A timeline, but not a solution
Today’s National Press Club address by Minister Mark Butler finally gave families and providers a timeline: a $2 billion “Thriving Kids” program to start in 2026 and scale up by 2027. The goal is to cut NDIS growth from 8% a year to 4–6% by shifting children with developmental concerns—especially autism—out of the NDIS and into “foundational supports.”
On paper, that sounds like progress. But let’s be clear: state and territory governments have not agreed to deliver these supports. Until they do, Thriving Kids is a timeline without a foundation.
The ACT example – a drop-in, not a solution
Butler pointed to the ACT’s Child Development Service as a model. Let’s be honest: these are drop-in clinics, not therapy services. Families get a 20-minute chat with a clinician, not structured assessment, therapy blocks, or coordinated care. And NDIS participants are excluded.
This is not therapy. It’s triage. Pretending otherwise is misleading.
Families vs providers – the wrong fight
Today’s rhetoric painted a picture of families battling “greedy or fraudulent” providers. That’s convenient politics, but it misses the point. Fraud must be addressed, yes—but the real reasons families struggle are long waits, under-resourced systems, restrictive pricing, and fragmented services.
Scapegoating providers doesn’t fix delivery. Building robust, coordinated pathways does.
The reality for families
For many families, these changes will mean effectively halved budgets. Less therapy, more pressure on parents, and schools expected to pick up the slack. Unless foundational supports are properly funded, we’re just shifting children from one waiting list to another.
The dietetics problem – funding exists, recognition doesn’t
One glaring example is Dietetics. NDIS funding for dietitians exists. Yet Local Area Coordinators (LACs) are increasingly telling families dietetics is “purely medical” and not covered. This is flat-out wrong. Nutrition is fundamental to participation, growth, feeding, and independence.
By dismissing dietetics, coordinators are misinforming families and undermining evidence-based care. Thriving Kids must recognise dietetics as a core developmental support, not an optional extra.
Why multidisciplinary teams are the answer
Eat Speak Learn already does what Thriving Kids is trying to create:
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Integrated care: Speech, OT, Dietetics, EP, Psychology, and Allied Health Assistants (AHAs) in one coordinated team.
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Lead Practitioners: A single point of accountability to cut through the chaos.
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Impact-driven: We measure progress against goals, not just service hours.
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Transparent billing: Families know exactly what’s funded, what’s a gap, and why.
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Community focus: By embedding care in homes, schools, and community spaces, we reduce long-term NDIS reliance.
This is real foundational support.
Market-led pricing – let quality drive, not caps
The NDIS price guide is broken. Centralised price controls suffocate quality and innovation while enabling poor practice. Right now, a brand-new graduate can open their own NDIS business overnight, set their own caseload, and operate without meaningful quality safeguards—all under the same pricing rules as an experienced principal practitioner.
That’s not sustainable, and it’s not safe.
We need market-led pricing that:
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Reflects practitioner experience and case complexity.
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Rewards evidence-based, integrated care.
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Filters out low-quality, fly-by-night operators who undercut on price but fail on outcomes.
The government says it wants sustainability. True sustainability comes from letting quality providers thrive, not shackling everyone to the same capped rate.
Our message to government
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Stop dressing up drop-in centres as therapy.
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Secure state and territory buy-in before promising families change.
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Recognise dietetics properly—it’s funded, it’s essential, and it changes lives.
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Abandon the scapegoating narrative. Work with providers who are already proving what works.
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Free the sector from rigid price caps. Let quality set the standard, and protect families from unregulated low-quality operators.
Our promise to families
At Eat Speak Learn, we will:
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Advocate loudly for fair recognition of dietetics, psychology, and all multidisciplinary supports.
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Bridge gaps with consults, intensives, and transparent guidance.
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Partner with schools to deliver real, embedded therapy where kids spend most of their time.
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Model quality—transparent, accountable, and always outcome-focused.
Bottom line: Families don’t need more rhetoric. They need real therapy, transparent systems, and providers they can trust. Multidisciplinary organisations like Eat Speak Learn are not the problem—we are the solution. If the government is serious about “Thriving Kids”, it must stop the politics and start backing the services already delivering.
