This week the NDIS Review was delivered and sets out a plan to deliver much-needed improvements to the overall scheme. There will be no immediate changes and there are still more conversations to be had with the disability community over the coming months. It is planned that changes will happen gradually over 5 years.

The report makes 26 recommendations with 139 actions that form a blueprint to deliver a more accessible and inclusive Australia. Two major themes emerged:

• Developing a more unified support system so participants have a fairer and more consistent experience.
• Stewarding a market and system that safeguards and empowers people with disability.

Civic supports changes that will make the system fairer, more inclusive and easier to navigate.

Some of the key recommendations from the report are:

• Access will depend on how much ‘need’ someone has and not be automatic based on their diagnosis.
• Humanising and improving the planning process.
• Developing a ‘Navigator workforce’ that can provide a single point of contact to help people move through the system.
• Fund more supports in the community that bridge the gap between mainstream and specialised supports – these will become known as foundational supports and be available for people who have NDIS plans and people who do not.
• Improve the support for children and their families.
• Requiring all providers to be registered.
• Increasing the choices and quality of home and living services.
• Promoting early intervention pathways for people with psychosocial disability including focusing on recovery based models.

Civic has embraced every change and improvement to the NDIS, and continued to be a sustainable for-purpose organisation. We look forward to incorporating these changes into our plans for the future and working with our community to increase inclusion for people with disability.

To learn more, the NDIS Review website can be accessed here – NDIS Review.

The NDIS Review team has published a number of documents, click the below links to learn more:

• Our Final Report: A guide for people with disability and their families 2023
• NDIS Review Guide – Easy Read
• Final Report on the Review  of the NDIS