New NDIS registration rules: Hireup champions participant choice

NDIS Registration Changes Ahead: How to Keep Your Trusted Support Relationships

A new campaign by Hireup, one of Australia’s largest online platforms connecting people with disability and older Australians with support workers, is shining a spotlight on a big concern for the NDIS community: upcoming changes to NDIS support worker registration.

The campaign, titled ‘Your life, supported’, features members of Hireup’s own community. It aims to highlight how participants can keep the support teams they know and trust, and how support workers can maintain their flexibility, even as new rules come into play.

Running across New South Wales, the campaign will appear on TV, radio, digital channels, and outdoor advertising until late November.

Understanding the NDIS Registration Changes

Significant changes are on the horizon for NDIS support. From July 1, 2027, expanded mandatory registration requirements are expected to begin for many individuals and businesses providing NDIS-funded disability support.

These changes are part of broader government efforts to strengthen quality and safeguards within the NDIS, ensuring all services are delivered safely and ethically. While the exact details are still being finalised, they are set to impact independent support workers and the participants who employ them directly.

What These Changes Could Mean for You

Many independent support workers, who operate with an Australian Business Number (ABN), currently aren’t required to be “registered” with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission in the same way larger disability service organisations are. The upcoming changes are expected to bring more of these workers under a formal registration framework.

This could mean new administrative tasks, compliance requirements, and potential costs for independent workers to meet the standards set by the NDIS Commission. For participants, it raises questions about whether their trusted, long-term support workers will be able to continue providing services.

Voices from the Community: Real Concerns Emerge

Online focus groups conducted by Hireup with independent support workers, NDIS participants, and carers revealed a mix of confusion and worry about the upcoming changes. Many attendees had heard about mandatory registration but struggled to explain who it would apply to, when it would start, or the costs involved.

A significant concern for NDIS participants and families is the potential loss of a support worker who deeply understands their needs, routines, and preferences. “If you’ve had a carer for 10 years and she hasn’t got the money to register, you’re in a hard spot. You don’t want to lose that worker, and I can’t do without support,” shared one participant.

For independent support workers, worries revolved around potentially losing the flexibility and autonomy they value if they had to move to a traditional provider. Others were concerned about taking on the extra administrative and financial burdens of formal registration themselves.

Hireup’s Approach: Choice, Control, and Security

The campaign highlights how Hireup offers an alternative that aims to balance choice and control with the security of working through a registered provider. Hireup employs support workers directly, handling payroll, tax, and superannuation.

This means support workers can still choose who they work with, set their own availability, and build ongoing relationships, without having to navigate the often complex registration, compliance, and administrative requirements that may come with running their own independent business under the new rules.

Jen Dickson, Hireup’s Chief Marketing Officer, emphasised this balance. “We know there’s real uncertainty around registration, and behind those questions are people worried about what they stand to lose. We want support workers to know they have options to keep working on their own terms, and participants to have confidence that they can maintain the trusted relationships that make their support work,” she stated.

What This Means For You

As the NDIS registration changes draw closer, it’s natural to have questions. This campaign highlights one pathway for participants and support workers to navigate the new landscape.

If you’re an NDIS participant, consider discussing these upcoming changes with your support coordinator or plan manager. If you’re an independent support worker, explore your options, whether that’s understanding the new registration requirements for self-employed individuals or looking into platforms like Hireup that offer employment as a registered provider.