OTA presents at Senate Inquiry on Support at Home

OTA appeared before the Senate Community Affairs Committee hearing into the Support at Home aged care program on 3 August. Jessica Szwarcbord, Head of Policy & Advocacy and Jonathan Alley, Senior Policy & Advocacy Advisor (Aged Care) represented OTA at the hearing. The cross-party committee included representatives from the Australian Labor Party, Liberal Party and the Australian Greens.

OTA focused on advocating a stronger clinical role in funding and prioritisation decisions made as part of Support at Home, a more functional Assistive Technology and Home Modifications scheme with a transparent operational pathway, the removal of the AT-HM $15,000 lifetime cap and other barriers to care, such as prohibitive co-contributions. OTA’s testimony regarding the algorithmically based Integrated Assessment Tool was also quoted in Health Services Daily.

OTA also highlighted the essential role occupational therapists play in aged care and the challenges Support at Home is creating to business viability. The Committee reports on Support at Home to the Senate on 24 November.

Safeguarding supports for people with psychosocial disability

On 4 August, OTA attended the Transforming Australia’s Mental Health Service Systems roundtable, Building Foundations on Shifting Sands, held alongside the Mental Health Services annual conference in Sydney.

The roundtable brought together consumer, carer, policy, research and clinical perspectives to consider how Australia can safeguard supports for people with psychosocial disability outside the NDIS. Discussion focused on psychosocial rehabilitation and foundational supports, including what consumers and families need, how services should respond to unmet need and the system changes required.

OTA’s participation provided an opportunity to contribute an occupational therapy perspective and hear from others involved in the reforms. The discussion will inform our ongoing advocacy for a responsive psychosocial support system that helps people manage daily life and participate in their communities.

Read OTA’s recommendations for psychosocial supports here.

OTA presents at Senate Inquiry on NDIS Amendment Bill

OTA appeared before the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee's inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 last week, alongside the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Speech Pathology Australia. Michelle Oliver, Chief Occupational Therapist, Jessica Szwarcbord, Head of Policy & Advocacy, and policy team member Daniel White represented OTA.

This kind of hearing is a rare, high-value opportunity – a direct, on-record moment with the key decision-makers shaping this Bill, at the point in the process when it can carry the most weight.

OTA reaffirmed all 13 recommendations from our original submission and focused the Committee on three priorities:

• requiring assessors to hold relevant health qualifications
• strengthening independent oversight of pricing
• aligning any new registration model with existing obligations

We also raised strong concerns about proposed section 9B, arguing that stripping environmental and personal context from the functional capacity definition means the assessment is no longer a genuine functional capacity assessment as OTs are trained to conduct it.

Senators engaged closely with this evidence. Senator Steele-John confirmed on the record that the Bill’s test would ignore environmental, social and geographic barriers, calling this “deeply concerning”. Senator Pocock probed the practical consequences in detail. By the hearing's end, every allied health witness, including OTA, told the Committee the Bill should not pass in its current form.

A helpful signal from this hearing was strong alignment among allied health professionals: physiotherapy, speech pathology and occupational therapy independently raised near-identical concerns, emphasising the need for amendments prior to the Bill passing.

The Committee reports to the Senate on 14 August.

OTA will be reviewing the final report and continuing to advocate for the essential role of occupational therapy within the NDIS, and protection of access to occupational therapy for participants.

Our No OTs, No NDIS national campaign calls for urgent action to protect access to essential occupational therapy services and support a sustainable OT workforce within the NDIS. Add your voice to the campaign and help protect the future of OT in the NDIS. Join the campaign here.

Upcoming Member Forum: NDIS Reform in 2026 and beyond

This year has brought the most significant changes to the NDIS since the scheme began, and the pace of reform shows no sign of slowing.

All members are invited to join our dedicated online member forum on Thursday 20 August at 12 noon to 1.30pm (AEST) for an update on what these changes mean for occupational therapists, your practice and the participants you support.

Facilitated by Michelle Oliver, OTA's Chief Occupational Therapist, the forum will bring together OTA's Policy & Advocacy Team to explain the latest developments and answer your questions.

Topics will include:

• the NDIS Amendment Bill and its implications for access, plans and compliance
• OTA’s response to the 2026–27 Annual Pricing Review
• the rollout of foundational supports, psychosocial supports and Thriving Kids

There will also be an opportunity to ask questions during our live Q&A. We welcome questions in advance – please email policy@otaus.com.au

This free online event attracts 1.5 CPD hours. Registration is essential. Log in to OTA Connect to secure your spot.

Register now.

Support the NSW Thriving Kids Petition

More than 2,600 people have already signed the NSW Thriving Kids Petition, which OTA launched a few weeks ago with the NSW Allied Health Providers Group. The petition calls for occupational therapists and the broader allied health workforce to be meaningfully included in the design and delivery of Thriving Kids. NSW OTA members, NDIS participants, families, carers and people with lived experience are encouraged to sign by 3 October.

Sign the petition.

NDIS Reforms Consultation Hub

The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing has set up a NDIS Reforms Consultation Hub to house all the consultations on the NDIS reforms. The first consultation is the design of the Inclusive Communities Fund and submissions are open until 31 August.

The Hub also lists the consultations we can expect to see in the coming months, including:

• Market reforms – social/community participation and capacity building
• Commissioning Supported Independent Living (SIL)
• New framework planning and NDIS Supports
• NDIS access changes
• Support coordination and connection

You can find out more and see the consultations here.

Mental health in the spotlight at the National Workers’ Compensation Summit

OTA will be represented at the 27th Annual National Workers’ Compensation Summit in Geelong on 11–12 August. This year’s program has a strong focus on mental health and psychological injury.

OTA member Anna Treloar-Tanner will deliver a presentation on the role of occupational therapists in supporting people experiencing mental health conditions and psychological injury. Her session will showcase the unique contribution and capabilities of mental health occupational therapists and introduce OTA’s Mental Health Endorsement Program.

Learn more about the summit here.