Why We’re Here

Every Australian deserves access to support. Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and a fair go.

But, on Monday the 16th of June, the NDIS released its 2025-26 Price Guide and it put all of that at risk. 

It marked yet another year where the NDIA undervalued essential supports like plan managers, support coordinators, and therapists. But this time, it went further than the usual cost freezes or tokenistic increases. This year, they cut.

In previous years, providers stayed quiet. When prices were frozen, they made it work, rummaging through their budgets, absorbing costs, stretching themselves thinner just to keep showing up for people on the scheme. 

They did it silently and solemnly. Because the work matters, and they preferred to absorb the impact than passing it on to the person receiving support..

But this year, the cracks are showing. These changes are making it impossible for some providers to keep their doors open, and harder for people on the scheme to find the support they need.

The NDIA’s message has been received loud and clear:

  • Therapy isn’t being valued as a fundamental part of disability support.

  • They don’t recognise the role that plan managers play in building capacity, confidence, and financial literacy.

  • They don’t see support coordination as essential to navigating a system this complex.

  • They see therapy at home as a luxury, not a necessity.

  • And they’re comfortable leaving regional and remote communities with telehealth as the only option..

….But this isn’t about the providers. It’s about the people on the scheme and what happens when they can’t get support. 

  • Losing their independence because the services they used to rely on no longer exist.

  • Complex injuries and poorer long-term outcomes because they can no longer access therapy supports at home.

  • Ending up in hospital because there are not enough providers available to proactively address their needs.

And beyond the individual impact, our society as a whole will feel the consequences.

When the NDIS Annual Price Review recommendations were first released on Wednesday 11 June 2025, people across the sector immediately raised the alarm. These changes were made without proper consultation, without the people who know the system, and without the people who live it.

So we came together. To say enough is enough. It’s now or never.

We demand something better. A system that puts people first. Because every Australian deserves a fair go.

To ensure a fair go for everyone, we’re calling for

  1. A pause on the 2025-26 pricing changes, before irreparable damage is done. Followed by appropriate indexing to allow for businesses to continue to provide quality care across the scheme

  2. A genuine co-design process that includes people on the scheme, industry peak bodies, providers, and sector experts.

  3. A better system going forward one with safeguards in place so decisions like this can’t happen without transparency, accountability, and lived experience at the centre.

This is about more than this year’s Price Guide. It’s about building a system that values people, and doesn’t leave them out of the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve got questions about the It’s Now or Never campaign and how recent NDIS pricing changes are affecting people with disability, providers, and other support systems, you’re not alone. 

This page brings together the most common questions we’ve heard from across the community.

  • We’re made up of a group of people with disability and NDIS participants, families, providers, and supporters who care deeply about the future of the NDIS. Some of us work in the sector. Some of us live it. All of us are worried.

    This campaign was sparked by people on the ground: those who’ve seen the impact of these changes up close. No corporate backing. No polished media team. Just people who couldn't stay silent any longer.

    Want to know more about the people driving this? Meet the team behind the campaign.

  • Because it’s not sustainable anymore. And it hasn’t been for a while.

    Across the NDIS, people have been absorbing the true costs of support - therapists, support coordinators, plan managers and others in the sector...

    We've all been carrying extra weight, hoping things would balance out.

    For years, many providers’ response has been to just… figure it out.

    To make it work however we could.

    Many of us chose to undercharge, work unpaid hours, and stretch ourselves- because we care, and because we didn’t want to pass pressure onto the people we support.

    But in doing that, we’ve also unintentionally hidden the true cost of delivering quality support. And when something’s hidden, it’s easy to undervalue. That’s what’s happened here- a system that slowly started to rely on unpaid labour.

    We’re seeing the consequences now. People are burning out. Services are closing. Supports disappearing, especially in regional and remote areas.

    This campaign didn’t start just because of one pricing update. It started because people have had enough, of working under pressure, of watching supports disappear, of being expected to do more with less.

    We realised that if we don’t say something now, the NDIS as we know it - the support system that so many people rely on - could fall apart.

    And for people with disability, who have fought relentlessly for their rights, it’s yet another moment of needing to speak up just to be heard.

  • Nothing about us without us.

    Disabled people have been leading the push for inclusion and equity long before this campaign began. We’re not claiming to speak for anyone, we’re standing with them.

    But we know actions speak louder than words. So we’re:

    • Working with people with lived experience to co-create resources and messaging

    • Creating space for disabled voices to be heard through our story collection form.

    • Checking ourselves when we get it wrong, and staying open to feedback when we need to do better

    This campaign is stronger because of disabled voices, and it’s our responsibility to keep listening, learning, and making room.

  • These changes don’t just affect current NDIS participants and providers. The ripple effect reaches schools, hospitals, future workers, and communities across the country.

    Here’s what’s at risk:

    • Our Education Systems
      Teachers and schools rely on NDIS-funded supports to help students regulate, communicate, and stay engaged. Without this support, students may be excluded, or left behind entirely, leaving our already overloaded and under-resourced educators to pick up the slack.

    • Future Therapists and NDIS Workers
      Students studying allied health, support work, or looking to join the NDIS workforce are watching these changes and reconsidering their career paths. Poor placement experiences, reduced supervision, and burnout are turning people away before they’ve even entered the field.

    • Public Infrastructure
      When people can’t access the support they need through the NDIS, they’re often pushed into systems not built for long-term care, like emergency departments, child protection, or crisis services. That means already overstretched systems become even more saturated. Emergency waiting rooms are somehow even more packed. Triple-zero is off the hook, and child protection cases grow.

    These are structural impacts, and they affect all of us.The question isn’t if this impacts you, it’s when.

  • A lot of advocacy happens behind the scenes - through meetings, submissions, and policy work. Many peak bodies have been doing this for years, often balancing complex relationships and priorities.

    Each peak body represents an entire profession or community, including people working both within the NDIS space and outside of it. That means their advocacy might look different, and their decisions around involvement often reflect a broader scope of responsibility to their discipline.

    Some peak bodies have their own strategies or things to consider before backing a grassroots campaign like this. That doesn’t mean they support the NDIS changes, it just means they’re advocating within the responsibilities of their boards, the needs of their broader membership, and the sector relationships they’re navigating every day.

    And whether or not they’re officially involved in the It’s Now or Never campaign, we believe we’re all pushing for the same thing: a fairer, more sustainable NDIS that works for the people it was built for - in whatever ways we can.

    See what your peak body has been doing here.

  • On its own? No. A petition won’t rewrite the Price Guide or overturn legislation.

    But a petition with over 100,000 voices? That’s something. That’s momentum. That’s pressure.

    And this campaign isn’t stopping there. We’re:

    • Creating resources to educate participants, providers, and supporters

    • Engaging directly with MPs, peak bodies, and media to keep the conversation going

    • Building connections across this space so this momentum turns into real, lasting advocacy

    Signing the petition is about more than a signature, it’s about proving to people that this issue; the rights and access of people with disabilities is something that we all back. That enough is enough. That it’s now or never.

  • If nothing changes on July 1, we get louder. We push harder. We keep moving.

    We’re prepared for that reality, and we’ve already planned what comes next.

    We’re not going quiet. We’ll keep building pressure, sharing stories, and pushing for the system that participants and providers deserve.

  • There are plenty of ways to support the campaign, big or small, loud or behind the scenes:

    • Sign the petition and explore resources

    • Share your voice

    • Volunteer your time or skills

    • Join the mailing list for updates

    • Follow along on Instagram

    • Connect with our team

    We’re in this together, however you show up, you are a part of the change, and we are so grateful to have you join us.