unit, which Spinal Life Australia welcomed as a significant step forward in addressing the pressing needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries. This follows years of advocacy by the organisation.
- CérgecoreSpinal Life Australia and Cérge partnered to deliver the Access Accelerator program, a transformative initiative funded by the Queensland Government's Accessible Tourism Enablers Grant. Cérge provides companion technologies that solve barriers to community participation for the disability community, while Spinal Life contributes its accessibility expertise and community reach. The program aims to make 50 Sunshine Coast tourism operators more accessible.
- Visit Sunshine CoastcoreVisit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel expressed full support for the Access Accelerator program. The organisation works with Spinal Life and Cérge to engage Sunshine Coast tourism operators in the program, helping them better understand the accessible tourism market and improve experiences for travellers with disability.
- Queensland GovernmentcoreThe Queensland Government provided funding through its Accessible Tourism Enablers Grant under the Year of Accessible Tourism in Queensland to support the Access Accelerator program. The government also funds the EnABLED Business program in the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay through its Tourism Workforce Project, and in Ipswich through its Growing Workforce Participation Fund.
- SeqwaterminorSeqwater partnered with Spinal Life Australia and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to support an industrial design competition for accessible kayak launch and recovery systems. Seqwater provided a $2,000 prize for the winning team. The initiative aimed to remove barriers for people with physical disability to enjoy kayaking in south-east Queensland's lakes and dams.
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT)minorQUT Bachelor of Design (Honours) students participated in an accessible kayak platform design competition initiated by Spinal Life Australia. Thirteen teams submitted designs, with the winning 'Adaptic Land Launcher' design receiving $2,000 from Seqwater with further consideration for development and testing.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Spinallife Australia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Northcott: Northcott is a large NSW-headquartered NDIS provider delivering therapy, accommodation, and support coordination across multiple disability types — a broader incumbent competing with Spinal Life in allied health and NDIS service delivery.
- Life Without Barriers: Life Without Barriers is one of Australia's largest NDIS and community services providers, delivering personal support, allied health, and accommodation nationally — competing for the same NDIS-funded participants as Spinal Life Australia at greater scale.
- APM (Advanced Personnel Management): APM is one of Australia's largest disability employment and allied health providers, operating across NDIS plan management, employment services, and rehabilitation — a broad incumbent competing for government-funded disability contracts nationwide.
Direct peers
- Independence Australia: Independence Australia provides disability equipment, continence, and homecare products nationally — closely comparable to Spinal Life's Move Mobility equipment supply arm, and adjacent to its allied health and personal support services.
- Achieve Australia: Achieve Australia delivers accommodation, supported employment, therapy, and community participation services to people with disability in NSW and QLD — comparable to Spinal Life Australia's allied health, accommodation, and employment support offerings.
- Cerebral Palsy Alliance: Cerebral Palsy Alliance operates an integrated suite of allied health, therapy, equipment, accommodation, and research services for people with disability across NSW — closely comparable to Spinal Life Australia's vertically integrated model and NDIS service portfolio.
- Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA): SCIA is a national SCI-focused peer support, advocacy, and information organisation offering overlapping services such as peer mentoring, education, and NDIS navigation that compete directly with Spinal Life Australia's core offerings.
- Rocky Bay: Rocky Bay is a WA-based disability services provider offering allied health, assistive technology, accommodation, and community participation — directly comparable to Spinal Life Australia's integrated disability service model.
- ParaQuad NSW: ParaQuad NSW delivers advocacy, accommodation, therapy, and personal care to people with spinal cord injury in New South Wales, with a comparable SCI-focused specialist model to Spinal Life Australia.
- AQA (formerly AQA Victoria): AQA is a Victorian peer-led disability organisation providing advocacy, therapy, and lifetime support for people with spinal cord injury — making it the closest direct peer to Spinal Life Australia in terms of mission, SCI specialisation, and member-led service model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Spinallife Australia social profiles
Digital presenceSpinallife Australia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spinallife Australia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Spinallife Australia subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Spinallife Australia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spinallife Australia M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spinallife Australia
What does Spinallife Australia do?
Spinal Life Australia is a not-for-profit, registered NDIS provider delivering allied health and therapy services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, exercise physiology, hydrotherapy), personal support, peer support, community nursing, assistive technology, and NDIS support coordination and plan management for people with spinal cord injuries and physical disabilities. It also provides disability advocacy and accessibility consulting to businesses and tourism operators.
Is Spinallife Australia a public or private company?
Spinallife Australia is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Spinallife Australia founded?
Spinallife Australia was founded in 1960. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Spinallife Australia based?
Spinallife Australia is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Spinallife Australia make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. NDIS-funded service delivery is the primary driver. The others are donations and philanthropy and short-term accommodation / Healthy Living Centres.
Who are Spinallife Australia's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Northcott, Life Without Barriers and APM (Advanced Personnel Management). Direct peers are Independence Australia, Achieve Australia, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA), Rocky Bay, ParaQuad NSW and AQA (formerly AQA Victoria).
Does Spinallife Australia have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spinallife Australia.
What industry is Spinallife Australia in?
Spinallife Australia's product category is Disability Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAFAM, Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centers, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAG, Disability Services & Independent Living Support. Its NAICS code is 62134 and its SIC code is 8000.