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Queensland's refusal to sign up to NDIS reforms has left families seeking clarity.
The Albanese government remains in a deadlock with Queensland and its premier, David Crisafulli , over the state's refusal to sign on to the Thriving Kids program.
Advocates are warning confusion about the reforms had become a major issue for families across the country. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says he wants assurances from Canberra that families won't "fall through the cracks". Queensland's refusal to sign up to National Disability Insurance Scheme changes that started on Thursday is causing anxiety and confusion for families and disability advocates who say they've been given uncertainty instead of support.
Thriving Kids is a $4 billion program co-funded by state and federal governments for children aged eight and under who have developmental delay or autism with low to moderate support needs. The program will gradually move support services for those children out of the NDIS. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has refused to join the scheme, saying he wanted assurances from the federal government that families won't "fall through the cracks".
"The federal government, by its own admission, says that the NDIS is a runaway train," Crisafulli told reporters on Thursday. "All we want is families to be protected, and before we hop in the driver's seat, we want the knowledge from Canberra that vulnerable people won't be collateral damage. "Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Queensland Disability Services Minister Amanda Camm called Thriving Kids a "cost-shifting deal" and "a bad deal for children with a disability". NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister said Queensland needs to answer for its "inability so far to live up to the agreement that it signed jointly with every other state and territory leader and our prime minister earlier this year".
"Families in Queensland are rightly asking their state government what Thriving Kids services will be in place for their children," McAllister said. Crisafulli has not signed the bilateral funding deal with the Commonwealth, but earlier agreed to set up "foundational supports" outside the NDIS, such as Thriving Kids, in exchange for a share of $25 billion in hospital funding. No children with autism currently on the NDIS will be moved from it immediately.
Changes to NDIS access won't start until 2028, but new Thriving Kids programs and foundational supports have launched. This includes a new Thriving Kids autism helpline and information hub to guide families. Families in Queensland can access those supports, despite the state not signing up. States and territories will start designing and rolling out targeted supports from January 2027, with services to be implemented by 2028, when NDIS eligibility criteria will change.
Children with permanent and significant disability, including children with high support needs, will remain eligible for the NDIS after 2028. Jenny Karavolas, independent co-chair of the Australian Autism Alliance, said confusion about the reforms had become a major issue for families across the country.
"It doesn't matter which state you're in, families are just concerned and anxious," she told SBS News. "It is confusing what's happening, when it's happening. Everyone's trying to get more information to make sure that it's clearer.
" Karavolas said it was crucial families understood that the launch of Thriving Kids did not mean children were immediately being moved off the NDIS. "The more that we can work with government, and that interconnectivity between states and territories and government can be made clear with a clear roadmap, the better," she said. "Children shouldn't be the shock absorber while the adults are trying to get the right systems and work out which system you're meant to be in.
"Three disability advocacy organisations have written to the Camm seeking clarity on the state's plans. People with Disability Australia, Children and Young People with Disability Australia and the Queensland Independent Disability Advocacy Network requested a meeting and outlined their concerns.
"The absence of agreement cannot mean an absence of a clear pathway forward. While other jurisdictions move into implementation, Queensland families are being asked to live with continued uncertainty about what supports will be available here and when," the group wrote. The Queensland government has raised concerns about funding, the design of Thriving Kids, and the risk of people falling through the cracks as responsibilities shift between the NDIS and other systems. The advocacy groups said they share those concerns.
Queensland Disability Services Minister Amanda Camm has called Thriving Kids "a bad deal for children with a disability". Source: AAP / Darren EnglandQueensland Advocacy for Inclusion chief executive Matilda Alexander said it should not be a time for "greater uncertainty and questioning in the disability community".
"People are already very stressed and anxious about changes to the NDIS, and we need to know what is coming in relation to Thriving Kids," Alexander told SBS News. "Every other state and territory government has been able to communicate with their respective populations about their approach to this. "We know something's ending. We know we're going to be falling.
We don't know what we're going to be landing on.
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