Ensuring sustainable NDIS pricing for physiotherapists
The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) is actively advancing its NDIS pricing advocacy since the NDIA’s major pricing changes took effect on 1 July 2025. Our approach remains sustained, strategic and methodical, and includes sector mobilisation, independent economic analysis and continued formal government engagement, as new pricing decisions and review processes unfold.
On this page we outline key steps in this ongoing process, from the initial impact of the July 2025 changes to the findings of the independent Nous Group review and the APA’s submission to the 2025–26 Annual Pricing Review. The APA continues to monitor developments, provide updates and advocate for evidence-based, sustainable and transparent NDIS physiotherapy pricing.
NDIS pricing and physiotherapy: current state and advocacy
The National Disability Insurance Agency’s (NDIA) current pricing settings continue to shape how physiotherapy services are delivered within the NDIS.
Since changes introduced in July 2025, physiotherapists across Australia have been operating under pricing arrangements that do not fully reflect the cost and complexity of delivering high-quality care. These settings are placing pressure on providers, particularly those delivering outreach, mobile and services in regional and remote communities.
The APA is actively advocating for a pricing approach that is transparent, evidence-based and aligned with the real cost of service delivery. This includes ongoing engagement with the NDIA, informed by independent economic analysis and the experiences of APA members working across diverse practice settings.
With the next NDIA Annual Pricing Review approaching, this process will be critical in shaping pricing settings for the 12 months ahead. The APA is continuing to advocate for meaningful reform to ensure future pricing decisions better support provider sustainability and participant access.
Latest news - watch this space
This page will be regularly updated as new information becomes available – including campaign milestones, media coverage, government engagement and member actions.
APA members, please log into PhysioHub regularly, as the advocacy team posts the latest updates there. Be sure to check back often as the APA continues to push for fair and sustainable NDIS pricing.
2025 – 2026 National Disability Insurance Agency Annual Pricing Review
The APAs formal submission to the National Disability Insurance Agency’s 2025–26 Annual Pricing Review consultation, informed by the Nous Group’s independent review and the lived experiences of APA members, highlights the structural flaws in the current NDIS pricing methods. These methods fail to reflect the true cost and professional demands of service delivery within the Scheme.
Our submission calls for urgent reforms to restore pricing integrity, protect service viability and support workforce retention, ensuring that NDIS participants continue to access high-quality physiotherapy supports. The APA continues direct discussions with the NDIA on pricing, advocating for a transparent, evidence-based approach grounded in real-world costs.
Thank you to the members who shared their insights and experiences. Your voices are central to this work.
Independent economic evidence – Nous Group Review
To strengthen our advocacy, the APA commissioned an independent review by the Nous Group to assess the NDIA’s 2024 – 25 Annual Pricing Review concerning physiotherapy. The findings revealed serious flaws in the pricing methodology which risk undermining provider sustainability, participant access and quality of care. Key findings include:
- The national price limit for physiotherapy of $183.99 is well below sustainable market benchmarks. Independent market analysis indicates that the actual 75th percentile market rate is between $215 and $259 per hour, highlighting a clear gap between the NDIA price cap and the cost of care.
- The NDIA’s pricing methodology relied on insufficient and unrepresentative data points, limiting its ability to capture the true cost of delivering safe, high-quality physiotherapy services across diverse settings.
- Private health insurance data reinforces this misalignment, with the 70th percentile session fee equating to $236.50 per hour, significantly above the NDIA’s proposed price limit.
- The restriction of travel funding makes outreach services unviable, breaching the Scheme’s own standards, penalising best practice and limiting access to necessary services.
- The removal of higher regional price loadings in WA, SA, NT and Tasmania has disproportionately affected physiotherapists in these regions.
The review concludes that the pricing approach risks undermining provider sustainability and creating barriers for physiotherapists to participate in the NDIS, which could ultimately reduce participant access to timely, high-quality physiotherapy services.
Contact Us
Have insights to share or questions about our advocacy?
Email the APA Policy & Government Relations team at policy@australian.physio.
Your voices continue to drive this work.
Resources
- NDIA’s 2024–25 Annual Pricing Review
- Independent Nous Group analysis sheds light on flawed NDIA pricing review (Media Release)
- Petition tabled in Parliament calls for urgent action on NDIS price cuts (Media Release)
- FOI shows NDIA urged government to hold firm to the voices of community and ignored the real-world consequences (Media Release)
- NDIA implements destructive price cuts (Media Release)
- The fight for fair NDIS pricing continues (Media Release)
- Allied health peak bodies call for immediate halt and review of NDIS price cuts (Media Release)
- NDIS decreased price limits untenable for physiotherapists, a disaster for some of Australia’s most vulnerable people (Media Release)
- Share your story