The Australian government’s planned overhaul of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is generating widespread fear and criticism among autism advocacy groups and families. The reform includes the introduction of a new ‘Thriving Kids’ program, an alternative $2 billion “foundational support” system designed to divert children with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism away from the NDIS by mid-2027.
The Health Minister, Mark Butler, argues the NDIS was designed for profound, lifelong disability and that its individualised funding model is inappropriate for children who need community-based, early intervention support, citing the NDIS’s unsustainable cost growth. However, submissions to a parliamentary inquiry by disability advocates and parents have labelled the proposal “ableist and discriminatory.”
Key Concerns from Advocacy Groups
Risk of ‘Falling Through the Cracks’: Advocates argue that children labelled as having “mild” autism are often the most in need of consistent, effective support, which may be overlooked in an already under-resourced, new system.
Lack of Clarity: There is profound confusion and anxiety over how the government will define and determine “mild to moderate” autism, terminology that the autistic community finds inappropriate and trivializing.
Workforce Capacity: Major doubts exist about the capacity of state-run community services to absorb the thousands of children transitioned from the NDIS, potentially leaving families with no support at all.
Disability groups, including the Australian Autism Alliance, are urging the government to ensure any reform provides an equivalent, co-designed safety net, rather than creating a “two-tier” disability system.