No OTs, No NDIS: Pay Us Fairly
OTA needs your voice. Sign our petition and email your MP.
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OTs are working harder than ever – and being paid less in real terms
NDIS pricing is stuck in 2019. Travel funding has just been cut. Now, participants are missing out.
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) has just released its 2025–26 Annual Pricing Review—and it’s a breaking point for both therapists and participants.
- Therapy support rates have been frozen for the seventh year in a row.
- Travel claiming for OTs has been slashed by 50%.
This isn’t belt-tightening—it’s dismantling access. Occupational therapists are already walking away from the NDIS because they simply can’t cover their costs. Those who remain are being forced to reduce services, narrow where they work, or step back entirely.
And its participants—especially those in regional and outer-metro areas—who are being left behind.
What’s the Impact?
- More than 8% of OTs have already exited the NDIS market, affecting over 7,000 participants.
- Essential home-based services are disappearing, including assistive tech assessments, home modifications, and functional evaluations.
- OTs are burning out, and practices are closing, unable to keep up with costs that have risen dramatically since 2019.
- Waitlists are growing fast, particularly in under-served communities.
This isn’t just short-sighted. It’s dangerous. When funding doesn’t reflect reality, services vanish—and people get left behind.
The NDIA made this decision without consulting OTs, participants, or provider bodies. They ignored warnings that 1 in 5 therapy providers may close. That’s not oversight. It’s neglect.
The NDIS was built on the promise of choice and control. But without fair pricing, that promise is being broken.
We Need Your Help to Turn This Around
Occupational Therapy Australia is calling for:
- An immediate price uplift of at least 7% to address urgent viability issues for OTs and other allied health providers.
- A fit-for-purpose allied health costing model, to ensure future pricing decisions reflect the real business costs of these specialised, non-medical services.
- A reversal of the 50% travel rate cut, which threatens the sustainability of mobile, home-based and rural services and may force providers to withdraw from regional communities.
Sign our petition!
- An immediate price uplift of at least 7%
- A fit-for-purpose allied health costing model
- A reversal of the 50% travel rate cut
Email your MP
Use our platform to email your local MP with our prepared template - it will be sent directly to your MP and NDIS decision-makers. You can tailor the message using your own words and experiences.
