National Disability Insurance Scheme recipients are increasingly disputing changes to their plans, with the number of appeal cases jumping by 130 per cent in the past two years, a new report has found. Source: The Australian.
In a sign of times to come as Labor’s landmark NDIS reforms begin to roll out, the Administrative Review Tribunal’s annual report, released on Friday, said the number of cases remaining at the end of the financial year had risen by 21 per cent.
NDIS appeals were the third-largest source of dispute behind migration and protection cases, which included a 42 per cent increase in on-hand cases for student visas.
The ART noted a “significant” increase in its overall caseload, and appeals to review NDIS plan and access decisions jumped in the past year as Labor prepared to overhaul the scheme.
The Albanese Government’s reforms aim to save $38 billion over the next four years by removing about 240,000 people from the scheme and overhauling eligibility requirements.
Legislation was passed in September, meaning major reforms such as Thriving Kids were not captured during the past financial year.
However, providers and advocates have warned the current review system cannot handle an inevitable further spike in appeals as recipients grapple with funding cuts and wound-back supports.
According to the 2025-26 ART report, overall NDIS lodgements increased by 18 per cent in the past year from 7935 to 9351, up 130 per cent from 2023-24.
Plan-related appeals, at 80.1 per cent, accounted for the majority of cases.
The median time to finalise appeals blew out from 27 to 34 weeks in the past year, with plan decisions again making up most of the delay.
Despite a 61 per cent increase in the number of NDIS cases finalised year on year, the number of cases that remained active as of June increased by one-fifth to 7077.
Cases go before the ART when Australians seek a review of a decision made by the National Disability Insurance Agency regarding their NDIS plan, or requests to join the scheme.
The figures also represent the ART’s first full year operating as the independent body where Australians can seek to review decisions made by Commonwealth departments and agencies.
FULL STORY
NDIS dispute cases surge as tribunal wait times stretch to 34 weeks (By Elizabeth Pike, The Australian)
