As the Managing Director of Enabled Disability Services, I have witnessed firsthand the harmful misuse of NDIS “check ins”. These check ins were introduced to be supportive conversations, intended to provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on how their plan is working and raise any concerns. Instead, they are increasingly being used as a back door to change or reduce participant funding, even when no formal plan review has been requested.

This practice undermines the integrity of the NDIS. Participants enter into what they believe is a casual conversation, only to later find that their plan has been altered or reduced without their consent. This is not only procedurally unjust, it is deeply damaging to participants and carers who rely on stable, consistent supports to manage daily life.

The original intent of check ins was to support participants. In practice, they now generate fear and mistrust. Many participants report feeling they cannot be honest about how they are coping, because any indication of “managing well” can be used to justify cuts. This turns check ins into a punitive exercise rather than a supportive one.

This misuse is inconsistent with the principles of choice, control, and dignity enshrined in the NDIS Act. It erodes participant rights, places families and carers under unsustainable strain, and destabilises supports that people living with disabilities depend on.

We call upon the Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Members of Parliament, and the NDIA to urgently address this issue by reforming check in protocols. Specifically:

• Check ins must never be used to reduce or alter participant plans.
  Any changes to funding or supports must only occur through a formal plan review, initiated with the consent of the participant.
• Check ins should remain purely supportive conversations, with transparent records and the guaranteed right to advocacy.
• Independent oversight must be established to ensure participant rights are upheld.

NDIS check ins must return to their intended purpose: to support participants, not to strip them of essential funding through the back door. This is a matter of fairness, accountability, and the integrity of the Scheme itself.

We call on all Australians who believe in protecting the true purpose of the NDIS to sign this petition and demand immediate legislative reform.