22/04/2026
This is a good summary of Minister Mark Butler's announcements today around future NDIS changes
On April 22 2026, Minister for Health, Ageing and Disability, Mark Butler MP, outlined proposed changes to the NDIS at the National Press Club.
We know many families are feeling worried about what this means. Here's a factual summary of the key points most relevant to children and young people, and their families.
🔸 First, what’s important to know right now
There are no immediate changes to your current NDIS plan today based on today's announcement.
These are proposed changes, with many details still to be worked through.
Some changes could start from the second half of this year, while others won't take effect until 2027 or 2028.
🔸 Why is the government making these changes?
The Minister said the NDIS will continue to grow each year, but that current growth is too fast to be sustainable long-term.
Right now, there are about 760,000 people on the NDIS. Without changes, this is expected to go to over 900,000 by the end of the decade. They want to bring this down closer to 600,000 by 2030.
The government’s aim is to slow the rate of growth and return the scheme to its original intent, focusing on people with significant and permanent disability.
🔸 Who will be eligible for the NDIS going forward?
The government plans to move away from diagnosis-based eligibility (where a specific diagnosis gets you onto the NDIS). Instead, it will move towards assessing eligibility based on functional capacity, meaning how much a person's disability affects their everyday life.
A new assessment tool will continue to be developed over the coming months, with input from a technical advisory group and the disability community. The goal is to have it finalised by the end of 2026.
Minister Butler said that Autistic adults and older children who have lower support needs are likely to be affected because they are the largest cohort on the NDIS, and no diagnosis is being singled out. It's about functional capacity, not the diagnosis itself.
New applicants will be assessed under the new rules from 1 January 2028. Existing participants would be reassessed when their plans come up for renewal after this date.
🔸 What happens to people who come off the NDIS?
The government says it will rebuild local community support services that existed before the NDIS but were wound down when the scheme rolled out.
$6 billion has been set aside (shared 50/50 between the Commonwealth and the states) to fund these ‘foundational supports’ for older children and adults with lower support needs. This is in addition to the $4 billion for Thriving Kids.
The Minister said eligibility changes and the rebuilding of local supports must happen at the same time; people shouldn't be left without options.
🔸 What about children under 9?
The Thriving Kids program, announced last year for children under 9, is already being designed by the Commonwealth, State & Territory governments.
Thriving Kids sits outside the NDIS and is designed to give some younger children support through local, community-based services rather than the NDIS.
See separate post in comments on Thriving Kids changes.
🔸 Changes to plan reviews outside scheduled renewals
Right now, participants can request an early review of their NDIS plan outside of the normal schedule (called ‘unscheduled reassessments’). The government says this is happening too often (around 1 in 5 plans each year).
On average, these reassessments result in a 20% increase in plan value, which is a big driver of spending growth.
Under the proposed changes, early plan reviews will still be possible, but only where there has been a significant change in a participant's circumstances.
🔸 What's changing with funding for social and community participation?
The government is reducing how much is spent on social and community participation supports across the NDIS. This covers things like community outings, social activities, and support workers helping with day-to-day participation in the community.
The Minister acknowledged this will have a real impact on participants.
A new $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund will be set up to help community organisations, including mainstream groups like sporting clubs and arts groups, build their capacity to include people with disability.
These changes are part of the legislation the government wants passed by 30 June 2026, and could start affecting plans in the second half of this year.
🔸 What about funding for daily living?
The Minister was clear that supports for daily living, accommodation, personal care, transport, hygiene, continence, and medication management will not be cut.
🔸 Will there be means testing or co-payments?
No. Both the Minister and the Prime Minister have ruled out means testing and co-contributions (families having to pay part of the cost).
🔸 What's changing for providers, plan managers and payments?
More providers will need to be registered, especially those delivering personal care, daily living supports, and services in closed settings.
Spending on plan managers and other third‑party intermediaries will be cut by 30%, with the government moving to a shortlist of quality‑checked providers that families can choose from.
A new digital payment system will be introduced so every claim has evidence behind it. Right now, 90% of claims have none.
🔸 When is all of this happening?
Budget week (late April/early May 2026): Legislation introduced for proposed changes to control spending. By 30 June 2026: Government wants that legislation passed.
Second half of 2026: Changes to social and community participation funding may start flowing through to plans if legislation is passed.
End of 2026: Government’s aim is to have the new eligibility assessment tool finalised.
1 April 2027: New planning framework rolls out (delayed from July 2026).
1 January 2028: New eligibility rules apply to new applicants and will commence for current participants.
🔸 We appreciate that this is a difficult time for many families, and this announcement can feel really overwhelming. If you need support, you can connect with one of the free, confidential helplines below.
Lifeline
Call 13 11 14
Text 0477 13 11 14
Online chat available via the Lifeline website
https://llaweb-prod-admin.azurewebsites.net/crisis-chat/
Beyond Blue
Call 1300 22 4636
Webchat available via the Beyond Blue website
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/.../talk-to-a-counsellor/chat
🔸 We'll continue to share updates as more details are known.
