Health Experts Warn Some NDIS Participants Receiving More Services Than They Need

Medical experts have raised concerns about patients being over-serviced under the multi-billion-dollar National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Speaking to a parliamentary committee, Bronwyn Morris-Donovan, CEO of Allied Health Professions Australia, said some participants in the scheme were receiving excess therapy sessions, assessments, or services than they needed.

Sometimes the decision to allocate funding was made without adequate evidence.

“What concerns us is that over-servicing claims are made without references to individual participant need, without adequate data on actual volumes, and without deep understanding of the differences between capacity building therapy and long term maintenance supports, which for many participants is simply essential,” she said on May 21.

Morris-Donovan said Allied Health Professions Australia and its members repeatedly asked the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to work with the sector on providing better data.

“That offer has not been taken up, and meaningful collaboration to address this has been very limited.”

The Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit is currently examining the administration of the NDIS, which cost taxpayers about $49 billion in 2024–25.

Johanna De Weaver from the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) also highlighted concerns around unregistered providers entering the system.

“NDIS policy settings have allowed unregistered, unqualified individuals in roles like coaches or behaviour support practitioners, bringing risks without proper credentials or over.”

She argued that higher registration requirements will help filter less qualified practitioners. De Weaver also pointed to evidence that registered professionals were less likely to engage in practices like unnecessary reporting or excessive session billing.

Katherine Utry, general manager of policy for the Australian Physiotherapy Association, said current pricing standards were undermining quality of care.

She said recent cuts to physiotherapy price limits and travel reimbursements have made home and community-based therapy financially difficult in many areas.

More Clarity Needed Around Medical Equipment Sourcing

Professor Rachael McDonald, director of MedTechVic Hub, said one of the biggest challenges was the lack of information on what assistive technologies were being supplied, and who was supplying them.

While higher-value technologies (above AU$15,000) were subject to tougher assessments, she said there was little visibility regarding equipment below that threshold.

McDonald said some support workers did not know how new medical equipment was being supplied to their patients, or when upgrades were made.

She pointed to a case involving a young wheelchair user, who was initially independent, but later received modifications to the wheelchair that led to pressure sores and more care being needed.

“It’s so opaque that it, of course, will be open to poor practice,” McDonald told the committee.

McDonald also said more transparency was needed around how products were sourced, calling for a separation between those making recommendations and those selling the items.

“Participants often rely on expert advice and specialist supply chains that are limited. This makes them particularly vulnerable to poor market practices,” she said.

The hearing also revealed about 90 percent of assistive technologies were imported with smaller local companies struggling to take product concepts from early development into commercial markets.

It also noted a way to reduce costs is to implement refurbishing for medical equipment, rather than buying new every plan cycle.