Government delays rollout of promised foundational supports

The Australian Government has announced a delay in rolling out new ‘foundational supports’ — a suite of disability support services intended for people with milder disabilities who are not eligible for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. These supports were originally slated to begin on July 1, 2025, targeting individuals — often children or those with psychosocial disabilities — whose needs fall outside the NDIS criteria. The postponement has prompted calls for clarity from disability advocates and raised concerns about prolonged gaps in support for those currently ineligible for the NDIS.

What are foundational supports and what was promised?

‘Foundational supports’ were a key recommendation of the recent NDIS Review, envisaged as a safety net for the majority of Australians with disability who do not receive an NDIS plan. About 86 percent of people with disabilities in Australia are not NDIS participants, often because their disabilities are considered mild or less complex. Yet, many in this group still require assistance in daily life. To address this, Federal, State and Territory Governments agreed to establish foundational supports; effectively a new tier of disability support outside the NDIS. These supports were intended to include both general and targeted services.

• General supports
  Community-based resources, such as peer support networks, information and advice services or programs to build self-advocacy skills.

• Targeted supports
  Practical assistance for people with disability not covered by the NDIS, such as help with shopping, cleaning or other daily tasks. These are aimed at specific groups — for example, families of children with autism and developmental delays, people with psychosocial disability and young people needing transition support into employment or independent living.

The goal of foundational supports is to create a ‘more inclusive and equal network’ of services, so people with disability can get support ‘without having to join the [NDIS] scheme.’ The original promise, championed by then-NDIS Minister Bill Shorten, was to start rolling out these supports by July 2025, aligning with efforts to curb pressure on the NDIS by providing alternatives for those with lower support needs.

The government’s rationale for the delay

That July 2025 target will now be missed. Incoming Minister for the NDIS Mark Butler confirmed that foundational supports will not begin on July 1 and are instead delayed, likely until the end of 2025. Butler has emphasised that the implementation of these supports is ‘tied together’ with several complex negotiations, including finalising NDIS reforms and a new multi-year hospital funding agreement with states. All State and Territory governments, alongside the Commonwealth, need to agree on how foundational supports will be funded and delivered, since these services will largely fall under state responsibility.

“We are working to a timeline of finalising those negotiations over the course of the rest of this year,” Butler said.

In other words, the groundwork that should precede the rollout is still being hashed out between governments.

Minister Butler and his office have also indicated they won’t be rushed into launching an unfinished model. Advocates note that Butler candidly admitted the system is ‘not ready.’

This transparent acknowledgement — a departure from any overly optimistic promises — has been welcomed by some in the sector.

Chief Executive Officer of Autism Awareness Australia Nicole Rogerson praised the minister’s approach.

“I would much rather the honesty than all the political dancing […] we knew [foundational supports were] going to take a lot longer than a few months to pull together,” she said.

No new start date has been formally announced, but the government’s ‘rest of this year’ timeline suggests a potential commencement in late 2025. In the interim, officials maintain that NDIS eligibility criteria will not be tightened to force people off the scheme. 

Instead, the strategy is to eventually stand up parallel supports for those outside it. The recent administrative reshuffle that moved the NDIS into the Health and Aged Care portfolio, under Butler, may also be a factor. Experts have cautioned that this broader portfolio could slow disability initiatives as other health priorities compete for attention.

Calls for clarity and concern from advocates

The delay has caused unease and uncertainty in the disability community, with the national peak advocacy body People with Disability Australia releasing a statement about the delays.

“The delay has created uncertainty in the community about when and how these essential supports will become available,” PWDA stated.

Advocates are worried that those ineligible for the NDIS will continue to ‘fall through the cracks’ of service systems during the postponement. PWDA President Trinity Ford acknowledged the community understands the complexity of implementing such reform and the importance of ‘getting it right from the start.’ However, she stressed it is “critical that all people with disability are brought along and involved” in the process.

Ford noted that “[…] many people with disability who are not eligible for the NDIS still have real and ongoing support needs” and, right now, these Australians are “[…] waiting — unsupported and without answers” as the details and timing of foundational supports remain in limbo.

“These foundational supports will hopefully create a more inclusive and equal network of disability supports,” she said.

PWDA and other advocacy groups are urging the government to communicate a clear plan and timeline. They want transparency about next steps and genuine co-design with people with lived experience of disability.

“We’re calling on the government to communicate transparently about [the] next steps and to ensure people with lived experience of disability are at the centre of future planning,” Ford said.

Advocates argued that involving the community in designing these supports will help ensure the system reflects the diverse needs of those it’s meant to serve, including children, people with psychosocial disability and others currently underserviced by existing programs.

There is also frustration at the lack of information released so far. Even before this official delay, disability groups felt progress was opaque. Reports have surfaced online that The Australian, a prominent news outlet, lodged a Freedom of Information request last year for documents on foundational supports, which only yielded fewer than 30 pages of heavily redacted material. This has fed perceptions of ‘secrecy and uncertainty’ around the planning of the new system. Advocacy organisations caution that without more openness, it’s hard for the community to trust that governments are treating this issue with urgency.

Impact on those left out of the NDIS

For the millions of Australians with disability who aren’t on the NDIS, the delay prolongs a difficult status quo. Many individuals with mild or moderate disabilities rely on a patchwork of state services or, often, on family and personal resources, which may not meet their needs. The foundational supports were meant to fill these gaps. Early intervention and community supports are seen as crucial for long-term outcomes — for instance, providing modest help at home or support for a child with developmental delays now could prevent bigger, costlier crises later. Every month of delay is a month these needs continue to go unmet.

Advocates have warned of a ‘worrying gap’ for people currently excluded from the NDIS. Some have even lost existing supports, with reports of NDIS participants being reassessed and found ineligible, effectively cutting off their funding before any foundational support system is in place. 

Delaying the rollout not only tests the patience of those awaiting help but may also undermine the very goal of easing pressure on the NDIS. If people can’t find support outside the scheme, they might eventually seek entry into the NDIS as a last resort. As PWDA put it, foundational supports are about ensuring ‘all people with disability get support,’ so that no one is forced to navigate disability without assistance.

A balanced path forward

The government insists it remains committed to foundational supports, with Minister Butler stating he wants them rolled out ‘as soon as possible’ but done properly. In a gesture of optimism, PWDA has welcomed the government’s ongoing commitment to disability reform and offered to collaborate to ensure the new system is ‘timely, inclusive and sustainable.’ Achieving that will require rebuilding trust through open communication and genuine partnership with the disability community.

In the meantime, the mixed reactions from advocates underscore the need to balance speed with rigour. Some, like Autism Awareness Australia’s Nicole Rogerson, support taking the time to ‘get it right,’ rather than rushing out an incomplete program. However, others have emphasised that time is of the essence for people who have already waited years for support. As Grattan Institute associate Hannah Orban cautioned, prolonged negotiations carry the ‘[…] risk that… we won’t see foundational supports anytime soon.’ To avoid that outcome, disability groups are pressing for interim solutions or clarity on what supports people can access now, while the grander system is under construction.

Ultimately, delivering on foundational supports is seen as vital to Australia’s vision of ‘no one left behind.’ The delay, though disappointing, could yield a better-designed system if used wisely, but only if governments keep their promise to those outside the NDIS.