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October 2025

NDIA Sector Update – 31/10/25

Have your say on recent NDIS changes

The NDIA is inviting feedback on recent NDIS changes, including updates to support lists, funding amounts, and funding periods. Two short surveys are open from Thursday, 30th October to Friday, 14th November for NDIS participants, nominees, plan managers, support coordinators and psychosocial recovery coaches.

The surveys are anonymous, voluntary, and take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Completing a survey will not affect anyone’s plan or funding.

Participants who have opted in for updates will receive the survey by email. Provider surveys are also being emailed directly.

For more information, contact the NDIA by calling 1800 800 110 or emailing researchprojects@ndis.gov.au.

New Short Term Respite guideline

The NDIA has released a new Short Term Respite guideline. This replaces the term Short Term Accommodation to better reflect the purpose of the support — giving participants and their informal supports beneficial time apart to help sustain caring relationships.

The update clarifies who the support is for, what it includes, how it should be used, and how decisions are made. There are no changes to how the support is funded or claimed. Feedback from participants, families, and carers helped shape this change.

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CALD) Strategy Annual Report 2024–25

The NDIA has released the first annual report on the CALD Strategy 2024–2028, which aims to remove barriers for culturally and linguistically diverse communities accessing the NDIS.
Key achievements include:

Find out more on the NDIS website.

First Nations Market and Sector Development Strategy

Work is underway on the First Nations Market and Sector Development Strategy, which aims to increase access to culturally safe supports and grow First Nations provider capability. A discussion paper is available on NDIS Engage, and roundtables will be held across Australia in November and December 2025. Providers can register interest or submit feedback via FNmarketandsector@ndis.gov.au.

Continence Provider List – expressions of interest open

Providers are invited to apply to join the NDIS Continence Provider List. Expressions of interest are open until 30 June 2027 or until withdrawn. Details are available on NDIS Engage.

Annual Long Form Outcomes Survey

The annual Long Form Outcomes Framework Survey is open from Monday, 20th October to Friday, 19th December 2025. It collects information from participants, families, and carers to measure progress and outcomes, and to compare experiences with the wider Australian community. More information is available on the NDIS website and NDIS Engage.

Provider Quarterly Report – School Leaver Employment Supports

The latest School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) Provider Quarterly Report shows outcomes for 7,580 participants.
Of the 2,262 participants who exited support:

  • 21% gained open employment

  • 12% moved into study or volunteer work

  • 3% entered supported employment.

The report highlights that targeted training and work experience significantly improve employment outcomes. An Outcomes by Providers report is also available to help participants compare results. Feedback can be sent to participant.employment@ndis.gov.au

Provider portal access – transition to myID and RAM

From Monday, 10th November 2025, all NDIS providers and authorised employees must access provider portals using myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). Access through PRODA has now ended.

More detailed information, including a step-by-step guide to assist providers to make this transition, is available on the NDIS website.

Register for an information session about these changes: myID and RAM – Information session for providers.

Providers can contact the National Contact Centre on 1300 311 675 for assistance.

Co-design updates

The NDIA continues to share updates about co-design activities with the disability community. The latest summary is available on NDIS Engage.

IAC First Nations Reference Group bulletin

The Independent Advisory Council (IAC) First Nations Reference Group met on Thursday, 25 September 2025. Discussions included NDIS plan changes, funding periods, barriers to access, participant communications, and coordination with healthcare services.
An Easy Read bulletin is available on the NDIS website.

NDIS events and webinars

The NDIA and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing are hosting a New Way of Planning webinar series in November and December. Register for a 4-part webinar series on the new way of planning and the support needs assessment process. This will be co-hosted with the Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing.

Other events include:

Understanding the NDIS: Overview of changes to NDIS for participants, families and carers

This webinar helps participants, families, and carers understand recent changes to NDIS legislation – including what’s new, what’s changed, and what’s still to come.

Upcoming sessions:

  • Thursday, 13th November, 5pm to 6pm AEST

  • Thursday, 20th November, 12pm to 1pm AEST

Visit Humanitix to learn more and register.

Understanding the NDIS: Using an NDIS Plan

This webinar supports participants, families, and carers to get the most out of their NDIS plan. It covers:

  • support budgets and how to use them

  • what to expect at a plan implementation meeting

  • how to find providers and understand pricing

  • tips for managing your plan budget.

Upcoming sessions:

  • Wednesday, 19th November, 5pm to 6pm AEST

  • Thursday, 27th November, 12pm to 1pm AEST

Find out more and register via Humanitix.

NDIA Sector Update – 17/10/25

Share your thoughts with the NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee

The NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee is seeking feedback from the disability community as it reviews six types of supports to ensure they are safe, effective and provide good value for money. The supports under review include:

  • Active passive trainers

  • Assistance animals for Autistic people or people with intellectual disability

  • Psychiatric assistance dogs

  • Seizure alert dogs

  • Exercise physiology

  • Smart home appliances for cooking, cleaning or gardening.

People who use or research these supports, or use similar supports, are encouraged to share their experiences. Feedback will inform the committee’s advice to government. Public consultation closed on Sunday, 9th November 2025. More information is available on the Department of Health consultation page.

Updated NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2025–26

The NDIA has released updated Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL), effective Monday, 24th November 2025. The updates include:

  • New price limits for art and music therapists, following the independent review

  • Updated descriptions for “Other Professional” supports

  • Removal of the COVID Addendum and related items

  • Updates to the Modified Monash Model classifications

  • Annual SDA pricing indexation updates

  • Alignment with the current NDIS Supports Lists.

The updated documents and support catalogues can be downloaded from the Pricing Arrangements page on the NDIS website.

New Therapy Supports guideline

A new Therapy Supports guideline has been released to help participants, providers and the community understand how the NDIA makes decisions about therapy supports.
The guideline explains:

  • What therapy supports are and who can deliver them

  • What can and cannot be funded by the NDIS

  • How to include therapy supports in a participant plan

  • What to do if a funding decision is disputed.

Therapy supports must be evidence-based, lead to functional improvements, and be delivered by qualified allied health professionals who meet registration requirements in the PAPL.

The guideline also clarifies funding rules for art and music therapy and for support workers who assist participants in community activities. It applies to participants aged 9 years and over.

National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention

The National Best Practice Framework for Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) helps families and carers understand what to expect from early intervention services.
It outlines:

  • The role of families and carers as experts on their child

  • How supports should reflect a child’s needs and family priorities

  • The goals, outcomes and principles guiding best practice

  • Families’ right to timely, accurate and trusted information.

Resources are available through the Department of Social Services and the NDIS websites.

Provider portal access changes

From Monday, 10th November 2025, all NDIS providers and authorised employees must use myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) to access NDIS provider portals. Access through PRODA has now ended. These changes improve account security and identity verification.

A detailed step-by-step transition guide and video resources are available on the NDIS website, along with registration for information sessions.

Home and Living supporting evidence form no longer in use

The Home and Living supporting evidence form has been removed to reduce paperwork and make plan changes easier. Participants can now request plan changes by:

Ombudsman report: Actions Speak

The Commonwealth Ombudsman has released Actions Speak, a report reviewing NDIA’s progress on the Participant Service Guarantee and communication about access and planning timeframes. The report includes the NDIA’s response and an update on recommendations from 2022 and 2023. Both the report and a statement from Acting CEO Scott McNaughton are available on the NDIS website.

Justice Advisory Panel

The Justice Advisory Panel provides expert advice on policy and systemic issues that affect people with disability involved in the justice system, particularly around transitions from custody and reintegration into the community. More information about the Panel’s work is available on the NDIS website.

Update to Your Plan guideline

The Your Plan guideline has been updated to include information about the two-year claim timeframe and to clarify existing examples. The updated guideline is available online.

Co-design updates

The NDIA continues to share updates about co-design work with the disability community. Current focus areas include the Children’s Pathway Parent and Carer Engagement Group, Participant Pathway Experience, and Participant Safeguarding. Meeting summaries and updates are available below:

Children’s Pathway Parent and Carer Engagement Group.

Participant Pathway Experience

Participant Safeguarding.

NDIS events and webinars

The NDIA is holding regional community forums and free online webinars in November 2025. Community forums in Townsville (Tuesday, 29th October) and Charters Towers (Wednesday, 30th October) covered recent NDIS changes and provided an opportunity for local representatives to share feedback.

Upcoming “Understanding the NDIS” webinars include sessions on:

NDIA Sector Update – 03/10/25

NDIS support transition period ending

The 12-month transition period for the NDIS support lists ended on 2 October 2025. Since October 2024, the NDIA has helped participants understand what can and cannot be purchased with NDIS funding. There are three lists:

During the transition, no debts were raised for first or second purchases of non-NDIS supports under $1,500. From Friday, 3rd October 2025, if funding is used for items that are not NDIS-supported, participants may need to repay the cost. The NDIA will continue to take personal circumstances into account and may offer debt waivers or payment plans. More information is available on the NDIS website under “Supports funded by the NDIS.”

Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

On Tuesday, 2nd September 2025, the Minister for Disability and the NDIS requested a parliamentary review of the Thriving Kids initiative. The House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability is leading the inquiry. A public survey about families’ and carers’ experiences supporting children with additional needs was open until Friday, 10th October 2025. Further details and background information are available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

A new way of planning for the NDIS

The NDIA is developing a new approach to planning, beginning in mid-2026. A key feature will be the Support Needs Assessment, designed to identify what supports a person needs rather than focusing only on impairments.
This assessment will:

  • Be a standard step in planning

  • Support fairer, needs-based budgets

  • Be inclusive, trauma-informed and culturally appropriate.

The NDIA is partnering with the University of Melbourne and the Centre for Disability Studies to use the I-CAN assessment tool, a validated model already used in other disability programs. This change responds to recommendations from the NDIS Review and aims to make planning simpler, clearer, and fairer. Ongoing consultation with people with disability and families will continue into 2026.

Closing of the improvements website

The NDIS improvements website has now closed. All content and resources have been moved to the NDIS website to make information easier to find. Redirects from the old site began in late September, and the site was permanently closed on Thursday, 9th October 2025.

Review of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard

The NDIA is reviewing the SDA Design Standard to ensure new housing meets participant needs and aligns with current building and accessibility standards. Participants, families, support workers, and industry experts can provide feedback through consultation sessions planned for late 2025. More information and registration details are available on the SDA Design Standard webpage.

Co-design updates

The NDIA continues to publish regular updates on its co-design work with people with disability and the wider community. The August Navigator Co-design Working Group meeting summary is now available on the NDIS Engage website.

Independent Advisory Council updates

A new Easy Read bulletin from the Independent Advisory Council (IAC) First Nations Reference Group is now available. The group discussed updates from the Garma Festival, the work of the NDIA’s First Nations Group, and the IAC Justice Steering Group.

NDIS events and webinars

Free “Understanding the NDIS” webinars continue through November 2025. Sessions cover:

  • Changes to NDIS legislation

  • Applying to the NDIS

  • Using and managing an NDIS plan.

Registration links are available below:

Understanding the NDIS: Using an NDIS Plan

Video resources

Three short videos are available on YouTube to explain changes to the NDIS Act:

The NDIA will continue to update these resources as new information becomes available.