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Disability Support Beyond the NDIS
Not everyone with a disability is in the scheme
Nic Stuart
May 15, 2025
The abilityNEWS Daily
The Big Story
Beyond the NDIS (image courtesy aabds)
The Forgotten 1.9 Million: Disability Beyond the NDIS
It’s easy to believe the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the full story. It isn’t. The NDIS can’t solve everything by itself. This is the critical thinking behind changing the name of the portfolio to focus on the NDIS, rather than disability issues as a whole.
A landmark study by the Melbourne Disability Institute has just revealed that 2.2 million Australians under the age of 65 are living with disability. But fewer than one in five of them—just 300,000—are NDIS participants. That leaves a staggering 1.9 million people outside the scheme, mostly reliant on overstretched and inconsistent mainstream services.
And here’s the punchline: a huge number of those people—around 550,000—need help with transport or cognitive and emotional support. Another 300,000 struggle with housework, mobility, or accessing healthcare. Almost 700,000 depend on aids and equipment just to get through the day.
These Australians aren’t invisible. They’re just ignored. They live further from the cities. They’re older, poorer, and more likely to face complex, intersecting disadvantages. And because they’re not on the NDIS, they’re also more likely to fall through the cracks.
The consequences are profound. Families are being pushed to the brink. Without structured supports, informal caregivers face burnout. In turn, this creates pressure for people to enter the NDIS simply to survive—an ironic and avoidable outcome that could drive up costs in the long run.
As policymakers pivot toward “foundational supports” outside the NDIS, this research lands as a wake-up call. We cannot build a just system by designing it only for the most visible. Disability isn’t just a bureaucratic label—it’s a daily reality for millions who aren’t being heard.
We risk two failures: one, letting people languish in silence without support, and two, watching NDIS costs surge when there may be better ways of addressing the fundamental problem.
Either way, action is needed if the disability is to be addressed as an integrated issue. The NDIS by itself can no longer be regarded as a complete solution.
Author’s Note
Today’s Brief (below) includes three stories from three providers about people they’re working for.
We don’t normally run so many of these, but because they remain such a staple of fundraising (and there’s not much else happening), I thought I’d give them a run today.
What do you think? Are these stories, and are they worth putting in the newsletter? Drop us a line at [email protected]
Best, Nic Stuart (Editor, abilityNEWS)
The Briefing
Sophie from Club21
Volunteer profile: Sophie from Club21
By Down Syndrome Australia
Sophie, a psychology student in Ballarat, is one of 82 volunteers supporting Down Syndrome Victoria through its Club21 program. She shares how volunteering brings personal growth, community connection and joy through inclusive social activities with participants.
Summer Foundation says NSW needs standards for livable housing
By Summer Foundation
The Summer Foundation is urging the NSW Government to adopt Livable Housing Design Standards in all new home builds. This follows national calls to ensure future housing can better meet the needs of people with disability and an ageing population.
NDIS employment support giving Jack the skills he needs
Northcott’s Work & Study and Recreation services in Dapto for people with disability provide the ongoing support Jack needs on his journey to independence and adulthood. Since finishing high school, he’s been working hard with Northcott which offers job readiness training and work experience opportunities tailored to the needs of young people with disability.
PWDA Post-Election Online Forum: Hosted by Dr George Taleporos
By People with Disability Australia
People with Disability Australia will hold a national online forum on 28 May to explore the federal election’s impact on disability rights. Hosted by Dr George Taleporos, the event features sector leaders discussing future directions in advocacy and inclusion.
Lived Experience Profile: a star of our corporate photography shoot
By Summer Foundation
Meghan, 38, from Melbourne, shared her story and love of fashion while starring in a recent photo shoot. Working at an op shop and enjoying her community, she felt proud to visually represent her day-to-day life.
Jack from Dapto
Meghan from Summer Foundation
The Wrap
I’m on the NDIS. Here’s what Labor must do to fix it
By Financial Review
The National Disability Insurance Scheme’s future hinges on the Albanese government’s willingness to listen, reform equitably, and invest in all disabled Australians. Yet many of us also feel uncertain about the scheme’s future.
People interviewed by AI for jobs face discrimination risks, Australian study warns
By Guardian Australia
Job candidates having to conduct interviews with AI recruiters risk being discriminated against if they have non-American accents or are living with a disability, a new study has warned. Dr Natalie Sheard, a University of Melbourne law school researcher, warns the use of AI hiring systems to screen and shortlist candidates risks discriminating against applicants, due to biases introduced by the limited datasets the AI models were trained on.
‘Untrained staff operated ventilators’
By The Australian
A disability provider earning $50m a year from the NDIS was sending out unchecked and untrained staff to operate ventilators and to administer insulin and other medication, a whistleblower alleged more than a year before the firm became the subject of a major investigation.
Quiz: Who was the Prime Minister when the NDIS was introduced?
(a) John Howard (b) Kevin Rudd (c) Julia Gillard
Answer – The idea for the NDIS was germinated by Bill Shorten when Kevin Rudd was Prime Minister. The legislation establishing the scheme was introduced by Julia Gillard.
The Diary
