Evidence-based allied health therapies are central to NDIS success

Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA), the peak body representing the allied health sector, seeks to clarify and rectify several claims made in the recent Australian Financial Review article suggesting there is “no evidence NDIS therapies help kids thrive” (3 December 2025). We are disappointed the author did not take the opportunity to reach out to the sector to seek data and verify the claims made in the article. As the AFR chose not to publish our response, we are releasing it independently to ensure the sector’s voice is heard.

Allied health is the second-largest clinical workforce in Australia, with more than 300,000 professionals across disciplines such as physiotherapy, psychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy, dietetics, and social work. In Australia we recognise allied health professionals as those who are university qualified and who operate within a clearly defined evidence-based paradigm. These professionals are regulated, accredited, and embedded in the broader health ecosystem alongside medicine and nursing. They deliver diagnostic, therapeutic, and direct care services that are essential to improving outcomes for people with disability, chronic conditions, mental ill-health, and age-related needs.

The assertion that therapies funded under the NDIS lack evidence is false. Allied health professionals work within a documented evidence-based framework, embedding principles of safe, high-quality interventions. Reviews commissioned by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), such as the Duckett review of art and music therapy, have demonstrated that therapies delivered by appropriately qualified allied health professionals are effective. The current NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee review is further examining therapy supports to ensure they remain outcome focused. Therapy supports delivered by allied health professionals account for approximately 10 per cent of NDIS expenditure – a modest proportion of scheme costs – and are one of the few areas that can reduce long-term government expenditure by improving capacity and preventing avoidable decline.

Early intervention is particularly critical. Evidence shows that therapies delivered by allied health professionals improve developmental outcomes, support engagement with education, and reduce longer-term costs. When children fail to meet developmental milestones, they face barriers to participation in education and, eventually, workforce participation, with costs borne across health, education, and productivity systems.

Investing in therapy supports is not simply an expense; it is an investment in long-term outcomes and a sustainable, equitable system. For example, a child without access to allied health to address communication challenges may struggle with lifelong communication barriers, affecting their ability to interact with their peers, participate in education and, later, employment. The long-term costs of inaction are far greater than any modest savings of cutting therapy.

Another example is the value of allied health prescribed assistive technology and therapy to reduce reliance on support workers for tasks such as bed transfers for a participant in a wheelchair. Investment in allied health therapy and assistive technology implementation can support participants to build their strength and skills to complete transfers independently and safely, permanently removing or reducing the need for support workers.

The AFR article also suggested that service providers often have “unknown qualifications.” The NDIA has obligations to ensure therapies are delivered by appropriately qualified professionals. The Scheme does require strong protections to ensure that evidence-based supports are delivered only by those with the qualifications to deliver them. Allied health professionals undergo rigorous accreditation, credentialing, and continuous professional development, ensuring quality and consistency. Far from being ad hoc, NDIS-funded allied health therapies are delivered by regulated professionals who are part of the broader health ecosystem. It is unreasonable to suggest that billions of dollars are being wasted or that therapies are doing more harm than good. Allied health professionals work closely with participants and families to deliver supports that enable people with disability to achieve meaningful outcomes and improved participation in daily life.

It is important to acknowledge that the implementation of the NDIS has not been without challenges. However, with almost half of allied health professions experiencing national workforce shortage, ensuring sufficient numbers of professionals continue to work within the NDIS is critical. In regional, rural, and remote areas, there are already examples of complete market failure in disability services. Negative commentary about allied health risks discouraging new graduates from entering the NDIS workforce, compounding shortages and undermining participant choice. If we reduce the NDIS so significantly and only focus on pricing, participants in these areas will be left without access to essential supports, contrary to the purpose of the Scheme.

Therapy supports delivered by allied health professionals under the NDIS are firmly grounded in evidence-based practice and deliver demonstrable improvements in capacity, participation, and developmental outcomes. While the administration of the NDIS is complex, allied health professionals remain committed to providing safe, effective, and meaningful interventions. AHPA welcomes ongoing reviews of therapy supports and remains committed to ensuring that allied health interventions continue to deliver measurable, evidence-based outcomes for participants.

Bronwyn Morris-Donovan
CEO, Allied Health Professions Australia