NDIS amendments Bill submitted to Parliament
The Bill addresses priority recommendations from the NDIS Review that are aimed to improve both financial sustainability of the scheme and participant experience.
On 27 March 2024, The Minister for the NDIS and Government Services, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, introduced to Parliament the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No.1) Bill 2024.
About the bill
The Bill addresses priority recommendations from the NDIS Review and represents the first tranche of amendments to the NDIS Act 2013, that are aimed to improve both financial sustainability of the scheme and participant experience.
Some key possible changes if the Bill passes include reforming participant pathways onto the NDIS and working towards a unified system of support for people with disability, taking a whole of person approach to participant support needs, and improving service quality and safeguards.
More detail about these proposed changes is provided below.
Accessing the NDIS
NDIA will advise new participants if they are entering the NDIS under:
- the disability requirements
- the new early intervention requirements, or
- both disability and early intervention.
People who join the NDIS through early intervention, particularly children with autism or developmental delay may have shorter-term plans, to allow the agency to see if early intervention is working and reassess their need to be in the scheme.
On the other hand, people with lifelong disability could get plans that last up to five years if the Bill is passed. This is currently one year.
NDIS Budgets
One of the major changes recommended by the NDIS Review was to create ‘holistic’ participant budgets, rather than for individual support items. These changes will enable the creation of a new budget framework for NDIS plans that include flexible budget and stated supports.
New NDIS Rules will set out what flexible budgets can and cannot be spent on, which will make it easier for participants to understand what NDIS supports their funds can buy. Funds will also be given based on how a participant enters the NDIS.
Strengthening the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
The Bill will enable the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to streamline parts of its compliance and enforcement powers, and more tightly regulate accreditation auditors.
When passed, this Bill will enable changes to the NDIS legislation. These changes will mean new NDIS Rules can be created, to enable the recommendations of the NDIS review to be implemented.
The Government has indicated that it will work in a co-design and consultation process with people with disability, their families and carers and the disability community on the changes.
What is next?
You can find more information about the Bill and the changes to the NDIS Act online.
Yooralla will continue to keep the community up to date with any progress and developments on the recommendations of the DRC. Please refer to our NDIS reforms webpage for any updates on the DRC and the NDIS review.