Radio interview with Minister McAllister, ABC AM – 12 June 2026

Media event date: 12 June 2026 Date published: 12 June 2026 Media type: General public MELISSA CLARKE: Minister, thanks for speaking to me on AM this morning. JENNY MCALLISTER: It's a pleasure, Mel MELISSA CLARKE: Is there anything from these three days of hearings that have convinced you that some changes or some change in the timing is necessary for this overall package of NDIS reforms?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Look, we are convinced, of course, that the NDIS requires significant change to get it back on track. It costs much more than we ever expected. There is too much fraud, and the quality of services and the outcomes being delivered for participants are not what we would have hoped when we originally set it up.

We referred it to committee and supported a committee process precisely because we wanted to hear from stakeholders. I'm really grateful for all of those stakeholders who have made a contribution to the committee, and I'm looking forward to the committee's report next week. MELISSA CLARKE: Ahead of the report being handed down, though, you, as Minister, will have been well aware of the evidence being given by stakeholders, has any of that been persuasive to you to consider that anything might need to be changed or altered before it gets put to the Senate for a vote?

JENNY MCALLISTER: Much of the evidence spoke to the need for engagement with the disability community about key aspects of the reform. That is already a feature of our thinking and our planning, and so, for example, the way that we approach access to the Scheme will need to be worked through between now and 2028. We'd expect that the technical advice that we'll be seeking from experts will be complemented by deep engagement with the disability community, so that we can hear from lived experience and make sure that the arrangements we propose are aligned with community expectations about how important questions of access are organized.

MELISSA CLARKE: So continued discussion about the implementation of technical details, but nothing that would need to change in the legislation going forward? JENNY MCALLISTER: We'll wait for the committee report. I know that colleagues, Labor and from the Crossbench and the Opposition, will be thinking carefully about the evidence they've heard.

We'll engage with that committee's report in good faith. MELISSA CLARKE: Are you willing to make changes if that's what the report recommends? JENNY MCALLISTER: We'll definitely be examining the recommendations in the report, that's the purpose of the committee… MELISSA CLARKE: Examining them.

JENNY MCALLISTER: If there are unintended consequences, of course, we'll look to action those, but the approach we've taken is to work through this over a long period of time. These reforms have been under discussion since 2023. We'll be very interested in the recommendations that come to us from this committee as a consequence of all of this evidence.

MELISSA CLARKE: We saw evidence from a lot of allied health professionals saying that look, their sector had been shaped by the NDIS over many years, and having big cuts to supports and funding levels will leave them struggling to provide services, particularly to people in home or in regional and remote locations, and that more transition time would help. Is there any willingness to take more time or reconsider the timeframe in the transition to these changes?

JENNY MCALLISTER: When we're thinking about the services that people use from allied health providers, the changes that we are proposing don't seem aligned with that kind of analysis. What's proposed is a cut to, a realignment of the resources available to people in capacity building, which would see on average supports reduced from 72 sessions a year to 68 sessions a year.

It's more than one a week, it’s significantly more than the level of service that would be provided in other service systems, like veterans health or Medicare management of chronic disease. We're really confident that we can make those changes safely in a way that's aligned with the long-term sustainability of the Scheme, and the need to make sure people have appropriate supports.

MELISSA CLARKE: Even if you don't see that analysis as being one that fits with the mode, the States and Territories are likewise raising concerns about the pace of reform. They're saying collectively that there's a real risk that people with disability will end up in hospitals or other inappropriate settings because of the time frame here. Do you accept that that is a risk if alternative supports aren't in place in time?

JENNY MCALLISTER: We've thought really carefully about these reforms, and I'm looking forward to engaging with State and Territory colleagues about this. We are clear that the NDIS was never intended to be the only support system available for people with disability. In fact, there are five and a half million Australians with disability.

Only 760,000 of those people are currently on the NDIS. 82 percent of people who have disability are not on the NDIS at the moment, and we do need to rebuild those supports outside the Scheme. MELISSA CLARKE: Yes and States and Territories are saying they need more time to do that. We haven't even got Queensland signed up to Thriving Kids yet.

So, is it really realistic to think that those alternative pathways will actually be in place on the timeframe that you've set out? JENNY MCALLISTER: We're looking forward to working with States and Territories. We agreed with Premiers at the beginning of this year that there’d be a joint investment of $10 billion into supports outside of the Scheme.

For reference, that is roughly the amount of support that was in place prior to the NDIS. We do think rebuilding the supports outside the Scheme is critical, and we're looking forward to working with States and Territories on standing that up. MELISSA CLARKE: Jenny McAllister, thank you very much for speaking to AM this morning.

JENNY MCALLISTER: It's my pleasure, Melissa. Thank you. Senator the Hon Jenny McAllister Disability and carers Is there anything wrong with this page?

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