What the Latest NDIS Updates Mean for Participants in Geelong

Hi there, and welcome to the Masric Health blog. If you’re an NDIS participant, or you care for someone who is, you’ve probably been hearing a lot of chatter about “big changes” to the NDIS.

Words like “new legislation,” “reviews,” and “system updates” can easily cause a wave of uncertainty and stress. When you rely on your NDIS plan for essential daily supports, the last thing you want is confusion about your funding.

Here in Geelong, our team at Masric Health understands this completely. Our first priority is, and always will be, supporting our community. We believe the best way to ease worry is with clear, simple, and supportive information.

The NDIS is evolving, and while change can be unsettling, these updates are designed to make the scheme fairer, more effective, and more sustainable for everyone.

So, let’s take a deep breath, grab a cuppa, and walk through what these changes actually mean for you and your services here in the Barwon region.

The Big Picture: Why is the NDIS Changing?

Over the last couple of years, you’ve likely heard about the Independent NDIS Review. This was a major investigation to find out what was working and what wasn’t. The main goal? To put people with disability back at the heart of the NDIS and ensure it’s around for many generations to come.

The government has now passed its first piece of new legislation based on that review. It’s called the “Getting the NDIS Back on Track” Act. This law doesn’t change everything overnight. Instead, it lays the groundwork for improvements to be rolled out carefully over the next few years.

Here are the key parts of the new legislation and what they mean for you.

1. Clearer “Rules of the Game”

A common frustration for participants has been the “grey area” between the NDIS and other services like health, education, or aged care. You may have experienced being told, “the NDIS doesn’t fund that,” only to be told by the health system, “that’s a disability support.”

This new law aims to finally fix this. It creates a much clearer legal definition of what an “NDIS support” is.

What this means for you: This is a positive step. It’s designed to stop the “buck-passing” between government departments. The NDIS will continue to be responsible for supports related to your permanent and significant disability—like the personal care, community participation, or respite services we provide at Masric Health. Other mainstream services, like your GP or Barwon Health, will be more clearly responsible for general health needs.

2. Stronger Protections for Your Funding

The Act also introduces new measures to protect participants and their funding from fraud or misuse. This includes strengthening the NDIS Commission’s powers and creating new rules around payments.

What this means for you: For the vast majority of participants who are using their funds correctly, this won’t change a thing about your day-to-day life. This change is all about stopping dodgy providers and ensuring your plan funding is safe, secure, and used only for your “reasonable and necessary” supports. Your right to choice and control—including your right to self-manage your plan—remains a core principle of the NDIS.

“Foundational Supports”: A Stronger Community for Everyone

This is one of the biggest and most positive ideas to come from the NDIS Review. It’s the answer to a long-standing problem: what about people who have a disability but aren’t eligible for an individual NDIS plan?

Right now, it often feels like it’s “all or nothing.” You’re either in the NDIS, or you’re left with very little help. Foundational Supports are being created to fix this.

It’s helpful to think of it as creating a “safety net” for the entire disability community, so no one falls through the cracks.

There will be two types of these new supports:

1. General Foundational Supports

Who they’re for: All Australians with disability, including NDIS participants, their families, and carers.
What they’ll be: Think of broad, community-based resources that everyone can access. This might include peer support groups, information and advice services, or programs that help build community connection.

2. Targeted Foundational Supports

Who they’re for: People with a disability who are not eligible for the NDIS (for example, if their disability isn’t considered “permanent and significant”).
What they’ll be: These will be more specific, lower-intensity supports. This could include things like early intervention for children with

The big question: “Will I be ‘kicked off’ the NDIS onto these supports?”

The answer is no. Let’s be very clear: Foundational Supports are not replacing the NDIS. The NDIS will continue to provide individual funding packages for people with permanent and significant disabilities.

This new system simply makes the entire support ecosystem stronger. It means that NDIS participants will have their individual plans plus access to more community resources. And for people in Geelong who weren’t eligible for the NDIS, it means they will finally have a place to turn for help. It’s a win-win for our whole community.

The Practical Update: Understanding Your New PACE Plan

This is the change that most participants will notice in their day-to-day planning. The NDIA is rolling out a new computer system and participant portal called PACE.

All new plans are now being built in this system. If you’re an existing participant, your plan will be moved over to PACE at your next plan reassessment.

A PACE plan looks and works a bit differently from the old plans. The main goal is to make your plan more flexible and more clearly linked to your goals. But there’s one major change you need to know about.

The Big Change: “Funding Periods”

This is the most important practical shift.

In the old system: If your plan had $30,000 for Core Supports, you received the full $30,000 on day one for 12 months.
In the new PACE system: That $30,000 will be released in smaller amounts throughout your plan. For example, your plan might be broken into four 3-month “funding periods,” with $7,500 released at the start of each period.

Why the change? The NDIA has made this change to help with budgeting. It’s designed to prevent that awful feeling of accidentally spending your funding too quickly and running out of support before your plan ends.

What this means for you: You can no longer use all your funding in the first few months. You and your providers must budget your supports to fit within each funding period.

Important: You don’t “lose” your money! Any unused funds from one period (e.g., month 3) will automatically roll over into the next period (month 4). You just can’t spend funding from a future period.

This change does require a bit more planning. It’s more important than ever to have a clear service agreement with your providers. That’s where we come in. The Masric Health team is already experienced with PACE plans and can help you map out your personal care, community access, or other supports to fit perfectly within your new plan’s structure.

What Hasn’t Changed? (The Really Good News!)

With all this talk of new systems and rules, it’s vital to remember what remains exactly the same. The heart of the NDIS is not changing.

Choice and Control: This is, and will remain, the NDIS’s number one principle. You still have the right to choose who supports you, what services you receive, and how you live your life.
“Reasonable and Necessary”: This is still the core test for every support. The NDIS must fund supports that are directly related to your disability and help you pursue your goals, live more independently, and participate in your community.
Your Right to Appeal: If you disagree with an NDIA decision, your rights are not changing. You can still ask for an internal review and appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

How Masric Health Can Be Your Partner Through These Changes

We know this is a lot of information. It’s one thing to read about it, and another to see how it affects your own plan and your weekly routine.

As your local Geelong NDIS provider, we’re not just here to deliver a service. We’re here to be your partner. Our team is staying on top of every update so that you don’t have to. We are here to provide not just high-quality, compassionate support, but also stability and clarity.

We Understand PACE: Our team is ready to help you create service agreements that align perfectly with your new funding periods, ensuring you have consistent, reliable support all year long.
We’re Local: We work closely with Support Coordinators and Local Area Coordinators (LACs) right here in the Barwon region. We speak their language and can help you and your support team prepare for plan reviews.
We Focus on You: Our passion is providing the core supports that form the foundation of a great life. Whether you need reliable and respectful personal care in Waurn Ponds, help with household tasks in Lara, social participation support in Torquay, or flexible respite care, our focus is always on you and your goals.

The NDIS is evolving, but its promise remains the same. And our promise to you remains the same, too: to provide compassionate, professional, and reliable support, no matter what changes come our way.

Let’s Chat

If you have any questions about your NDIS plan, are feeling unsure about your new PACE budget, or just want to chat with a friendly, local team that understands, please get in touch. We’re here to help.