NDIS Review – What We Know So Far

The NDIS Review is underway with the focus on improving the experience of all NDIS participants, and ensuring the NDIS is sustainable into the future. 2023 marks ten years of the NDIS: ten years of assisting NDIS participants to access support, but also ten years of learning how the Scheme can be improved.

An interim report from the NDIS Review, the What We Have Heard Report, explores five key challenges reported by NDIS participants:

• Why is the NDIS an oasis in a desert?
• What does reasonable and necessary mean?
• Why are there many more children in the NDIS than expected?
• Why aren’t NDIS markets working?
• How do we ensure the NDIS is sustainable?

A summary of the NDIS Review’s response to these questions is provided below.

Access and ‘Reasonable and Necessary’

The NDIS was never meant to be for all people living with disability. Unfortunately, community support for people with disability has not been delivered efficiently and people who don’t meet access to the scheme have been left without support. The NDIS Review will look at what support may be missing from the community as well as redefining NDIS disability access criteria.

Reasonable and Necessary criteria should also be defined more clearly. It is poorly explained and vague – which has led to poor participant planning and review experiences. The NDIS Review will focus on making this clearer for participants and NDIS planners to understand.

More Young Children Entering the NDIS

The review has found:

• there is a distinct lack of support for children with disability outside the NDIS, putting pressure on the Scheme and leaving parents fighting to get their children into it
• the original estimates for children entering the scheme were quite low and
• more children are receiving early intervention support and continuing to access the Scheme than predicted.

The review will continue to look at what is the best way to support children with disabilities and their families.

The NDIS Market and Sustainability

The NDIS Review has found that competition in the NDIS market is of poor quality, innovation, and diversity. For participants in remote areas, there is limited availability and a lack of choice and control over the supports they receive. It’s been found that the market system is not inclusive, and in fact creates negative experiences for participants, their families, and the community.

In April 2023, the National Cabinet committed to rebooting the NDIS and ensuring its sustainability. The NDIS Financial Sustainability Framework will provide annual growth targets and moderate growth of the scheme in the future.

What We Have Heard NDIS Review Webinar

The NDIS Review Co-Chairs, Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM, as well and Panel Members Professor Kirsten Deane OAM and Mr Douglas Herd, shared an in depth update on the progress of the NDIS Review via webinar on July 17.

Key discussion points included:

• the need clearly define ‘Reasonable and Necessary’, including how it relates to people with different and varied disabilities, First Nations people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people living in rural and remote areas
• the importance of Support Workers being appropriately trained and remunerated for the supports they provide
• how to better capture and measure the outcomes of participants’ NDIS goals and
• the sustainability of the scheme, including a focus on measuring its benefits rather than the fear of scheme costs.

What’s Next for the NDIS Review?

The NDIS Review’s final report will go to Disability Ministers in October 2023. Provider Institute will keep you updated on its recommendations.