Therapy Near Me | July 2025
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to empower Australians with disability through funding and services. Yet in 2025, the scheme is facing mounting criticism—from affordability issues to service access gaps—raising concerns about its effectiveness and impact on mental health.
Keywords: NDIS problems 2025, NDIS cuts mental health, NDIS allied health funding, NDIS sustainability issues, NDIS inequity Australia, psychosocial supports NDIS, NDIS rural access problems, NDIS foundational supports, NDIS participant appeals, NDIS therapy cuts
1. Escalating Costs and Sustainability Concerns
The NDIS has grown dramatically faster than expected, with spending projected to exceed A$58 billion by 2028—surpassing Medicare and defence budgets (The Guardian, 2025) . Critics warn such rapid expansion, without systemic reform, risks undermining the scheme’s sustainability and could force cuts to participant entitlements.
2. Service Cuts and Therapist Shortages
From February 2025, NDIS funding cuts to allied health—including art and music therapy—capped rates for individual sessions at A$68 unless “functional capacity” is demonstrated, provoking outcry from providers and families (Daily Telegraph, 2024) . Further reductions in travel funding have also limited access in rural and remote areas, with psychologists reporting up to 50% travel reimbursement cuts that hinder capacity to serve vulnerable populations (Herald Sun, 2025) .
3. Increasing Administrative Burden
Significant changes to pricing arrangements and reporting requirements introduced July 2025 have created confusion and administrative overload. Participants and providers fear this will restrict supports and reduce choice and control—the fundamental principles of the NDIS (Saturday Paper, 2025) .
4. Sudden Plan Reductions and Poor Communication
Legal advocates report a 60% surge in plan appeal cases, citing sudden cuts and eligibility reviews by staff lacking expertise in psychosocial disabilities (ABC News, June 2025) . Participants often receive little notice or explanation, increasing stress and decreasing trust.
5. Exclusion of Key Mental Health Groups
Approximately 500,000 Australians with moderate to severe mental illness fall outside NDIS eligibility—unable to access crucial psychosocial supports (Yahoo News, June 2025) . Mental Health Australia has called for foundational community supports to bridge this gap, yet progress remains slow .
6. Equity and Access Gaps
Eligibility disparities persist across geographical, age, and demographic lines. A 2025 MJA study found savings reforms did little to address these systemic inequalities, while autistic children and remote communities continue to struggle to access supports (Insight Plus MJA, 2025) .
7. Shift Away from Allied and Creative Therapies
The downgrading of allied and creative therapies (art, music, mental health interventions) undermines person-centred care, impacting participants who rely on these modalities to support emotional regulation and social development .
Broader Implications for Mental Health
The NDIS’s current trajectory threatens core mental health care principles: equity, choice, and holistic recovery (Mental Health Australia, 2025) . Rising anxiety and stress among both participants and providers underscore the emotional toll of insecure support, service disruptions, and deteriorating confidence in the system.
Moving Forward: Key Reforms Needed
To realign the NDIS with its original intent, experts advocate:
- Implementing Foundational Supports: Deliver community-based services for those who are ineligible or need less intensive care (Grattan Institute, June 2025) .
- Simplifying Administration: Reduce red tape and improve communication protocols (Saturday Paper, 2025) .
- Restoring Essential Therapies: Reinstate funding for art, music, and mental health supports crucial to consumer-directed care (Daily Telegraph, 2024; AAPI, 2025) ().
- Addressing Equity Gaps: Reform eligibility and access pathways for disadvantaged demographics (MJA, 2025; Yahoo News, 2025) .
References
ABC News (2025) Families in ‘anguish’ as NDIS agency accused of ‘fighting’ participants. 5 June.
AAPI (2025) NDIS and Medicare 2025. [online]
Daily Telegraph (2024) ‘Distressing’: NDIS change threatens key therapy. 28 Nov.
Grattan Institute (2025) Saving the NDIS: How to rebalance disability services to get better results. The Guardian. 30 June.
Herald Sun (2025) NDIS cuts could lead to vulnerable ‘falling through the cracks’. 8 July.
Insight Plus MJA (2025) NDIS reforms…groups struggling to gain access.
Mental Health Australia (2025) NDIS Incoming Government Brief.
MJA (2025) NDIS reforms aim to make the scheme fairer…. Insight Plus.
Saturday Paper (2025) Changes to the NDIS fail its users. 12 July.
The Guardian (2025) NDIS’s wider reputation at all-time low…. 27 March.
Yahoo News (2025) 500,000 Australians live with mental illness but don’t qualify for the NDIS. 25 June.
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