Speech Pathology Australia says the NDIA's recommendation to freeze speech pathology price limits for a 7th
consecutive year fails to address the growing gap between the cost of delivering services and what the NDIS pays, and
compounds the impact of sweeping structural reforms already reshaping the scheme.
The pricing schedule arrives as participants also face a proposed 10% reduction to Capacity Building budgets from
October 2026 – the primary source of funding for most NDIS therapy.
Together, these changes create a double impact on access: the NDIS price freeze for a 7th year makes services
increasingly unsustainable to deliver, while reduced budgets limit what participants can afford to purchase. In
practice, this means fewer available providers, fewer therapy sessions, and longer delays for participants who rely on
speech pathology.
Once again, cost containment is being prioritised over participants’ access to vital speech pathology supports that
are critical to communication, development, participation and safety.
Pricing and reforms that erode access to essential supports are fundamentally at odds with the purpose of the NDIS:
enabling people with disability to participate in everyday life, exercise choice and control and achieve their
goals.
Speech Pathology Australia's member data shows 76% of respondents already reporting that current NDIS pricing does not
cover the cost of delivering services. When pricing falls below the cost of service provision, providers are forced to
reduce services, limit intake or withdraw from the NDIS altogether, and it is participants who bear the
consequences.
Speech Pathology Australia recognises the need for the NDIS to be financially sustainable, but frozen pricing that
undermines a sustainable provider market risks higher costs in the long term by reducing timely access to
supports.
Speech Pathology Australia is calling for urgent reconsideration of the pricing recommendation to prevent market
failure and protect participant access.