NDIS news and policy updates
Plain-English explainers of NDIS policy changes, pricing updates, and reforms — and what they mean for participants and providers.
NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026-27: every rate that changed
On 1 July 2026 the NDIA replaced the Pricing Schedule and Price Limits with the NDIS Pricing Schedule. Support worker rates rose 4.8% to $73.58 an hour and psychology 8.6% to $252.99, while occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, support coordination and plan management were all frozen — and dietetics, exercise physiology and the “other professional” item were cut. The full old-vs-new comparison, read straight from the 98-page NDIA schedule.
NDIS registration in September 2026: what is now law, what is not, and the 1 October deadline
The NDIS Commission has written to more than 285,000 unregistered providers, four weeks before the 1 October SIL application deadline. A status check on every measure: what commenced on 27 August under the new Act, what the penalties actually are under a second Act in force since April (a strict-liability offence and a 10,000-penalty-unit civil penalty the Commission's own SIL page doesn't mention), why the Rules say “before” 1 October where the guidance says “by”, and which measures — including the plan-management panel — have no commencement date at all.
NDIS changes 2026: what the new bill means for participants — and when
The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill 2026 — now law, having received Royal Assent on 20 August 2026 as Act No. 66. A calm, dated breakdown of what changes and when, 2026 to 2030: the new functional-capacity access test and "all appropriate treatment" rule, plan-budget resets from October 2026, the end of fund rollover, Thriving Kids for under-9s, the provider registration timeline, and the ~$36-38bn in projected savings. With a full timeline table and what to do now.
Six months of the 2025-26 PAPL: what changed in practice
The PAPL took effect 24 November 2025. Six months in: support worker rates that held, weekend loadings that bit, plan management at $104.45/mo and where the value sits, the "uncapped Level 3" transport myth busted, the cancellation rule that still trips participants, travel charge disputes, and what's pending in the July 2026 rollover. With invoice-verification checklist.
Budget 2026-27: NDIS gets $37.8bn savings target, $1.7bn reform investment, Thriving Kids $2bn
The Budget put costed numbers on Butler's 22 April reform: $37.8bn savings over 4 years, $182.6M provider regulation reform, mandatory registration progressing, $49.4M plan management commissioning, planning framework April 2027, eligibility shift January 2028, Thriving Kids $2bn. With per-audience action guide.
NDIS overhaul April 2026: Butler's $15bn savings plan explained
160,000 people leaving the scheme, diagnosis gateway replaced with needs assessments, plan rollovers ending, personal care providers must register, new digital payment system, 30% cut to intermediaries, $200m community fund, and Thriving Kids. The full explainer.