22/04/2026
We heard about the proposed NDIS changes yesterday, and of course they are being framed as “sustainability.”
Let’s be clear! All they do is shift cost and care away from government and onto families, who are already struggling to make ends meet!
By 2030, the scheme is expected to reduce from around 760,000 to 600,000 participants. How do they do this? By removing approximately 160,000 people.
For families, that’s not policy. That’s loss.
We are already seeing the direction this is heading with families facing out-of-pocket costs of $30,000–$40,000 per year when supports are reduced or removed OR even worse, not getting the support their children and adolescents need.
That is not reform. That is displacement.
And it ignores the fact that investing in the NDIS does not just support individuals, it strengthens the economy.
Economic analyses have consistently shown that for every $1 invested in the NDIS, more than $2 is returned through increased workforce participation, reduced long-term costs, and stronger community systems.
Cutting access doesn’t save money.
It delays cost and amplifies it.
Short term "gain" for long term pain as they say!
Senator John Steele has it right. Taxing the ultra-rich (even 1%) would bring in more money than the NDIS costs, but no... we don't want to put demands on the ultra-rich, just the people who can't even afford therapy for their children. (Just a little aside - Senator Steele has a petition if you want to sign it) https://www.change.org/.../stand-up-for-disability...
The shift toward functional capacity eligibility will create more barriers, more delays, and more uncertainty, particularly for neurodivergent children whose needs don’t always fit neatly into rigid criteria or when the government believes that our capacity isn't "low enough" to require supports.
And when support is delayed or denied, the consequences are immediate.
At Neuro Flourish, we see this every day.
And I'm not just talking as a clinician, or a business owner, but as a parent to three neurodivergent children. Without the NDIS, they would not be where they are today.
Not because they needed “extra,” but because they needed access to communication, regulation, participation, and support that allowed them to grow into the wonderful, amazing humans they are.
Families are not asking for more than they need. For most of our families, it's already less than the bare minimum. They are asking for a system that doesn’t disappear underneath them.
The NDIS was built on shared responsibility.
These changes move us away from that and back toward families carrying it alone.
When support is cut, the need doesn’t go away.
It shifts onto parents and into the future for our children.
That cost will always be higher.
That’s why Neuro Flourish is taking action. Through petitions, advocacy, and an ongoing commitment to finding ways to support neurodivergent children, adolescents, and their families, regardless of what changes come.
