The NDIS’ latest quarterly report reveals the growth rate for the scheme has dropped.
This is despite thousands of people joining the NDIS in the first three months of this year.
According to the Q3 2024-25 report, the annual growth rate is now 10.6 per cent, lower than the forecast 12 per cent.
More than 700,000 Australians are NDIS participants, an increase of 3.5 per cent from the previous quarter, with almost 28,000 people entering the NDIS this quarter. Participation in the scheme peaks at around the age of six – and at this age, there are almost twice as many boys as girls on the NDIS.
In key areas of focus and reform, the numbers have improved. This quarter saw a reduction in the number of participants under 65 in residential aged care. From 811 in the December quarter, there are now 734 people in this setting who are on the NDIS.
Meanwhile, the focus on discharging patients from hospital continues. This quarter, the NDIA met its target of contacting participants in hospital within four days 87 per cent of the time. The volume of complaints the scheme received from participants, their representatives and other members of the community also dropped, continuing a trend started in 2024.
The report also points to positive community and social outcomes for participants, with rates of participation in community and social activities increasing for participants for those who have been on the NDIS for more than two years.
At the same time, the percentage of those participants in paid work is stable, though there has been an increase in participants aged between 15 and 24 who have gained work, from 10 per cent to 23 per cent. The report attributes this to people starting work for the first time.
Importantly, the report also includes a measure of what participants think of the NDIS and whether it has helped them.
Asked ‘has the NDIS helped you have more choices and more control over your life?’, 74 per cent of those aged 15 to 24 said that it had – up from 61 per cent. The largest increase in response to this question came for those aged over 65, from 72 per cent to 87 per cent. Overall participant satisfaction levels were recorded as either stable, or up slightly this quarter and negative ratings were down.
But against the Participant Service Guarantee, the NDIS has lagged somewhat with performance down in five areas. The report says performance in this area is impacted by high workloads and that a plan is in place to improve participant experiences and scheme performance against the guarantee’s measures. In particular, the report says the NDIS is “aiming to reduce the number of plan change requests not meeting the prescribed timeframe by July 2025” and “focusing on improving performance for making access decisions… and internal reviews of reviewable decisions… so that work meets the expected timeframes”.
Reforms to the NDIS continue in the wake of the Disability Royal Commission, the NDIS Review and the Labor government’s recent election win.
Read the full report on the NDIS website.