NDIS Bill Inquiry extended: Our advocacy in action

The Senate Inquiry into the NDIS Bill has been extended to 14 August, following advocacy from SPA, people living disability, politicians, and others across the sector. The Committee has extended the date to provide submissions to 10 July. 

Why this matters

Originally, the consultation period for this reform was just 11 days – far too short for meaningful engagement on changes that will shape the future of the NDIS.  

SPA raised this concern with the Senate Committee. Our submission emphasised that limited consultation risks policies that do not reflect real-world experiences or service delivery challenges.  

The Inquiry’s interim report cited SPA’s concerns about the timeframe, and we welcome the extension. 

Amendments to the NDIS Bill

New amendments have been made to the Bill, including: 

- limiting the Minister’s power to make broad funding cuts to several support categories, - increasing transparency around automated decision-making,  

- protecting people from being required to undergo restrictive practices to access the NDIS 

-reducing the duration of some transitional rule-making powers.  

These amendments do not remove the Minister’s proposed power to reduce funding for Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living supports, which includes many therapy-related supports. We are actively advocating around this issue with a range of politicians to try and secure a change.

Our advocacy continues

This extra time is critical. We have secured meetings with various Senators' offices and will continue to push to: 

  • strengthen the definition of functional capacity to reflect how people experience communication and swallowing difficulties in real-world contexts 

  • require functional capacity assessments to involve qualified allied health professionals and be communication accessible 

  • ensure ‘effective and beneficial’ decisions reflect the full range of high-quality evidence 

  • replace Ministerial pricing powers with an independent pricing body 

We’ll continue to update you with key developments, further opportunities to contribute, and implications for participants and your practice. 

How you can get involved

Advocacy is strongest when we act together. 

Were you unable to make a submission to the Senate Inquiry before the first closing date? You can do this by 10 July on the Senate Committee website. 

Join SPA’s campaign to call on Federal MPs and Senators to protect access to speech pathology services for NDIS participants.  

Share your case study that shows the impact of speech pathology in the NDIS. 

Express your interest to participate in ongoing provider engagement activities related to changes across the NDIS. This includes opportunities to test new systems, contribute to group consultations or interviews, and complete surveys.  

Revisit our submission and advocacy work to date .