The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is an Australian Government program designed to support people living with a permanent and significant disability. The NDIS provides individualised funding for reasonable and necessary supports that help participants build independence, develop skills, and achieve meaningful goals in everyday life.
The scheme is delivered by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) and supports hundreds of thousands of Australians by funding services across daily living, therapy, assistive technology, and home or community participation supports.
NDIS funding is:
• Individualised – based on a person’s functional needs, goals, and circumstances
• Goal focused – designed to support participation, independence, and quality of life
• Evidence informed – supported by professional assessments and reports
• Flexible – within defined support categories
Funding is organised into three main support budgets:
• Core Supports – assistance with everyday activities and community participation
• Capacity Building Supports – therapies and services that build skills and independence (including allied health)
• Capital Supports – assistive technology, equipment, and home modifications
Allied health services — such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, dietetics, and exercise physiology — are commonly funded under Capacity Building supports when they help improve functional abilities and long term independence.
Registered NDIS providers must meet strict NDIS Practice Standards, overseen by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. These standards ensure services are delivered safely, ethically, and with respect for participant choice, dignity, and rights.
In simple terms, the NDIS gives people choice and control over the supports they receive, while ensuring providers meet national quality and safety standards to deliver effective, person centred care.
