17/06/2025
Of all the ways the scheme could look to save money, this isn't the way to go about it. On top of the NDIA making these decisions, we as practitioners are left to pass on the news to our participant's, compromising rapport and the relationship. It is deeply unfair that these decisions are made in such a hasty manner and not being communicated directly to the participant's from the NDIA.
AASW Concerned Over New NDIS Budget Structures and Inadequate Pricing Reforms
The AASW is deeply concerned about significant developments within the NDIS that create a risk to participant outcomes, the sustainability of the scheme, and the integrity of social work practice.
These developments include:
• Implementation of Section 33 funding periods which introduces constraints on when participants can access their budgets.
• Release of the NDIS Annual Pricing Review 2024–2025 which:
- Fails to acknowledge that AMHSWs are funded through Medicare and many private health insurance schemes as part of its price benchmarking for social workers
- Fails to index all support item prices annually, in line with CPI and actual business costs
- Introduces a proposed cap on travel billing which ignores the realities not just of rural and remote areas, but metropolitan regions as well.
The AASW is calling on the NDIA to:
• Review the inaccurate classification of social work under MBS and PHI in its pricing benchmarks
• Index all support item prices annually
• Reverse the travel time restrictions
• Engage meaningfully on future pricing and policy decisions.
Read our full statement:
https://www.aasw.asn.au/aasw-news/2025-2/aasw-concerned-over-new-ndis-budget-structures-and-inadequate-pricing-reforms/
