02/07/2025
Yesterday, the new NDIS Pricing Arrangements officially came into effect, changes that will have significant impacts on how Occupational Therapy services are delivered.
This morning, I had the opportunity to meet with the office of the Hon. Madeleine King MP, alongside four Occupational Therapists working across the Rockingham and greater Brand electorate.
We came together to raise serious concerns about how NDIS pricing and policy decisions are impacting our ability to continue providing essential OT services in this region.
One of the takeaways from this meeting was how little is truly understood about what Occupational Therapists actually do. Brand has long struggled to employ and retain OTs due to the social and functional complexities of the clients we support. Our clients deserve choice and control not just any therapist, but one with the right skillset for their needs.
To be clear: OTs develop highly specialised knowledge in specific areas of practice over years of working and additional training after graduation. Just as you wouldn’t ask a neurosurgeon to perform an orthopaedic procedure simply because both are doctors, you can’t expect all OTs to do all types of OT work. Matching clients with appropriately skilled therapists is essential for safe, effective, and ethical care. This means that clients may have to outsource OTs beyond the region requiring these therapists to travel.
We also raised the following urgent issues:
🔹 Service withdrawals due to unsustainable travel cuts
With the 50% reduction in travel payments, many providers can no longer afford to service Brand. It’s a large electorate, and most OTs travel in from outside the area.
🔹 $193.93/hour is not take-home pay
This rate covers business costs insurance, CPD, tax, admin, leave (inclusive long service leave) not wages. After expenses, our take-home is far lower.
🔹 Growing waitlists and fewer specialist services
As confirmed by the NDIA’s own Independent Pricing Committee (2025), fewer providers are accepting complex clients due to unsustainable conditions. In Brand, some families are waiting over 18 months for a suitably qualified OT.
🔹 Rising out-of-pocket costs
With a 7-year price freeze and no indexation, more OTs are charging above NDIS rates to remain viable. This shifts the burden to participants many of whom are already facing financial hardship and deepens existing health inequity in outer-metro areas.
🔹 Reduced choice and control for participants
When providers withdraw, participants lose access to the limited number of therapists with the right expertise. This directly undermines the NDIS principle of choice and control and puts vulnerable people at greater risk.
We’re grateful to Madeleine King’s office for listening and look forward to meeting with Madeleine herself in the coming week to continue this important discussion.
