No OTs, No NDIS
Every day across Australia, people with disability are missing out on the essential services they rely on as NDIS reforms limit access to qualified occupational therapists.
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About This Campaign
No OTs, No NDIS is a national campaign from Occupational Therapy Australia in response to ongoing major reforms under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that are restricting participant access to essential occupational therapy supports, undermining participant outcomes and increasing pressure on families, communities and our broader support systems.
For years, we have persistently advocated on behalf of our members against NDIS workforce conditions that undermine safe, essential practice by OTs. As reforms continue to undervalue allied health professionals, more participants are going without the essential services they need, with conditions forcing occupational therapists to withdraw from the scheme entirely.
The reforms fundamentally change access to the scheme and supports. The OT role is being removed from assessment pathways, and their therapy role is being scaled back. Yet OTs need to remain central to determining what supports participants need and providing them..
This campaign is a national call to the NDIS and Federal Government to protect participant access to essential occupational therapy services and develop a sustainable workforce model that ensures people with disability can continue to receive the supports they rely on.
The Human Impact
Occupational therapists deliver essential services that are at the very heart of the NDIS. We help people withdisability build independence, participate socially and economically, and live the lives they choose.
Ongoing reforms and chronic underfunding of providers is undermining participant outcomes and increasing pressure on families, communities and our broader support systems.
In 2025, almost 1 in 10 OTs exited the NDIS workforce, affecting over 7000 participants.
Essential home-based services are disappearing, and waitlists are growing fast, particularly in regional and remote communities.
When people with disability cannot access the essential supports they need, the long-term harm is profound and extends far beyond the NDIS. Pressure increases across health and hospital systems, aged care, crisis supports and informal care networks, driving poorer outcomes for families and communities.
When OTs are forced out of the scheme, it is participants who pay the price.
The NDIS simply cannot function without a strong, supported OT workforce.
Be an Advocate
Our Campaign Roadmap
The No OTs, No NDIS campaign is Occupational Therapy Australia’s response to an ongoing pattern of systemic issues affecting occupational therapists and participants under the NDIS. It represents our sustained efforts to drive meaningful change and set the agenda for a stronger, fairer NDIS.
Phase 1
Building momentum
Here in the launch phase of the campaign, we focus on building awareness of the OT workforce crisis and helping the community and key decision-makers understand its impact. During this phase we undertake actions that will:
- Raise awareness
- Grow the campaign supporter base
Next Phase
Phase 2
Sustaining pressure and strengthening our voice
In this phase we work to maintain and build momentum, delivering actions that will:
- Grow and strengthen our relationships with decision-makers
- Keep pressure on decision-makers to engage and act
- Engage with campaign supporters to grow our collective voice
Phase 3
Driving systemic reform and lasting change
This is the phase of the campaign where we turn momentum into lasting change. As advocacy rarely moves in a straight line, and this campaign covers multiple issues under the NDIS, some elements of Phase 3 may occur while Phase 2 activities continue. During this phase we will see:
- Reforms that improve conditions for OTs and protect participants
- Structures, policies and supports embedded in the NDIS that create long-term stability
Policy Submissions
You can view our recent OTA policy submissions relating to the NDIS here.
