Arabic version: تدقيق في مقدمي خدمات «إن دي آي إس» بسبب الفوترة غير الصحيحة
According to ABC News, at least 4,000 National Disability Insurance Scheme service providers incorrectly charged Australians with disability under an item intended for qualified therapists delivering evidence-based supports. One provider was allowed to receive more than $1 million after billing personal training services at $193.99 an hour, nearly three times the government’s recommended price.
The claims were made through the NDIS category known as “other professionals”. The National Disability Insurance Agency’s analysis of a sample of 10,000 providers found 40 per cent had been paid for services not allowed under NDIS rules. Claims included decluttering, personal training, golf lessons, float tanks and horse therapy.
In 2024, the NDIA explicitly banned billing for general fitness, recreational activities and animal therapy. NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said the government wanted NDIS spending directed to quality supports that genuinely improved participants’ lives. She said the agency had raised debts against some providers and referred others to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The government said it split service categories into smaller, more specific groups in July to improve oversight. It also cut the “other professional” price cap from $194 to $156. A $350 million budget investment is intended to implement a digital payment system, while proposed NDIS Act amendments would add investigative and enforcement powers. People with Disability Australia acting chief executive Megan Spindler-Smith welcomed providers being held to account, but said the examples showed the agency’s administrative practices still needed fixing.
The proposed overhaul is aimed at saving $36 billion over four years. The NDIS supports more than 774,000 participants and annual spending has surpassed $50 billion. University of Sydney disability researcher Shane Clifton said fraud needed to be addressed, but was not unique to the scheme, and warned that the focus on fraud had undermined the NDIS and affected people with disability.
