Australia to Remove Nearly 145,000 Autism Recipients from NDIS by 2030

The Albanese government plans to remove nearly 145,000 Australians receiving NDIS support for autism by the end of the decade, according to internal health department estimates reported by The Guardian. The changes will also prevent an additional 105,000 people from entering the scheme by June 2031.

The NDIS is a $52 billion annual program that currently serves people with autism as 42 percent of its participants.

Health department documents show 241,000 current participants will lose access after the introduction of a functional capacity test, with 60 percent of them, or 144,600 people, having autism or developmental delays as their primary disability. Sixty-four percent of those losing eligibility, or 154,240 individuals, will be aged 18 and under.

From 2028 onward, almost two-thirds of the 241,000 participants set to lose access will be children or teenagers.

The government estimates the scheme would otherwise reach $117 billion a year within a decade. The eligibility changes are projected to reduce the NDIS annual growth rate to just below 2 percent over the next four years, down from its 2021-22 peak of 23 percent. NDIS minister Mark Butler stated the scheme is intended only for people with significant and permanent disability.

He told ABC radio this month that the scheme is growing too fast and dislocating other services in the care economy. A government spokesperson said some people no longer eligible may receive support through community services or new foundational supports.

The Thriving Kids program, jointly funded by federal and state governments, will begin in October providing support to children under nine with mild developmental delays and autism who lose NDIS access.