“Implementation \u2026 should not be rushed in a way that increases the risk of unintended consequences,” the minutes say.<\/p>\n
The system is part of a suite of changes introduced by the Albanese government aimed at slowing the growth of the $50 billion NDIS, and ahead of a speech next week where minister Mark Butler is expected to outline further cost-cutting measures.<\/p>\n
Do you have a story to share?\u00a0Email\u00a0Specialist.Team@abc.net.au<\/a><\/p>\n The minutes from the RAC’s March meeting were published more than a month after the meeting took place.<\/p>\n All other minutes<\/a> have been published on the same day as the meeting.<\/p>\n Central to the new system is a tool called the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN) which, as things stand, is set to be introduced on July 1.<\/p>\n The I-CAN aims to standardise and simplify the planning process, driven by criticism the current system overservices some participants, but under services others.<\/p>\n Instead of submitting evidence of their disability from treating doctors, participants will be interviewed by an assessor for a few hours, who then feeds their findings into a computer program.<\/p>\n That algorithm will then spit out a budget to be approved or rejected by an NDIS employee.<\/p>\n The proposal has been labelled “robo-planning”<\/a> by parts of the disability community and likened to the new algorithm being used in the aged care system<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read more about the NDIS<\/p>\n Many questions the disability community have had about the process \u2014 such as who the assessors will be, how much training they will have, and what the appeals process will be \u2014 are still yet to be publicly confirmed.<\/p>\n The RAC is among the only people from the disability community privy to the development of the reforms.<\/p>\n Pause makes ‘total sense’<\/p>\n Emma Benison, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, the national representative body for independent disability advocacy organisations, said the committee’s recommendation to delay the implementation made “total sense”.<\/p>\n “We don’t yet have many of the pieces of the puzzle that we need in order to assess the implications of these new [systems]”, she said.<\/p>\n “If the agency is smart, they will absolutely heed that recommendation.”<\/p>\n The two words quietly shaping NDIS reform<\/a><\/p>\n The NDIS’s reputation isn’t just at risk of coming under pressure, it’s well and truly crumbling, write Nas Campanella and Evan Young.<\/p>\n Ms Bennison acknowledged change was required but it was critical they were well supported by an evidence base, protected the rights and safety of participants and were well communicated to participants and their families.<\/p>\n She said the pace and the scale of reform around the NDIS was “really fatiguing”.<\/p>\n “It’s difficult to understand the trajectory,” she said.<\/p>\n “It’s really important that people can trust the process. This is about making sure people have the supports they need to get out of bed and live full and productive lives.”<\/p>\n Emma Bennison says the many NDIS reforms currently happening are hard to keep up with. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n A spokesperson for NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said the government respected the RAC’s role and “will consider the advice it provides”.<\/p>\n In December, the minister told the ABC the “rules and policy arrangements to support the new process” were still being developed and the I-CAN had been used in the care sector for 20 years.<\/p>\n She said in February an initial group of 30 NDIS participants were undertaking simulated tests as part of trials of the new system.<\/p>\n A simpler planning system was recommended by an independent review of the NDIS<\/a> and is a key part of a wider shifting of the scheme towards something needs-driven, rather than purely diagnostic.<\/p>\n The minutes from the RAC’s March meeting also show it recommended the government implement all recommendations of the Provider Registration Task Force<\/a>, working with people with disability “to design a proportionate, risk\u2011based regulatory framework”.<\/p>\n Mixed feelings about increase to NDIA staff numbers<\/a><\/p>\n The NDIA’s new hires accounted for 70 per cent of the overall growth in the public service in 2025.<\/p>\n That task force presented the government with a blueprint for a tiered registration model for all kinds of providers in 2024, but so far mandatory registration has only been confirmed for two types<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/bbf4c5a8f2d714824850d5764557d2ce.jpeg\")
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