UPDATE: This Bill was passed in August 2024. Read our summary.
On March 27, Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the NDIS, announced that a piece of legislation has been introduced to parliament.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No 1) Bill 2024 (Bill) provides the Government and the disability community with a framework to begin reforming the NDIS.
What's in the Bill
Essentially, the Bill aims to set the stage for future changes to the NDIS to take place, addressing some of the recommendations from the NDIS Review.
These changes focus on access to the NDIS, plans, budgeting, and quality and safety.
Changes include:
- An increased focus on ensuring that every NDIS dollar is put towards support for people with disability, as intended
- Creating a new, more narrow definition of ‘NDIS Supports’, clarifying the type of supports that are funded by the NDIS and those that aren’t.
- Outlining the factors to be considered when making decisions about a person's ability and/or early intervention requirements, as well as elevating the powers given to the NDIS to create clear rules that apply to those decisions
- Providing a clear process for reassessment of NDIS participant status
- Giving more power to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to protect participants.
You can read a summary of the proposed changes on the Department of Social Services website.
Next steps
Many of the changes in the Bill can't happen immediately. This is because they require updates to NDIS Rules and legislative instruments. The Government plans to work closely with the disability community to design and update these rules.
Co-design and consultation
The government will be engaging in a co-design and consultation process, meaning that it will work alongside the disability community to design, make and update NDIS Rules and legislative instruments.
The above will be implemented in stages, with more information being released soon.
For more information on co-designing the reform, you can visit the NDIS website on the Co-designing Reform page.
For more information about having your say, including opportunities to get involved, you can visit the NDIS website on the Have Your Say page.
This article is general in nature and details Mable’s thoughts and opinions. It is not intended to be advice and should not be relied on. Third party links are for reference only and Mable is not responsible for any use of these links or the related content.
