Auslan
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 will make changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013.
These changes will protect the NDIS for people with permanent and significant disability and for future generations who will rely on it.
The Senate inquiry into the Bill has been extended until 14 August 2026.
The Australian Government has agreed several amendments in response to feedback from people with disability, families, advocates and organisations.
The amendments aim to:
- strengthen safeguards for NDIS participants
- make the proposed laws clearer and easier to understand
- support the introduction of new arrangements for plan management providers.
This fact sheet summarises key amendments made to the Bill moved and agreed to the Bill in the House of Representatives on 1 July 2026.
Plan suspensions and revocation
Describing reasonable attempts to contact a participant
What the Bill does:
- The Bill states a participant's plan can be suspended if a participant does not respond to reasonable attempts by the NDIA to contact them.
- A participant’s status as a participant can also be revoked if their plan has been suspended for at least 90 days and they are not contactable.
What the amendment changes:
- The amendment clarifies that the NDIA must do the following to demonstrate that ‘reasonable attempts’ have been made to contact the participant:
- contact the participant, their nominee or authorised person directly
- make at least 5 attempts to contact the person through the person’s preferred means of contact
- the first and last attempt at contact must be between 3 and 4 months apart
- These attempts to contact the participant will not count if the participant is in hospital or an institution or is experiencing homelessness.
Permanence
Permanence means people will only be able to access the NDIS if their impairment is permanent (or likely to be permanent).
What the Bill does:
- The Bill clarifies the definition of permanence in the Act, specifying that access will only be granted when all appropriate treatment to remedy or alleviate an impairment has been undertaken and the impairment is likely to be lifelong.
What the amendment changes
- The amendment clarifies the requirement to undertake “all appropriate treatment”. It removes words in the Bill which could be misunderstood as a requirement for individuals to undertake additional treatment even after they have exhausted all appropriate treatment.
- Two changes are also included to help people understand what “appropriate treatment” means:
- The first change makes it clear that “appropriate treatment” is treatment that is regularly undertaken in Australia if public funding is available for that treatment. This includes through Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) or public hospitals.
- The second change makes it clear that restrictive practices do not count as “appropriate treatment”. Restrictive practices are any practices that limit the rights and freedom of movement for people with disability. That includes seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint and environmental restraint.
These amendments ensure that the legislation in interpreted as it is intended.
Registered plan management providers
Clarifying conflict of interest requirements for plan managers
What the Bill does
- The Bill allows the government to create a panel of approved plan management providers.
- Providers on the panel will only be able to deliver plan management services and will not be able to provide other NDIS supports.
What the amendment changes
- The amendment makes it clear that any conflicts of interest between related businesses must be managed under an agreement with the NDIA. This may include the need to manage conflicts, disclose potential conflicts and report conflicts to the NDIA.
- The amendment also makes it clear that workers can be employed by both a plan management provider and another NDIS provider, if appropriate measures are in place to manage any conflicts of interest.
Support determinations
Clarifying the Minister’s powers to reduce funding for certain supports
What the Bill does:
- The Bill allows the Minister to reduce funding for certain types of supports in NDIS plans. This is done through an instrument called a support determination, which will be closely examined by the Parliament before it can take effect.
What the amendment changes:
- The amendment makes it clearer how a support determination can be used. It must specify which plans it applies to, for example, all plans under the old framework or a particular group of those plans.
- This change also reflects what the government has said about support determinations only applying to funding for:
- social, community and civic participation, and/or
- capacity building daily activities.
- This amendment also allows the Minister to exclude funding for particular supports, including supports in employment and disability-related health supports from a reduction.
Automation
Improving transparency of automated decisions
What the Bill does:
- The Bill allows the NDIA to use computer systems for some administrative tasks, such as processing claims and payments. Appropriate safeguards and oversight will be in place.
What the amendment changes
- The amendment requires the NDIA CEO to publish details of certain automated decision-making arrangements on the NDIA website at least 7 days before they start. This gives participants and other interested people time to understand how the automated process will work before it begins.
Transitional arrangements
What the Bill does:
- The Bill allows the use of transitional (temporary) rule-making powers to help make sure the Bill works as intended.
- Transitional rules automatically end after they have been in place for 12 months.
What the amendment changes:
- The amendment changes how long the Minister has to make transitional rules.
- Where the transitional rule deals with plan renewals, the assessment of reasonable and necessary supports or new framework planning, the Minister has 12 months to make the rules.
- Where the transitional rules deal with any other matter, the Minister only has 6 months to make the rules.
Statutory review of amendments
What the amendment changes:
- An independent review of the changes made by the Bill will take place in 2029. This timing aligns with the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024.
- The independent review must be conducted by someone who has no connections to the NDIA and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.
- The independent review must examine the impact of these amendments on:
- access to the NDIS
- outcomes to participants, including the continuity and quality of supports
- rights to review and appeal under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013
- provider market viability and sustainability
- service delivery in thin markets; and
- how the amendments interact with foundational supports or related support systems.
The reviewer must prepare a written report and submit it to the Minister who will give it to Parliament.
This allows Parliament to review whether the changes are working as intended once they have had time to take effect.
Pricing
What the Bill does:
- The Bill allows the Minister for the NDIS to determine maximum prices for NDIS supports (a ‘pricing determination’).
- The NDIA must give advice to the Minister to support the Minister to make a pricing determination.
What the amendment changes:
- The amendment requires the NDIA to provide a summary of any advice given to the Minister to support the making of a pricing determination.
- Within 5 days of the Minister making a pricing determination, the NDIA’s advice or summary advice relating to the pricing determination must be tabled in the Parliament.