Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative

In 2025 the government proposed moving many children under nine with developmental delay or disability off individual NDIS plans. They would get “foundational supports” instead, funded outside the NDIS, which would be less intensive and more often group-based.

A parliamentary committee held an inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative and asked for submissions.

See also our open letter to the Minister on Thriving Kids, our submission on the draft program specifications, and our guide for families, what parents need to know about Thriving Kids 2026.

We support building more supports for all children. But we argued that reducing intensive early intervention for children on the NDIS would be a costly mistake.

• Timing matters. The early years are when a child’s brain is most able to adapt, so support given then can change how a child develops.
• Intensity matters. Research on early autism intervention has recommended many hours of support each week. Less intensive, group-based help could fall short of what many children need.
• It costs more later. Research on high-quality early childhood programs finds returns over a lifetime, through better health, education and work. Cutting support now risks larger costs for health, education and justice later.
• Save money elsewhere. We estimated the change would save the NDIS about $2.3 billion a year, and argued savings of that size could come from tackling fraud, overcharging and waste.

We asked the Committee to protect intensive, individual early intervention for children under 9, and to find savings through the integrity and efficiency of the Scheme.

The committee’s report, No child left behind: Report into the Thriving Kids initiative, was released in December 2025. It cites our submission at paragraph 4.22 (footnote 24, page 108), for the point that early and individualised intervention is “vital for preventing the need for more complex and costly interventions” later in life. It also lists our submission as Submission 66.

The Government responded on 13 August 2026. It supported the committee’s recommendation that Thriving Kids be rolled out in phases, with safeguards so children don’t lose supports (Recommendation 3), and said the first Thriving Kids supports would roll out from 1 October 2026.