Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is getting a major makeover – and it’s all about conversation.
From 2026, instead of scrambling to collect endless medical reports, participants will sit down for an interview – up to three hours – with a trained assessor from the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).
A Federal Government spokesperson said the idea was to make support planning “simpler, fairer and more accessible”.
The new system uses a tool called I-CAN (Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs). It measures how often and how intensely a person needs help across 12 parts of daily life – everything from self-care and mobility to relationships and mental health.
On paper, it’s about focusing on function rather than diagnosis – a shift many have long called for. In practice, it replaces medical evidence with self-reported information, which could be empowering for some but problematic for others.
Critics say it’s unclear how the assessments will actually determine support levels – or what happens to people who struggle to articulate their needs.
“The NDIS must never reduce us to data points in a secret algorithm,” said disability advocate George Taleporos.
“We are human beings, and our rights must remain at the heart of the scheme.”
Others point out the three-hour chat might be a marathon for people with communication, sensory or cognitive disabilities.
And there’s concern the one-size-fits-all approach could miss nuances for autistic people, First Nations participants, and culturally diverse communities.
The Government insists the system will be fairer and more consistent. But memories of the 2021 “independent assessments” fiasco, which was dumped after public outcry, linger.
For now, one thing’s certain: the NDIS is heading into uncharted territory – and the people it’s meant to serve will be watching closely to see if less paperwork really does mean more fairness.
