Policy and Advocacy Disability Update 24 September

NDIS legislation changes

The NDIS is running events across Australia in October and November to explain the changes to the NDIS Act, some of which commence from 3 October 2024. Find out about events here.

NDIS Registration

The Federal Government has announced it will soon begin consultation on key elements of a future NDIS Registration system. They are first looking at requiring all platform providers, support coordinators and Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers to be registered, through changes to NDIS Rules. They will consult on this in October.

Government has also announced they will soon begin consultation on design elements for a broader NDIS Registration model, including how they may define self-directed supports and NDIS Providers. They have stated that “the new model will be designed to uphold the rights of participants who self-direct their supports while providing appropriate visibility of these arrangements to the NDIS Commission.” This is following Government’s receipt of a Final Report from the NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce which recommended that government not require mandatory provider registration, but continue to enable self-managed participants to use unregistered providers under a model where self-managed participants register under the scheme. Read more about this here.

This means that there is no change to unregistered therapy support providers at this stage.OTA will continue to closely monitor developments and will be engaging heavily in consultation opportunities to ensure that OTs do not face any additional regulatory burden to deliver NDIS services. We will keep members updated on any future changes to NDIS Registration to ensure members know about any future changes as soon as possible.

IHACPA NDIS Pricing Review

The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) has begun is work to review the approach to NDIS pricing, as recommended by recommendation 11 of the NDIS Review Final report, and will undertake initial work in 2024-25 to identify opportunities for future reforms to NDIS pricing. IHACPA have noted that their work will not affect the 2024-25 NDIA pricing review (i.e. next year's pricing decision) but will inform future pricing policy. Find out more here.

OTA will be engaging with the review to ensure IHACPA understands the unique work that OTs deliver under the NDIS, the complexities of service delivery and associated business costs, and the need to develop a specialised cost model that addresses current financial pressures and adequately remunerates therapy providers.

Have your say! IHACPA is hosting a series of workshops across the country in October and November for providers, industry and the disability community. We encourage members to attend a session in their area to share their views. Find out more here.

Consultation on Foundational Supports

OTA attended a webinar on 20 September on the Government's consultation on General Foundational Supports. This was not a consultation session but provided high level information about General Foundational Supports and the consultation sessions planned. The Department has released a discussion paper and information sheets, as well as dates for online consultation sessions which are open to providers as well as other stakeholders. The consultation period closes on 30 November. OTA will be engaging in this consultation process, and awaits more information on the consultation on targeted foundational supports. Find out more here.