There is still a great deal of detail to come. Some changes have been announced, others are still being designed, and many will not happen immediately. In a fast-moving public debate, it is important to separate what is confirmed from what is not yet clear.
Achieve Australia is staying close to this work. Through Ability First Australia, we are part of a national alliance of leading disability service providers that is engaging with government and policy makers as reforms are developed. Achieve CEO Jo-Anne Hewitt sits on Ability First Australia’s Executive Committee. This gives Achieve a direct line into sector discussions and a strong platform to speak up for people with significant and lifelong disability, their families, and the specialist services they rely on.
The Government has said these reforms are intended to return the NDIS to its original purpose: supporting people with permanent and significant disability, while making sure the Scheme can continue for future generations. The Federal Budget also makes clear that NDIS spending will continue to grow, even as the Government seeks to slow that growth over time.
That broader aim matters. The NDIS is one of Australia’s most important social reforms. It should be protected for the people it was created to support. It also needs to be safe, sustainable and focused on genuine need.
This means some reform is necessary. Fraud and poor practice should be addressed. Stronger safeguards for higher-risk services are welcome where they improve quality, safety and accountability. Achieve supports that. People with disability and their families should be able to trust that the services they receive are ethical, reliable and well run.
At the same time, the current conversation about the NDIS can sometimes make it seem as though the Scheme is defined by cost blowouts or bad actors. That is not the full picture. Every day, high-quality providers are delivering essential support to people with significant and complex needs. Many not-for-profit organisations are doing this under real financial pressure. The reforms need to address misuse and poor quality without losing sight of the people, families and providers the NDIS exists to support. Achieve has been clear that the success of reform should be measured by whether people with significant and complex needs can access quality services that support autonomy, safety and belonging.
For families, the most important thing to know right now is that not every reform will affect every person, and not all changes are happening at once. The Government’s current timeline shows reform being introduced in stages over several years, with consultation still to come in a number of areas.
Some of the clearest changes relate to children. The Government has announced Thriving Kids, a new program for children aged eight and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs. From 2028, new applicants in this group are expected to be supported through Thriving Kids rather than the NDIS. The Government has also said children with permanent and significant disability, including children with high support needs, will remain eligible for the NDIS under usual arrangements.
Some parts of the reform package are still being worked through. This includes future changes to how people may enter the NDIS, how plans are developed, and how some supports may be delivered. These are important areas, but there is not yet enough detail to say clearly what they will mean for individual people and families.
One area that has received particular attention is social and community participation funding. Some public discussion has referred to funding figures in a way that may sound like fixed limits. The information released so far indicates these figures are averages across the Scheme, not caps on individual support. There is still more to understand about how any changes in this area will work in practice.
Achieve will continue to follow these developments closely and share clear information when more is confirmed. We know that community participation is an important part of many people’s lives, supporting connection, independence and wellbeing.
Families do not need to make sense of every headline alone. Achieve will continue to follow the reforms carefully, contribute through Ability First Australia and other sector discussions, and share clear information as more becomes known. Where details are confirmed, we will explain them plainly. Where they are not, we will say so.
Our focus remains unchanged: supporting people with disability to live good lives, making sure people with significant and lifelong support needs remain at the centre of the NDIS, and helping families navigate change with reliable information rather than unnecessary alarm.