The Federal Election: What each party plans to do with the NDIS

The Australian Federal Election is now slated for Saturday, May 3rd 2025. While there are many contentious topics every election, this article will delve into what each party have specifically said about the NDIS.

Please note that as an organisation, we have no affiliation with any party. This article is aimed to outline facts from each political party. We are not advocating for you to vote in any specific way and this article is not biased towards any party. Also note that every electorate is different, so what we write here may be different in your electorate.

Let’s begin by going through what the major parties have stated:

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party (ALP), currently in government, has been actively shaping NDIS policy through legislative and budgetary measures. Recent changes, effective from October 3, 2024, under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024, aim to enhance the scheme’s fairness and sustainability. These reforms include stricter eligibility criteria, clearer definitions of fund usage, and efforts to moderate the scheme’s growth rate, projected to reach over $50 billion by 2025-26 (Changes to NDIS Legislation).

In the 2024-25 budget, the ALP allocated an additional $468.7 million to support NDIS improvements, as detailed in their press release from May 14, 2024 (Delivering on our commitment to a better NDIS). Key initiatives include:

$45.5 million over four years for an NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee to ensure evidence-based, cost-effective therapeutic supports.
$20 million over two years for preliminary consultation on service navigation to help participants access services more easily.
$5.3 million for preliminary work on pricing reforms to increase transparency, potentially involving the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority.

These efforts reflect Labor’s commitment to balancing participant needs with fiscal responsibility, with a net cost increase of $1.5 billion over five years since the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO). However, no specific new NDIS policies have been announced for the 2025 election, suggesting their strategy is to build on current reforms if re-elected.

Australian Liberal Party

*Note that the National Party of Australia is included under Liberals here, as they form a coalition.

The Australian Liberal Party has outlined a clear plan for the NDIS in their official election platform, accessible via their website (Our Plan to Get Australia Back on Track). Their commitments include:

Guaranteeing NDIS funding for individuals with permanent and significant disabilities, ensuring continued support.
Providing practical employment support to help disabled people overcome barriers and secure jobs, aligning with broader economic participation goals.
Eradicating fraud and waste within the NDIS to deliver value for taxpayer dollars, emphasising efficiency and accountability.

Additionally, recent analyses, such as an article from the Sydney Morning Herald on April 7, 2025 (The key issues that will define the election), indicate the Liberals want to further curtail the growth in NDIS spending.

Australian Greens Party

*We’ve added the Greens to the ‘Major’ party section because they are estimated to win several seats in this election. While they won’t be in power, the Greens do form a coalition with Labor, and have swayed Labor policy in the past.

The Australian Greens focus on disability rights, with their disability policy last amended in October 2023, detailed on their policy page (Disability Rights and Services). Their approach to the NDIS emphasises participant-centred, equitable, and accessible services, with key aims including:

Ensuring easier access to the NDIS, regardless of disability category, and abolishing age, nationality, and residency restrictions for applications.
Promoting transparency in NDIA decisions, with regular public reporting on processes and timelines to enhance accountability.
Supporting an adequately resourced, efficient, and fair appeals process for participants to challenge decisions.
Advocating for disabled people to hold leadership roles in the NDIS and related ministries, ensuring co-design and participant input.

Their “Save Our NDIS” campaign (Save Our NDIS) further underscores their commitment to a fully funded, customisable scheme, but no specific policies for the 2025 election have been detailed in recent announcements. Instead, their platform focuses on broader principles, such as ensuring the NDIS remains responsive to participant needs without caps, reflecting a long-term vision rather than election-specific pledges.

Summary:

Resources and citations used for the above:

Minor Parties and their stance

It’s important to do a quick overview of what some of the minor parties think of the NDIS. Not that they are going to win the election, but they could win a seat. The below are some of the main minor parties that do not align with either Labor or Liberal.

One Nation

One Nation, led by Pauline Hanson, has explicitly stated plans to cut funding for the NDIS as part of their 2025 election platform, as detailed in their announcement on February 6, 2025 (Pauline Hanson Unveils One Nation’s 2025 Election Platform). Their strategy is to reduce government spending across various programs, including the NDIS, to return $40 billion to Australians to address cost of living struggles. The platform mentions slashing funding for climate change programs, the National Indigenous Australian Agency, and the NDIS, but specific details on the extent of NDIS funding cuts or their impact on participants were not provided.

Trumpet of Patriots

Trumpet of Patriots, led by Clive Palmer, has thrust into the election spotlight, much like the United Australia Party did in the 2022 election. Trumpet of Patriots does not have a specific policy or stance on the NDIS, as evidenced by their official website (Home – Trumpet of Patriots). Formed in 2021 and merged with the Australian Federation Party in 2024, the party has focused its platform on broader issues such as immigration, climate change, and gender policies, with no mention of disability services. Their policies, outlined in recent press releases, emphasise reducing government overreach, “draining the swamp,” and promoting “commonsense policies” for Australia, but these do not extend to the NDIS (Australian billionaire sets up “Trumpet of Patriots” party – World Socialist Web Site). Given their recent formation and focus on other areas, the absence of a stated position suggests the NDIS may not be a priority, leaving uncertainty about their approach if elected.

Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party, formerly known as the Liberal Democratic Party, does not have a specific policy on the NDIS publicly available, as seen on their website (Libertarian Party Australia). Founded in 2001, the party espouses smaller government and supports policies based on classical liberal, libertarian principles, such as lower taxes and opposing restrictions on civil liberties (Libertarian Party (Australia) – Wikipedia). Their 2025 Federal Election Policy Platform, accessible via their site, focuses on personal freedom, lower taxes, and reducing government overreach, but does not mention the NDIS explicitly (Our Policies – Libertarian Party). Given their philosophy, which might imply a preference for minimising government-funded programs, the lack of a stated position suggests the NDIS may not be a priority, potentially affecting support for disability services.

Victorian Socialist Party

The Victorian Socialist Party has a clear and critical stance on the NDIS, proposing to replace it with Medicare-funded, publicly run disability services, as outlined in their health policy (Fix the health crisis | Victorian Socialists). Formed in 2018, the party criticises the current NDIS for drawing social care into the private market, leaving people vulnerable and without adequate services. Their manifesto and policy documents highlight issues such as unqualified planners, low wages for care workers leading to high turnover, and the scheme’s failure to meet the needs of those with complex disabilities (Manifesto – Victorian Socialists). They advocate for:

Publicly owned care providers to take up NDIS contracts, as proposed by party members Stephen Jolly and Sue Bolton.
Scrapping the NDIS in favour of extending Medicare benefits to cover more allied health services.
Ensuring disability services are not profit-driven and are adequately funded to meet participant needs.

This approach reflects their socialist principles, emphasising public ownership and universal access, contrasting with the market-based NDIS model. A recent article highlighted a candidate’s opposition to NDIS cuts, reinforcing their stance (Jordan van den Lamb).

Key Citations

Side note – how preferential voting works

In Australia’s Federal Election, preferential voting is used to choose members of the House of Representatives. Here’s a simple breakdown:

You Number Candidates: On your ballot, you rank candidates by numbering them—put “1” for your favourite, “2” for your next favourite, and so on, until you’ve numbered all candidates.
First Count: Votes are counted based on everyone’s number 1 choice. If a candidate gets more than 50% of these votes, they win.
If No One Gets 50%: If no candidate has over 50%, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Their votes are given to the remaining candidates based on the voters’ next preferences (number 2, then 3, etc.).
Repeat Until a Winner: This process repeats—eliminating the lowest candidate and redistributing their votes—until one candidate has more than 50% of the votes.

This system ensures the winner has majority support, even if they weren’t everyone’s first choice. It also lets you vote for smaller parties without “wasting” your vote, as your preferences can still influence the outcome.

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