14 February 2025

Every Australian Counts Joint Statement on Rushed NDIS Changes

A coalition of 255 disability organisations and providers, including Every Australian Counts and Australia’s peak disability representative bodies, came together to call for urgent action from the Government to protect the safety and wellbeing of NDIS participants amid rushed reforms.

We have called on the government to:

• Extend the timeframes for reform to allow for proper co-design and testing

• Stop the rushed eligibility reassessments that are removing almost 600 people per week from the Scheme

• Ensure that people with disability have a real say in shaping the future of the NDIS.

• Read the full campaign statement and join our call for change

• Read our latest media release and see what leading disability organisations are saying

The Independent Chair of EAC Dr George Taleporos and our codesign lead Nick Avery (pictured above) met with the new Minister for the NDIS, Amanda Rishworth late in January to discuss community concerns. We had a deep discussion about the importance of effective and meaningful co-design and ensuring that the NDIS reforms result in positive outcomes for people with disabilities. 

Minister Rishworth was generous with her time and showed a genuine commitment to address community concerns. We also discussed the important work that is needed to develop foundational supports. 

We look forward to continuing to work with the new Minister on the key NDIS issues that are important to our community.

Advocacy Win!

After months of advocacy from people with disability and representative organisations like Every Australian Counts, the NDIA has increased the time allowed for responding to an Eligibility Reassessment from 28 days to 90 days.  There is still work to be done to improve the process, and EAC will continue to advocate for the rights of people with disability and to ensure fairness.  You can find out more about this change here.

Participant Pathway Experience Working Group Update

There’s a lot of talk about codesign in the NDIS reforms, but what’s happening behind the scenes? The Participant Pathway Experience (PPE) Working Group is working to improve the NDIS experience, ensuring participant voices shape upcoming changes. Every Australian Counts is pushing for more meaningful codesign and ensuring those often left out are heard. Read the latest update on what’s happening—and how you can have your say.

Everyone’s talking about the new Support Needs Assessments for the NDIS—but what do they mean for participants? In our latest opinion piece, Muriel Cummins breaks down what we know so far, the concerns around co-design, and what needs to happen next.

With a Federal election approaching, the future of the NDIS is on the line. Every Australian Counts is hosting a Pre-election Forum to give political leaders a chance to meet with our community to share their priorities for the NDIS and to hear what's important to us.

This online community forum will bring together:

• Political leaders to discuss their commitments on the NDIS

• Disability community members, advocates, and sector leaders

• A critical discussion on the NDIS’s future direction

More details coming soon - stay tuned for registration information!

The NDIS is too important to get wrong. Together, we can push for reforms that are fair, transparent, and genuinely co-designed with the disability community.

We hope to see you at the forum.

In the meantime, you might want to check out this helpful resource from the Self Manager Hub about the new rule on how NDIS funds are managed. This new rule sets out how decisions are made by the NDIA around when you can and can't self-manage or use a plan manager, and when you will have to be agency managed. 

Thank you,

Every Australian Counts Steering Committee