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A key quote in this morning’s AFR sums up all you need to know:

“A senior Coalition source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the government has agreed to delay planned NDIS spending cuts in exchange for ramming the tax package through the Senate this month.”

Labor has found the problem with governing by spreadsheet.

The government booked $37.8 billion in NDIS savings over four years in the Budget. It introduced Mark Butler’s reform bill. But then it tried to drive the legislation through Parliament before consulting the disability community or even thinking about the cuts.

They were crafted with one simple desire: making savings.

That’s why they were badly composed; and that’s why they’ve now been reduced to nothing more than a bargaining chip. The AFR reports Labor will delay the NDIS legislation for at least a month to secure Greens support for its tax package, while still hoping the Coalition will eventually carry the NDIS bill.

This is a Butler failure. The minister promised to save the Scheme. Instead, he allowed a horribly designed package to go forward, which has left the government badly exposed.

Labor has lost control of the timetable.

Butler could be forgiven for asking who is responsible for such a badly drafted bill?

[continued on the abilityNEWS website]

Bottom line up front: This week is no longer just about whether the Senate inquiry report criticises the NDIS bill; it is about what the government will trade to get the numbers to pass the Budget.

Why this matters: Evidence has already damaged the bill and further delay changes the politics. That becomes leverage to extract alterations. The Greens can properly claim they forced more scrutiny, as can the Coalition. Labor can still try to bank the savings later but has lost the clean passage it wanted.

Data Watch: The key budget figure is now the cost of time. Nine/Fairfax reporting says Treasury estimates show a one-year pause would wipe out about $17 billion in expected savings over the forward estimates.

The report is now expected on 23 June, giving the government only a narrow window before Parliament rises.

ACCC penalises NDIS provider over misleading funding ad
The ACCC says WeFlex Pty Ltd, an NDIS-registered fitness support company, paid a $19,800 penalty after an infringement notice over an ad that allegedly suggested personal training was automatically covered by NDIS funding.
Source: ACCC

NDIA advisory group tests support needs assessment
The NDIA’s Supported Decision Making Advisory Group summary says members gave feedback on supported decision-making training.
Source: NDIS

Brian Cooper says compensation should not automatically reduce NDIS support

Brian Cooper argues the Dane Waites case exposes a difficult distinction in NDIS compensation rules: whether a payout recognised past abuse and harm, or whether it included money for future disability-related supports that would otherwise be funded by the Scheme. He says only the care-and-support component should be relevant to NDIS recovery, warning that reducing support where compensation was primarily for abuse risks confusing justice with disability funding.
Source: Brian Cooper — LinkedIn

Ability First Australia and Alliance20 to merge under one national provider alliance

Ability First Australia says 10 not-for-profit providers from Alliance20 will join Ability First, creating what it describes as Australia’s largest not-for-profit disability industry alliance, with 25 providers represented. The merger is expected to be completed by July 2026 and is being framed as a way to strengthen the provider sector’s national voice on participant outcomes, practical reform and the long-term sustainability of the NDIS.
Source: Ability First Australia

NDIS reforms face delay as Greens play hardball on budget
The AFR reports the government may delay its NDIS legislation for at least a month to secure Greens support for budget tax changes, turning the bill’s timetable into a live Senate bargaining chip.
Source: Australian Financial Review | Paywall: Yes

Butler’s plans to bank billions in NDIS savings thrown into doubt
Nine/Fairfax reporting says a second delay to the Senate committee report has exposed growing political resistance to reforms Labor says are essential to bank major budget savings.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Paywall: Likely

NDIS parliamentary inquiry: Report delayed again, people with disabilities urge changes
The Nightly reports disability advocates are urging the government to rethink its NDIS reform plan after the Senate inquiry report was delayed again, with the report now expected on 23 June.
Source: The Nightly | Paywall: Unknown

Government’s National Disability Insurance Scheme overhaul stalled by second report delay
News.com.au reports the government’s planned overhaul has hit another delay, with the Senate inquiry report pushed back again as Labor seeks a path through the Senate.
Source: News.com.au | Paywall: No

The NDIS has given Joe vital social skills. Funding cuts leave his mother fearing how he will ‘do life’
Guardian Australia profiles Joe Barham, a young man with Down syndrome whose family fears proposed cuts to social and community participation will remove the supports that help him build independence and routine.
Source: Guardian Australia | Paywall: No

Dane’s payout for historical sexual abuse meant the NDIS slashed his funding. He and his mum are fighting back
Guardian Australia reports on Dane Waites, whose NDIS plan was reduced after a historical sexual abuse compensation payment, raising broader questions about how compensation reduction rules affect people with profound disability.
Source: Guardian Australia | Paywall: No

Queensland charity closes ‘life-changing’ NDIS employment support program the ORCA Project
ABC News reports Wesley Mission Queensland will close the ORCA Project, an employment-readiness program for young people with disability, citing an ‘increasingly complex’ NDIS environment.
Source: ABC News | Paywall: No

NSW sets up NDIS detour with $600m for autistic kids
The Australian reports NSW is preparing a $600 million-plus jump-start for services designed to divert autistic children away from the NDIS, with state funding and Commonwealth responsibility still politically live.
Source: The Australian | Paywall: Yes

500pc increase in ‘neurodivergent’ students in past three years
The Australian reports a sharp increase in young people reporting mental illness and disability at a Queensland university, linking the trend to wider policy pressure over disability supports.
Source: The Australian | Paywall: Yes