Understanding the NDIS: A Guide
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is Australia’s first national scheme for people with disability. It was originally designed to move away from an earlier system where governments often provided “block funding” to agencies and organisation. Instead, the NDIS provides funding directly to eligible people with disability so they can access supports based on their individual needs and goals.
What is the NDIS?
The NDIS is a national scheme that provides supports for eligible people with disability across Australia. According to the NDIS, there are around 4.3 million Australians who have a disability. Within the next 5 years (based on 2024 data), the NDIS will provide an estimated 500,000 Australians who have permanent and significant disability with funding for supports and services.
Some NDIS resources also describe a project of more than $22 billion in funding per year as the scheme reached full rollout. However, cost and participant estimates can change over time as the scheme develops, so it is vital to rely on current NDIA reporting for the most up-to-date figures.
Importantly, the NDIS also has a role for people who are not eligible for funded NDIS plans. The scheme can provide information and help connect people with disability (and families and carers) to community and other government services, such as local doctors, sporting clubs, support groups, and libraries and schools. It can also provide information about which supports are delivered by state and territory governments.
What Does “NDIS” Mean?
The NDIS is an acronym that reflects the scheme’s structure and purpose. NDIS stands for National Disability Insurance Scheme.
National – The NDIS operates across all of Australia
Disability – The NDIS may support eligible people with a range of disability types, including intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychosocial disability. It also includes early intervention supports for eligible people, and for children with developmental delay, through the early childhood approach.
Insurance – The NDIS is structured as an insurance-style scheme, intended to provide Australians with confidence that if a person is born with or acquires a permanent and significant disability (and meets eligibility requirements), there is a national system designed to fund appropriate (reasonable and necessary) supports.
Scheme – The NDIS is designed to help people get the supports they need so their skills and independence can improve over time. It is not designed as a welfare system.
What Does the NDIS Do?
For eligible participants, the NDIS provides funding for “reasonable and necessary” disability supports. Each participant has an individual NDIS plan that sets out their goals and the supports funded to help pursue those goals.
Participants use their funding to purchase supports and services that relate to their goals. Goals differ between individuals and may include (for example) participating in community activities, volunteering, building relationships, or getting and keeping a job. Participants (and where applicable, nominees or other decision-makers) have choice and control over the supports they receive, the timing, and who provides them.
There are clear boundaries on what NDIS can fund. The NDIS cannot fund supports that are:
The responsibility of another government system or a community service, or
Not related to a person’s disability
These boundaries exist because the NDIS is intended to work alongside mainstream systems (such as health, education, and community services), instead of replace them.
People who are not eligible for the NDIS can still access information and support to connect with community services and other government supports. For some people, this information and connection support may be sufficient without needing funded NDIS supports.
Who Delivers the NDIS?
The NDIS is delivered through the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and Partner organisations.
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
The NDIA is the independent government organisation responsible for running the NDIS. The NDIA makes decisions about eligibility and, if a person becomes a participant, decisions about plan funding.
These decisions are made under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. This legislation sets out eligibility requirements and the framework for what supports are considered “reasonable and necessary” for the NDIS to fund.
Partners in the Community
Partners in the Community are community-based organisations that work with the NDIA to deliver parts of the scheme locally. Partners may provide early childhood services, local area coordination, or both (depending on the area and provider).
Early Childhood Partners
Early childhood partners are organisations funded by the NDIA to deliver the early childhood approach. Their teams have experience and clinical expertise supporting young children with developmental delay or disability and their families. The approach is focused on family-centred supports and evidence-based early childhood intervention.
Local Area Coordinators (LACs)
Local Area Coordinators are employed by Partners in the Community. For many people aged 7 and over, an LAC is the main point of contact for the NDIS navigation and community connection. LACs help connect people with disability to supports, services, and activities in the community and other government services, and they also work within communities to improve accessibility and inclusion.
How to find your local early childhood partner or LAC?
The NDIS “Offices and contacts in your area” page allows you to search for nearby offices and contact points.
You can also contact the NDIS by phone (on 1800 800 110). The National Contact Centre is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm (local time).
Some rural or remote areas may not have early childhood partners or LAC services available locally. In these situations, the NDIA may consider funding support coordination in a participant’s plan.
What you can expect from the NDIA?
The NDIA Participant Service Charter explains what participants can expect from the NDIA and its Partners in the Community, including principles for engagement and service standards.
The Participant Service Charter is based on five principles. It describes an NDIS service that is:
Transparent
Responsive
Respectful
Empowering
Connected
The Participant Service Charter links to the Participant Service Guarantee, which sets timeframes for key NDIA processes and decisions (such as access decisions and other specific decision types). The NDIA publishes information about the Guarantee and reports on performance against these measures.
You can access the Participant Service Charter and the Participant Service Guarantee on the NDIS website.
The NDIS is a national scheme that provides funded supports to eligible Australians with permanent and significant disability. It also plays a broader role in helping people with disability access information and connect with community and mainstream services. Understanding the key parts of the system (eg. What the NDIS can fund, what it can’t fund, and the role of the NDIA) can make the process clearer and help you know where to go for support.
If you’re taking next steps, the most reliable place to start is the NDIS website. If local partner services are limited in your area, it may also be worth discussing support coordination with the NDIA during planning, particularly if your circumstances are complex or you need help implementing your NDIS plan.
For more information visit: ndis.gov.au
Or Call the NDIS
For participants: 1800 800 110
For providers: 1300 311 675