Key changes to the NDIS Amendment Bill

The NDIS Amendment Bill continues to make its way through Parliament, with the House of Representatives agreeing to a series of amendments on 1 July. These amendments respond to feedback from people with disability, families, advocates and organisations, and partly reflect concerns OTA raised in our submission.

• On plan suspension, the NDIA must now make at least 5 contact attempts spanning 3 to 4 months before suspending a participant's plan, and periods of hospitalisation, institutional care or homelessness do not count towards this.
• On permanence, the amendments clarify that appropriate treatment means treatment with public funding available through Medicare, the PBS or public hospitals, and confirm restrictive practices do not qualify as treatment.
• Support determinations must specify which plans they apply to, and the Minister can now exclude employment and health supports from funding reductions.
• Automated decisions require 7 days public notice before they start.
• Pricing advice given to the Minister must be tabled in Parliament within 5 days of a determination.
• An independent review of the changes made by the Bill will take place in 2029.

More information on the amendments is available in this NDIA fact sheet.

We are pleased to see these amendments, which will strengthen safeguards and protections for participants across several parts of the Bill. However, these amendments do not fully mitigate the risks that OTA has previously identified that the Bill will restrict participant access and place additional pressure on the occupational therapy workforce.

OTA is continuing to engage closely with the Bill as it progresses, including preparing a supplementary submission to the Senate Inquiry. We will keep members updated on our advocacy and ensure your voice is heard.

OTA supports veterans: We say, scrap the cap

The May budget announced key changes to allied health, affecting both clinicians and veterans. While these included the welcome suspension of the treatment cycle for veterans, and a fee increase for OTs aligned with allied health fee increases across the sector, the Government also announced a $5,000 cap for veterans holding gold and white cards.

This is scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2027, with the Department of Veterans Affairs undertaking consultation on these changes over August. An EOI portal to register for submissions is open, with details available here, noting the deadline is 31 July.

OTA members have responded with strong opposition to the cap, expressing that it creates a punitive barrier to accessing combined high-level treatments by exhausting $5,000 in expenditure very swiftly, denying veterans access to occupational therapists

OTA is advocating strongly in opposition to the cap, working closely with our DVA national reference group (NRG) members, to raise public awareness. Last week, Brisbane's Courier Mail ran an opinion editorial by our NRG member Helen Whaitt, and OTA is meeting with Shadow Veterans Affairs Minister Michael McCormack in the coming weeks to help push for abolition of the cap. We also continue to engage with other allied health stakeholders to collaborate on advocacy around the issue.

Need to know more about OTA's advocacy for veterans or other issues affecting OTs working in this space? Sign up to our DVA Member Forum on 23 July, with Beth Dermer and Helen Whaitt, both of whom sit on OTA's DVA NRG.

Thriving Kids advocacy update

Over recent weeks, OTA has met with departmental officials from several state and territory governments, including Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory. Meetings with Queensland and South Australia are scheduled. Thriving Kids cannot achieve its intended outcomes without the meaningful inclusion of allied health professionals, including occupational therapists and private allied health providers who support thousands of children and families through early childhood intervention. OTA will provide regular updates as Thriving Kids progresses towards its 1 October 2026 commencement. The first phase is likely to include national online, digital and phone-based information and advice services.

TAC opens OT Access Registry

The Victorian Traffic Accident Commission (TAC), which funds treatment and benefits for people injured in traffic accidents, has launched its new OT Access Registry.

The new framework provides an updated fee structure for registered OTs, and a more versatile, focused referral process to match specific practice areas to client needs, using a wider pool of OTs to broaden services and reduce wait times. Non-registered OTs will be paid a maximum of $170.07 per hour, effective 1 July. The registry covers all 79 Victorian local government areas and currently includes services in 32 languages other than English. Registration for OTs working outside Victoria is also available, to ensure treatment for TAC beneficiaries who have moved outside the state.

Interested OTs must complete the mandatory online modules to gain access to the new registry, with terms and conditions confirmed on completion. Registration time can be counted towards CPD goals.

Service provision categories include review of capability (ROC), seating and wheelchair assessments, acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, driving assessments and complex vehicle modifications. Currently, mental health and wellbeing is not included in the TAC registry's OT scope of practice. OTA continues to advocate for its inclusion and is undertaking ongoing advocacy while the TAC undertakes a review of mental health supports for TAC clients. The TAC will evaluate the registry's effectiveness over coming months.

Help shape the National Allied Health in Primary Care Engagement Toolkit

Have you used the National Allied Health in Primary Care Engagement Toolkit? OTs are invited to share their feedback to help ensure the Toolkit remains practical, relevant and responsive to the needs of allied health professionals. The survey takes around 5 minutes to complete and is open until Friday 31 July. Your feedback will help inform future iterations of the Toolkit and the formal review. Complete the survey here.