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The Big Story

Advocates Warn New Payment System Erodes Choice and Control

The NDIA has changed the way funding is delivered, sometimes paying for services up to three months after they’re delivered. Support providers say they need the money upfront.

The statement made it seem like a minor matter, just a simple rearrangement to the payment system. The effect’s been dramatic. Under the new system, instead of getting the full budget upfront, money is paid out in installments called 'funding periods'.

Although home and living supports are typically released monthly, most supports now only have funding released every three months in arrears - a massive shift. Service providers now have to find money to provide the services from somewhere else. Even if they do get the money eventually, they will face extra funding costs.

The government has effectively bought itself three-months interest free, by shoving the costs over to service providers.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) states that these changes aim to help participants manage their budgets more effectively and ensure consistent use of funding over the plan's duration.

That’s cold comfort for participants, providers, and advocacy groups, who are angry over the lack of communication, although they’re saying they’re worried about the potential impacts on participants' autonomy and well-being. They were against the new policy from the start, and ask why the NDIA is now implementing measures that appear almost deliberately designed to force them to scale back services.

In response the NDIA has indicated that funding periods are not new and are being introduced gradually, supposedly simply “to support participants in managing their budgets more easily”. The Authority emphasises that funding periods do not change the total amount of funding in a participant's plan, only when the funding becomes available.

Of course, that’s cold comfort while you’re waiting for it to appear in your bank account.

The Briefing

What the sector is saying

Joint Statement on New NDIS Funding Periods – Every Australian Counts and Disability Rights Organisations

by NDIA

From May 2025, the NDIS will stagger funding into short-term periods. Instead of receiving their full budget upfront, participants’ funding will now be released in installments called ‘funding periods’. Disability groups warn the change limits flexibility, undermines autonomy, and was introduced with minimal communication or consultation.

Podcast: working in higher education

by Disability Innovation Institute UNSW

Emily Gaspar shares her research which aims to explore the employment experiences of disability services practitioners, who identify as disabled, and work at institutions of higher education in Australia. The comparative research looks to build knowledge around how to enable greater inclusive and accessible campuses.

Podcast: Two expert lawyers unpack NDIS funding changes and legal rights.

by Summer Foundation

Two prominent disability rights lawyers break down recent changes to NDIS funding rules affecting plan length and support lists. The episode highlights examples and options for participants to challenge decisions that restrict personalised disability support.

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by Physical Disability Australia

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by NDSP Plan Managers

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The Wrap

The latest stories

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by ABC

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by Mansfield Courier

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by Daily Telegraph

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The Diary

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