New reforms to reduce red tape and increase flexibility for NDIS participants has been passed in Parliament. It follows two years of consultation with NDIS participants, their providers, support workers and the broader community, NDIS Minister Linda Reynolds said.
As well as legislating the Participant Service Guarantee, the Bill introduces changes to provide more flexibility to participants and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), intended to make it easier for participants to vary their plans, without the need for a lengthy review.
The legislation embeds the principle of co-design and ensures the consideration of people with disability, or lived experience with disability, for NDIA board appointments.
The legislation also makes payments easier, so participants will not need to use their own money for services and claim reimbursement and enables real-time reporting of participant budget balances.
The passage of this Bill follows the passing of the NDIS Amendment (Improving Supports for At Risk Participants) Bill in October 2021, to better protect NDIS participants from the risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.