MND Australia urges Government and NDIA to reverse funding cuts and raise rates for specialised disability support

Published: June 2025

From 1 July 2025, the NDIA’s pricing changes will significantly impact service providers working with people living with motor neurone disease (MND), particularly those delivering home based care.

These changes include halving the funding available for travel across all allied health professions, alongside an ongoing five-year price freeze for critical services. This includes Support Coordination and allied health disciplines such as occupational therapy and speech pathology.

In an unprecedented move, the NDIA has gone further by reducing the hourly rate for physiotherapy. This is not simply a continuation of the price freeze, but an active cut to pricing despite widespread workforce shortages and increasing demand.

“These changes come at a time when the disability sector is already under pressure. Providers are struggling to remain financially viable while delivering essential, high-quality care to people with complex, progressive conditions like MND.

"Without adequate pricing, many will be forced to reconsider whether home visiting services, which are critical for people living with MND, can continue to be offered at all,” says Clare Sullivan, MND Australia CEO.

While the NDIA has stated that these changes are intended to preserve participants’ budgets by reducing the portion spent on provider travel, thereby allowing more funding to be directed toward face-to-face supports, the reality for people who require services in their home they will be negatively impacted.

For the MND community, these supports are essential. Halving travel funding will directly reduce the number of providers willing or able to deliver home based care, particularly in regional and remote areas, but also in metropolitan locations where travel time is already underfunded and the costs are routinely absorbed by providers.

People with MND often become housebound as their condition progresses. Attending clinics can be physically exhausting, logistically difficult, and often impossible. This impacts not only the person living with MND, but also their carers and families.

Support delivered in the home is not a preference. It is a necessity.

Many critical services, including home modifications, equipment trials, communication device setup and safe hoist or transfer assessments, must be delivered in the home to be safe, effective and tailored to the person’s needs. Cutting travel support undermines the delivery of these essential services.

People with MND need access to expert, timely and responsive support. Delivering care such as this requires a highly skilled and specialised workforce. 

Our State MND Associations are experts in MND care. Each state offers a diverse range of services, all providing specialist care that is tailored to the unique and rapidly changing needs of people living with this progressive disease.

As registered providers under the NDIS, our State MND Associations are committed to delivering safe, effective and high-quality supports to people living with MND.

“MND Australia calls on the NDIA to formally recognise the vital role of State MND Associations and ensure they receive appropriate funding to continue their essential work," said Clare Sullivan.

MND Australia urges the NDIA to:

1. Reverse the July 2025 pricing reductions, including travel cuts and the reduction to physiotherapy rates.
2. Increase NDIS pricing for underfunded supports such as Support Coordination and for all allied health professions delivering complex disability care.
3. Design sustainable funding models that reflect the real costs of delivering personalised, home-based support for people with progressive neurological conditions
4. Avoid short term savings strategies that jeopardise long term access to equitable care for people with disability.

While we understand the NDIA’s obligation to ensure the Scheme’s sustainability, cutting essential services for people with complex needs is not the solution.

People living with MND deserve access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time. They cannot afford to be left behind.