National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the Ndis Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

The majority voted in favour of a motion "that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill be now passed" (parliamentary jargon for reading a third time). This means the bill will now be sent back to the House of Representatives where our MPs will decide on whether they agree with the Senate amendments.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest:

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 is the first in a proposed series of Bills that amend the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 in response to the findings and recommendations of the Independent Review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Concerns have been raised in relation to aspects of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), including in relation to financial sustainability, fraud and eligibility criteria.

The Government has advised that the NDIS Financial Sustainability Framework agreed by National Cabinet in April 2023 will provide an annual growth target in the total costs of the NDIS of 8 per cent by 1 July 2026, with further moderation of growth as the Scheme matures.

The Bill:

• provides new definitions of disability supports, to clarify the scope of valid supports appropriately funded under the NDIS

• provides for a new assessment process for gaining entry into the NDIS by way of the two eligibility streams of the NDIS—early intervention and disability requirements, or both and

• sets out the manner in which an existing NDIS participant will transition from an old plan to a new plan.

The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee is conducting an inquiry into the Bill and is due to report by 20 June 2024.

At the time of writing, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills had not reported on the Bill.