No Immediate Changes: Government Reassures Participants After NDIS Overhaul

The National Disability Insurance Scheme NDIS logo is seen at the head office in Canberra, on June 22, 2022. AAP Image/Mick TsikasThe Department of Health says Australians shouldn’t expect too many drastic changes after the federal Parliament passed sweeping changes to the multi-billion-dollar National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).The department called it an “important step to strengthen the NDIS and ensure it can continue to support people with permanent and significant disability into the future”.“The changes will make it clearer who can access the NDIS, how NDIS plans are managed, and how NDIS funding can be used,” the government said on Aug. 20.“Most participants and providers will not see any immediate changes and do not need to do anything differently now.”On Aug. 18, the official legislation was passed, meaning an estimated 241,000 Australians will be moved off the scheme, in a bid to save $37.8 billion (US$26.8 billion) by the end of the decade.A new framework requires stricter assessments of a patient’s capacity, while those already on the scheme will be reassessed every three years.People will also only be able to access the NDIS if their condition is permanent or likely to be permanent, and those who receive support from other compensation schemes will no longer qualify.Additionally, the new rules will mean that children aged eight or under with developmental delays and/or autism will switch to the Thriving Kids program.Speaking in the Senate on Aug. 18, Labor Senator Jenny McAllister said the NDIS was never intended to replace health, rehabilitation or treatment services.“The government is making very, very substantial investments in our national public health system to make sure that Australia’s excellent public health system is improved further and that people can access the treatments they require,” the senator said.Advocates Question ReformsAdvocacy groups such as People with Disability Australia have expressed concern about the changes, describing the reforms as a “devastating day.”“People with disability in their thousands provided evidence of what these changes would mean for our lives,” acting CEO Megan Spindler-Smith said in a statement.“We warned about the harm, the injuries, the lost opportunities and lives. Parliament chose to proceed anyway.”Spindler-Smith said she believed the NDIS was created so disabled people could do more than “survive.”“The government says it is working with states and territories to build supports for people who cannot access the NDIS,” she said.“But those supports do not exist today and will take time to build, and states and territories have categorically said there will not be like-for-like supports.”The NDIS cost the Australian federal budget around $54 billion in the 2025–26 financial year, with the 2026–27 budget forecasting the changes will cut spending by $37.8 billion over four years.