Response to the Minister’s Press Club speech on Thriving Kids

On 20 August 2025, Minister Mark Butler gave a speech at the National Press Club about reforming the NDIS. He announced a new program, Thriving Kids, for children with developmental delay or autism, and tighter NDIS eligibility focused on “significant and permanent” disability.

He also said many young children on the NDIS were “over-serviced”, pointing to an average of 70 therapy sessions a year for a child with moderate needs.

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

We wrote an open letter to the Minister the next day. We recognised the financial pressure on the NDIS, but opposed any change that weakens early intervention for children.

• 70 sessions is not too many. That is about 1.3 sessions a week. Guidelines overseas have recommended 20 to 40 hours of structured support a week in the early years.
• These children belong in the NDIS. The NDIS was designed to include early intervention for children likely to benefit. Children under 15 make up 43% of participants but 13% of spending.
• Thriving Kids needs to exist first. We welcomed the idea, but the program didn’t exist yet and the timeline wasn’t credible. It should be shown to work before any child moves.
• Learn from other countries. Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the UK took decades to build well-resourced supports, and none solved costs by moving children off support before an alternative existed.
• Cut waste, not children. Savings should come from fair pricing, fighting fraud and consistent assessments.

We also set out minimum standards for any change: a documented handover, a named provider and 12 months of follow-up for every child who moves, with the NDIS stepping back in if the new system doesn’t meet their needs.

The timeline has since changed.

• Start date. In January 2026, National Cabinet agreed that Thriving Kids would start rolling out on 1 October 2026, with full implementation by 1 January 2028.
• NDIS access. The Department says there will be no change to how people access the NDIS until 1 January 2028. The Minister has said children under 9 who are on the NDIS before then will be reassessed under the usual criteria.
• Who it’s for. Children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism and low to moderate support needs, without needing a diagnosis. States and territories will deliver most supports, including allied health such as psychology.

Current details are on the Department’s About Thriving Kids page (updated 13 August 2026).