If you’ve felt the NDIS getting a slow haircut under Labor, here’s the uncomfortable truth: it’s not just politicians with the scissors. Senior leadership inside the Agency is holding the cape in place.
A recent report quotes the NDIA telling ministers it’s “critical the agency remain on the timeline if we are to achieve National Cabinet’s annual 8 per cent growth target,” and that it is “committed to implementing the government’s NDIS reform agenda.” In plain English: hold course, hit 8%, keep cutting where needed, even if the community is pushing back.
https://cathnews.com/2025/07/18/disability-agency-says-labor-must-stick-to-timeline-for-ndis-reform/
Inside the building, the picture is just as mixed. There are so many fantastic people all across the NDIA planners included, who care and try hard. But the directive from the top is crystal: every extra dollar in a plan must be fought for. That fight lands on participants’ shoulders. Reports get read for any opening to trim; one sloppy sentence can turn into a shaved hour here, an “alternative” there, a “not reasonable and necessary” somewhere else.
The churn hasn’t helped. Senior leaders like Corri McKenzie, widely respected for listening and co-design, have walked, leaving many to wonder whether the Agency has lost its way. At the same time, the public conversation keeps getting juiced with words like “rorts” and “waste,” painting participants and providers like a problem to be solved, when the overwhelming majority are doing the right thing. With public opinion cold on growth, there’s no political tailwind coming to soften the edges. Don’t expect breathing room soon; this stance is set to continue.
What this means for you (no sugar-coating)
- Assume tight readings of “reasonable and necessary.” If the NDIA sees an opening to cut, it probably will.
- Your evidence needs to work hard: progress notes, functional capacity assessments, and clinician letters must speak directly to your NDIS-relevant disability, tie ongoing supports to permanent baseline functional impairment, and spell out what happens if support stops(safety, function, participation, school/work, community).
- Never let a report imply you’re “fine now.” Avoid phrasing like “no longer requires” or “independent,” unless it’s clearly conditional (for example, independent only with continued supports/equipment). Maintenance and prevention are legitimate outcomes. Say so.
- Have a support coordinator? Lean on them to translate reforms into a prep list for your next meeting. No coordinator? Talk with your LAC. LACs should be across NDIS-wide changes and are the touchpoint for participants without coordinators to understand likely impacts and how to prepare.
- Keep a simple outcomes log yourself: what changed (safer showering, fewer meltdowns, steadier work attendance), how often, and what happens when support is missed.
Feeling the pinch, or are you being dicked around by the NDIA? Feel free to reach out for a straight-talking chat about what’s changing and how to keep your plan well clear of the blades.