Inclusion Beyond the Funding: Why the Latest NDIS Pricing Update Must Spark a Bigger Conversation

At The Inclusive Movement, we’ve always believed that disability inclusion and community inclusion is more than funding. And more than just the NDIS.. But the latest NDIS pricing changes serve as a stark reminder: when you squeeze the system too tightly, it’s not just providers that suffer—it’s the people who rely on those supports to live, connect, and thrive.

The recent NDIS pricing updates include reductions to travel, cuts to remote loadings, and a fifth consecutive year of stagnant pricing for core therapy supports and support coordination, to name just a few of the expected changes..

For regional providers, it’s a devastating blow.

Many of us already deliver services at a loss because we believe in equitable access. But with fewer resources and growing administrative burdens, even the most values-driven services will struggle to stay afloat.

What’s at risk here isn’t just our work—it’s our communities.

Let’s be clear: the NDIS was never meant to carry the entire load of disability support. Yet, with limited transparency in what foundational supports will look like or funding into those community-led, low-cost or no-cost resources that foster connection, learning, and wellbeing—we’re placing impossible pressure on one system to do it all.

The danger? Without alternative pathways for inclusion, thin markets will become bare markets. People with disability, especially in regional areas, will lose access to tailored supports and skilled professionals. And the promise of “choice and control” will become more symbolic than practical.

But this is also a moment of opportunity.

We can:

• Advocate for increased transparency and urgency for foundational supports and community capacity building funding

• Invest in education, awareness, and natural support networks

• Diversify service offerings to include fee-for-service programs, training, and resource development

• Work together—participants, families, and providers—to reclaim inclusion as a shared responsibility, not just a budget item

Let’s not get lost in line items. Let’s remember that at the centre of all this is a human right: the right to belong, to thrive, and to be included.

The NDIS might be part of that story. But community is the rest of it.

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