Your Chance to Shape the NDIS: Consultation Opens on Key Access Changes

Australians are now invited to have their say on proposed changes to how people access the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This consultation is a critical opportunity for NDIS participants, families, carers, and disability service providers to help make access decisions clearer, fairer, and more consistent for everyone.

These reforms aim to strengthen the NDIS and ensure it continues to support those with permanent and significant disability, both now and in the future.

What’s on the Table? Understanding the Proposed Changes

Focus on Functional Capacity, Not Just Diagnosis

One of the biggest shifts being considered is how a person’s ‘functional capacity’ is assessed. This refers to how a disability affects someone’s everyday life and their ability to do daily activities. The goal is to move away from relying primarily on a diagnosis to determine NDIS eligibility.

Instead, the NDIS would use a more standardised approach, focusing on the practical impact of a disability. This includes looking at its permanence and how it affects a person’s life day-to-day.

Making Access Decisions Clearer

The consultation will also explore what evidence should be used to support access decisions. This aims to create a more consistent process for applicants, ensuring everyone understands what’s needed when applying to the scheme.

Discussions will cover how future access decision-making processes could be designed to be more transparent and easier to navigate for all involved.

Why the NDIS is Looking to Change

The recent NDIS Review highlighted that the current access process can be unclear and inconsistent. This includes how rules are applied regarding the permanence of a disability and how it affects someone’s life.

These proposed changes are part of broader efforts to make the NDIS stronger and more sustainable. The aim is to ensure the scheme can continue providing vital support to those who need it most for decades to come.

The Experts Guiding the Reforms

Guiding these important discussions is the Technical Advisory Group for NDIS functional capacity (TAG), established in July 2026. The TAG is tasked with providing independent, evidence-based advice to governments on these reforms.

The group is co-convened by Commonwealth Minister for Health, Disability and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP, and ACT Minister for Disability, Carers and Community Services, Ms Suzanne Orr MLA.

Your Voice Matters: Who Should Get Involved?

The success of these reforms relies heavily on the real-world experiences and insights of the disability community. Feedback will directly inform the work of the TAG and guide its recommendations.

Minister Butler emphasized that “a strong and sustainable NDIS relies on people having confidence that the scheme is supporting those in our community who need it most.” He added that this consultation is “an opportunity for people with disability and the broader community to help shape a more transparent and consistent NDIS access process.”

When discussing the importance of community input, Minister Orr, a TAG Co-Convenor, stated that for the group’s work to be “effective and sustainable, it must be informed by the experience and needs of people with disability, their families, carers and all who support them.”

Minister McAllister also highlighted that “the best reforms are shaped by the people they affect” and encouraged individuals from “a diverse range of backgrounds and communities” to share their perspectives.

How to Have Your Say

This vital consultation is open from August 31 to October 2, 2026. This gives everyone a chance to consider the proposals and contribute their valuable feedback.

To make a submission and learn more about the proposed changes, visit consultations.health.gov.au.

What This Means for You: Next Steps

This is a significant moment for the NDIS and its community. If you are an NDIS participant, family member, carer, advocate, or provider, your input can directly influence how people access the scheme in the future.

Consider how the proposed shift to functional capacity assessments might impact you or the people you support. Think about what makes current access decisions unclear and how they could be improved for everyone. Your experiences are invaluable in shaping a better, more equitable NDIS.

Hazel Chen

I work in marketing and communications for NDISLocal, helping connect NDIS participants, families, and providers with clear, useful information about the sector. I'm passionate about making the NDIS easier to understand and navigate, and about giving disability service providers a platform to reach the people who need them. If you'd like to know more about anything covered in this post, or you're a provider interested in being featured, feel free to get in touch.