OTA recently attended the 2025 DSC NDIS Conference in Melbourne on 20 and 21 May, which highlighted three critical challenges facing the disability sector: NDIS pricing issues, delays in foundational supports, and a growing lack of trust within the sector.

The varied program across 2 days included an address form newly appointed NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister, NDIS Commissioner Louise Glanville, and Assistant Commissioner Natalie Wade, and experts and commentators from across the Australian disability sector on the reform of the NDIS and future challenges across areas like AI, behaviour support and employment and housing options.

The conference highlighted three critical challenges facing the disability sector: NDIS pricing issues, delays in foundational supports, and a growing lack of trust within the sector.

NDIS pricing issues: Ongoing financial strain on providers

The continued freeze on most NDIS price limits has left many providers grappling with financial instability. Ability Roundtable Chief Operating Officer Michael Bink presented to the conference on the financial performance of the sector from their benchmarking, which represents 90 of the NDIS’s largest registered providers.

Their data shows that there are significant financial issues occurring across providers of all sizes, with providers across all sizes operating below sustainable levels. Providers with turnover of between $100m and $150million reported the biggest losses but all large providers are under significant strain. Their data shows that services delivering therapy supports are accruing the biggest losses, with median losses of 10.2%.

From their calculations, all providers in the sector require a pricing uplift of at least 7% to meet current losses and address inflationary pressures. See his presentation here.

The sector is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the 2025 annual Pricing Review from the NDIA on 11 June 2025, but sentiment at the conference showed that many are not expecting any investment despite data and advocacy showing the precariousness of the current provider market.

Delays in foundational supports: Lack of clarity for those with unmet needs

Foundational supports, which were recommended by the NDIS Independent Review to support Australians who are not eligible for the NDIS, were also a major topic of discussion and speculation. Many speakers expressed frustration at the lack of clarity from government on what these will look like and highlighted their concerns that state governments may fail to provide the necessary funding to ensure these supports meet actual community need due to a challenging budget environment across most states and territories.

Initially set for a July 1 2025 rollout, comments from new NDIS Minister Mark Buter this week confirmed that they will be delayed, citing ongoing negotiations between federal and state governments. This uncertainty has left many individuals without the necessary support, exacerbating existing challenges within the sector. Speakers from the Grattan Institute and Autism Awareness Australia noted that early investment is key to reduce longer terms costs on the health and hospital systems, and that service interconnectedness will be key.

Lack of trust: Erosion of confidence in the NDIS

Views shared across both days also confirmed that trust in the NDIS is at an all-time low. Advocates and participants expressed concerns over the increasing focus on scheme finances rather than participant needs, which demonstrates that the scheme is moving further and further away from its original vision and promise.

This shift has led to a perception that the NDIS is more about bureaucracy than about supporting people with disabilities. Disability advocates told attendees that they are tired after years of ongoing consultations that are yet to result in any meaningful reforms that will improve services or result in changes that support those who currently have no support.

These core messages from across the two days of the DSC NDIS Conference underscored the urgent need for more clarity from government on the direction of the reforms, and commitment to work collaboratively with participants to address these challenges.

These insights will help inform OTA’s ongoing advocacy efforts, which include calls to government to slow the pace of current reforms, ensure accessible and OT specific services are established before changes are made, provide more information and funding for the sector, and for government to make a meaningful commitment to co-design the changes with participants and clinicians.