Disability organizations in Australia team up with state governments to express their astonishment over proposals to redirect children with autism away from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Disability representative groups have expressed collective disappointment after being surprised by the Albanese government’s plans to divert children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism away from the NDIS. Ten of Australia’s largest disability groups have urged the new NDIS minister, Mark Butler, to commit to co-designing a new program for these children in a joint statement. State and territory leaders also offered mixed responses to the federal government’s Thriving Kids proposal, which they were not consulted on. The joint statement, endorsed by various disability organizations, welcomed the new commitment but requested more information on how it would work and its “ambitious” timeline. The government has committed to a co-design process of NDIS reform with disability representative groups to ensure those with lived experience are at the center of changes. Butler announced that the federal government would commit $2bn to the Thriving Kids program, which will begin rolling out from mid-2026 to children with mild to moderate developmental delays or autism. Changes to NDIS access won’t begin until mid-2027. The Thriving Kids program is the first clear system proposed to offer “foundational supports” outside the NDIS for those with less severe impairments. The government described the program as the “first piece of work” to give shape to the foundational supports concept but flagged that there were others on the way.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/22/ndis-children-autism-disability-groups