Reports and publications

Disability Reform Roadmap

All governments are committed to working with people with disability to make Australia more inclusive, accessible and safe for people with disability. This will be achieved through progressing important disability reforms.

The Disability Reform Roadmap outlines current activities planned for 2024 and 2025.

This Roadmap is one of many ways governments will communicate with disability stakeholders. It will be updated regularly as decisions are made by Disability Ministers to ensure the community is informed.

The report of the NDIS review

On 7 December 2023 the report of the NDIS Review was released. The report and supporting analysis can be found here: Working together to deliver the NDIS.

The report maps out the Review’s recommendations to help restore trust, ensure the Scheme’s sustainability, and deliver a better NDIS experience for participants.

The report includes 26 recommendations and 139 supporting actions.

Led by co-chairs Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM and Ms Lisa Paul AO PSM, the Review panel examined the design, operations, and sustainability of the NDIS.

As an initial response to key aspects of the report, on the 6 December 2023 the Albanese Government and states and territories committed to reforming the NDIS to make disability supports fairer for all Australians.

Review of NDIA actuarial forecast model and drivers of Scheme costs

At their August 2021 meeting, Disability Ministers directed work be undertaken to understand cost drivers and underpinning assumptions in the Scheme Actuary’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Annual Financial Sustainability Report (AFSR), with a report back to Ministers on findings in December 2021.

Independent actuarial firm, Taylor Fry, was commissioned to do this work.

Taylor Fry’s report - Review of NDIA actuarial forecast model and drivers of Scheme costs – (the report) was presented to Disability Ministers at their December 2021 meeting.

At that meeting, Ministers endorsed publishing the report along with an Easy Read summary.

People with disability and their representatives will have the opportunity to discuss the report in early 2022 to inform further consideration by Ministers.

In the 2021 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, the Australian Government provided an additional $26.4 billion over four years to 2024-25 to ensure funding matches the Scheme Actuary’s latest projection of scheme costs.

Review of NDIA actuarial forecast model and drivers of Scheme costs

Review of NDIA actuarial forecast model and drivers of Scheme costs – Easy Read summary

Applied Principles and Tables of Support (APTOS)

Many government services provide supports to people with disability, including:

  • the NDIS
  • state, territory and Commonwealth Government services like health, education, justice and transport.

All areas work together so people with disability receive support to meet their individual needs.

Access to mainstream services, community based activities and other government programs is a shared responsibility across many services.

The Commonwealth and state and territory governments work together through the Disability Reform Ministers’ Meeting to resolve any issues where their services interact.

A key tool is the Applied Principles and Tables of Support (ATPOS) which was reviewed and agreed by the former Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in November 2015. The APTOS outlines the roles and responsibilities of different sectors that deliver supports to people with disability.

The Applied Principles and Tables of Support to Determine Responsibilities NDIS and other service can be found here: The Applied Principles and Tables of Support to Determine Responsibilities NDIS and other service document

Specialist Disability Accommodation

On 8 February 2019, the then Minister for Families and Social Services, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, announced immediate reforms to improve access to Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) for eligible National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.

These reforms improve choice and control for eligible NDIS participants, build market confidence and drive stronger investment to grow the supply of SDA.

On 18 June 2020, the Hon Stuart Robert MP, Minister for National Disability Insurance Scheme, announced further reforms to improve SDA for eligible NDIS participants.

The reforms give NDIS participants more options for living with their families, friends and partners, encourage the construction and supply of more diverse SDA dwellings, and transfer responsibility for the enrolment of SDA dwellings to the National Disability Insurance Agency.

The Review Report, the DRC response to the Report’s recommendations and the revised SDA Pricing and Payments Framework are available below.

NDIS Market Roles and Responsibilities

The NDIS Market Roles and Responsibilities document outlines the role of governments in supporting and developing the NDIS market and building a responsive and capable NDIS workforce that supports NDIS participants to meet their needs and achieve their goals. 

This document includes:

  • Our shared vision for NDIS participants and providers and their workforce
  • What we will do to support NDIS participants, providers and their workforce
  • How we will work together

NDIS Market Roles and Responsiblities

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