Seven in 10 new NDIS participants have autism
An analysis of government data by this masthead reveals that 56,000 of the 78,600 participants who signed up to the NDIS between June 2024 and June 2025 had autism as their main diagnosis. It brings the total number of people using the NDIS for autism support to 295,000 – about 40 per cent of the scheme's 740,000 participants.
The next most common reason that participants joined the NDIS last financial year was for developmental delays, with 5500 being children. At the same time, there were 4405 new participants with intellectual disability, 1618 people with hearing impairment, 1077 people with multiple sclerosis, 870 people with acquired brain injuries and 829 who joined after suffering strokes.
As Butler prepares to give a national address on the future of the NDIS on Wednesday – his first speech since taking over the portfolio in May – the figures are a stark indication of how a scheme designed to support Australians with the most profound lifelong disabilities has become a de facto support system for struggling children.
Families' reliance on the NDIS for early intervention is a key reason the scheme is on track to become the federal government's third-biggest budget item. It grew by more than 10 per cent last year, even as the government clamped down on spending and delivered the program at $520 million less than forecast.
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The chief executive of Autism Awareness Australia, Nicole Rogerson, said the Albanese government needed to make difficult decisions when it came to NDIS eligibility, or else 'the Australian people are going to start losing faith in this system'.
'We have a number of Australian children who are not thriving. Their parents have concerns about their development, and those kids need support. Was the NDIS designed to support those children? No, it wasn't. But you can't blame their families for seeking an autism diagnosis that gets them the support they think they need,' she said.
'We are encouraging the government to make brave choices here, and show leadership ... [They are] going to have to tighten the criteria.
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But we also, frankly, need a more robust system of provider registration, the sort of which you see in aged care, in veterans care, in the health system, and frankly should exist in the NDIS as well. Health Minister Mark Butler speaks to Sarah Ferguson about a new program to divert children with autism and developmental delays from the NDIS.
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