What Is the Securing the NDIS Bill? Changes Explained

Key information

• The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Act has passed Parliament and will be phased in gradually over the next few years, not all at once.
• No current participant will be reassessed against new eligibility criteria before 1 January 2028.
• You don't need to do anything differently right now; keep using your plan and supports as usual.
• The NDIA will contact you directly if and when a change affects your specific plan.

Parliament has now passed reforms aimed at making the NDIS “stronger, fairer and more sustainable”. This is known as the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act, which will be phased in gradually over the next few years.You may have seen this referred to as the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill; it became the Act once it received Royal Assent.

This is the start of some significant change in the NDIS; it’s natural to have questions, and feel a little worried about what it means for you or your loved one. Here’s what we know about the Act so far.

Securing the NDIS timeline to January 2028

Date	What Participants Need to Know
1 July 2026	Stronger checks on payments – this won’t change much day-to-day, but the behind-the-scenes checks the NDIA runs to catch fraud are being upgraded to ensure funding goes to real supports for real people.
1 October 2026	Social, Civic and Community Participation supports will be reduced by 50% and capacity building daily activities by 10%. Participants will see this come into action: For new or reassessed NDIS plans from 1 October 2026 For renewed NDIS plans from 1 February 2027 The NDIS will also gain the ability to suspend plans if a participant doesn’t respond to requests for more information after “reasonable attempts” have been made, which the NDIS defines as at least 5 attempts at contact over an extended period.
1 December 2026	From now, all provider claims must be submitted within 90 days of delivering a support.
1 February 2027	Plan renewal replaces plan continuation, and the updated “reasonable and necessary” supports test rolls out.
1 April 2027	Participants begin transitioning progressively to the ‘new way of planning’, i.e. the support needs assessment. This will be tested before the rollout to create opportunity for improving the process.
1 July 2027	The NDIS will expand mandatory registration requirements to include providers delivering personal care and daily living supports, and providers delivering supports in closed settings. This means by July your providers will need to be NDIS registered, or you must find another provider who is already registered.
1 October 2027	Changes to who can provide plan management: A panel of plan management providers will be established, and plan-managed participants will have 6 months to transition to one of the providers on this panel.
1 January 2028	A new way of deciding who can access the NDIS starts. This will standardise the assessment of functional capacity, rather than looking at diagnosis lists. As it stands, no current participant will be reassessed against new eligibility criteria before this date – it will be rolled out gradually to participants with existing plans over about 3 years. Thriving Kids is also slated to be fully up and running at this time, which means families of young children with ‘lower’ support needs will be pointed toward the Thriving Kids program instead of the NDIS.

  

What’s changing right away?

The most immediate changes came into effect 7 days after the new laws were signed and impact:

• Who can ask for plan reassessments – only participants, plan nominees or child representatives can ask for this.
• When a reassessment can be requested – the NDIA will only reassess a plan going forward if your needs or circumstances have changed in a “significant and ongoing” way.
• The records participants need to keep – participants will now be required to keep records of supports and payments for 3 years, and nominees must keep records for 5 years.

Why is this reform happening?

The government’s position is that the NDIS has grown faster than expected, and faster than can be sustained long-term.

The NDIS was rolled out nationally from 2016; by 2023, over 500,000 Australian residents were receiving NDIS support. As the NDIS matured, concerns were raised around whether it was working for all participants – and whether the government could sustain its cost long-term. The NDIS Review 2023 made recommendations to improve the Scheme for participants, while making sure it’s sustainable for years to come. Some of these have been adopted into the reforms we have seen since.

The Securing the NDIS Act is a legal amendment that follows on from the NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track) Act 2024. This earlier Act introduced NDIS support lists, funding periods, and laid the groundwork for the new planning model.

The government has indicated the latest amendment is focused on:

• Clarifying eligibility, and what supports the NDIS funds
• Addressing fraud within the NDIS system
• Updating governance and administrative arrangements

With the overall aim to put the NDIS “back on sustainable footing”, both now and into the future.

Do participants have to do anything now?

You don’t need to do anything different now. You can continue to use your plan and supports as usual, and the NDIA will contact you directly if and when changes impact your plan specifically.

The new NDIS laws will be rolled out gradually according to the timeline. Participants can provide feedback about reforms on the NDIS Engage website, which can help the NDIS to identify common questions and develop better resources around what’s changing and why.

Note: While providers and disability advocates can provide helpful breakdowns of the changes, you should also check out official sources for latest information. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing or the NDIS website is where you will find official documents and updates about these changes. The NDIS also has an Easy Read version of the new NDIS laws available to explain why things are changing, and the timeline.

NDSP keeps you informed on all things NDIS

We’re dedicated to empowering NDIS participants across Australia with comprehensive plan management services; taking the admin of plan management off your plate, so you can focus on what’s really important to you. This includes record-keeping and checking provider invoices before they are submitted to the NDIA, which helps you stay compliant with the NDIS rules – especially as the Scheme develops over time.

If you’re new to the NDIS, you can find free resources for getting started in our online participant toolbox. We also regularly provide helpful information and updates about all things NDIS in our participant-focused blog.

Why not contact our friendly team today with our easy online form, or free-call us on 1800 63 63 77 from 8.30AM to 5.30PM (ACST). If you have questions about NDIS plan management and whether NDSP would be a good fit, we would love to chat!