The last few weeks have been a time of uncertainty, frustration, and disappointment for many, including families, therapists, and business owners. Like many providers, we’ve taken time to carefully review the newly released documents, attend information sessions, and understand the implications the NDIS changes may have for participants and therapy services alike.
From the 1st of July 2025, several NDIS changes will officially come into effect. While some have been introduced gradually over the past few months, others have been much more sudden. The full financial and structural impacts are now becoming much clearer.
At Speak Listen Learn, we remain committed to working alongside families through this transition. We’re here to advocate for fair, transparent, and sustainable supports, and to provide clear information about how these changes may affect you. This blog post outlines what’s changed, what it means, and how we’re responding.
Therapy Rates Frozen Again
For the seventh consecutive year, the NDIA has not increased therapy rates. The rate for most therapy services has remained fixed. Some therapists, including physiotherapists and dietitians, have even had their rates reduced this year!
This pricing freeze does not reflect inflation, which has accumulated to over 20% across the past six to seven years, or the growing costs of delivering therapy. Wages, rent, insurance, professional development, compliance, and administrative expenses have all continued to rise, placing significant pressure on providers across Australia.
For many providers, this is making it increasingly difficult to operate sustainably within the constraints of the NDIS.
What a “Session Fee” Really Covers
While the NDIS price guide might suggest that therapists are earning close to $200 per hour, that’s far from the reality!
Families often assume therapists see clients eight hours a day, five days a week, but this isn’t how therapy works. Most clinicians see between 4 and 6 clients per day (with variability in days across the week), depending on the complexity of cases, whether they are providing assessment or intervention, and their experience level. The rest of the time is filled with unseen work that is just as critical to quality care. This includes:
- Planning and preparing therapy sessions
- Writing clinical notes and plans
- Developing goals and progress summaries
- Communicating with parents, teachers, or other professionals
- Scoring assessments and analysing results
- Attending professional development and training
- Participating in clinical supervision and team meetings
Clinicians also take annual leave, sick leave, and attend professional development days. Clients cancel appointments due to illness, holidays, or changing schedules. All of this is part of running an ethical and sustainable service, but it means that therapists cannot and do not bill 38 hours of work a week.
So while the NDIS may list a rate of $193.99 per hour, this is not a take-home wage or a salary-equivalent hourly rate. It is a service rate intended to reflect all the time, effort, and costs that surround and support each session, not just the time spent with a child in the room.
To put this in perspective, speech pathologists typically earn between $75,000 and $100,000 per year, depending on their experience and role. For businesses, there are additional costs such superannuation, insurance, ongoing training, and leave, just like any other profession.
For practice owners, the picture is often just as challenging. Recent surveys have shown that a significant number of allied health practices are operating at a loss or with minimal profit. Many owners continue to subsidise their businesses and their own income to retain staff and support families. It is a labour of love, not of financial gain. Therapists and business owners do not choose allied health as a profession for the money! We enter the field because we care deeply about children, families, and quality clinical outcomes. We accept the financial realities of the profession, but it can be disheartening and hurtful when the public narrative, often shaped by governments or funding bodies, suggests that therapists are greedy or charging unfairly. That is simply not the reality.
How We Structure Our Services & Fees at Speak Listen Learn
At Speak Listen Learn, we quote session fees that include the majority of necessary non-face-to-face time. This means that our fees are above the NDIS “hourly” price guide because they are not truly an hourly rate. They fairly reflect the time, effort, and quality of care that goes into each session. We believe that running a quality service that allows for sufficient non-appointment time and does not burn clinicians out is both worthwhile and highly valuable. It contributes to better outcomes for the children and families we support.
We do not charge different rates for NDIS and privately paying clients. We believe all clients deserve the same level of high-quality planning, preparation, and service provision, regardless of how their therapy is funded. Equity and transparency are central to how we operate. We also do not charge for brief phone calls, short emails, or incidental communication. These remain part of the way we support our families.
For our plan-managed clients, we carefully itemise non-face-to-face time on invoices so the full amount can still be claimed from NDIS plans. We do this to maintain transparency and help families continue to access our services without unexpected costs.
Unfortunately, if the pattern of rate freezing continues, many therapy providers will be forced to introduce gap fees or reduce services, and some may be unable to remain in business.
We understand that therapy is about much more than the time spent in the room. It’s about thoughtful planning, access to high-quality resources, collaboration across settings, careful coordination of care, and sustainable workloads that allow clinicians to bring their best to every child and family. This is the standard we hold ourselves to, and we’re proud to provide a service that reflects that level of dedication.
Introduction of Funding Periods in NDIS Plans
The NDIA has introduced changes to how participant funding is allocated across a plan. Instead of releasing the full amount upfront, most plans are now divided into funding periods, usually quarterly, though we’ve already seen reports of some families receiving monthly allocations.
While unspent funds do roll over into the next period, this structure can restrict flexibility, especially if:
- Assessments are needed early in the plan
- Therapy needs to start with an intensive block
- Support requirements fluctuate across the year
When working with your NDIS planner we recommended discussing whether the plan funding can be front-loaded across the earlier periods (e.g. the first quarter). This can make a significant difference if you’re planning assessments or a higher number of sessions in the early stages of the plan.
Cuts to Travel Funding
One of the most significant changes announced over the past couple of weeks is the halving of provider travel claims. As of the 1st of July 2025, the cap on travel for therapists’ travel time to and from appointments has been reduced to 50% of the hourly therapy rate.
Previously, travel could be claimed at the full hourly rate, recognising that time spent travelling to see a client is time that could otherwise be used for clinical work. For many providers, this change will mean:
- Travel-based services (e.g. at school, daycare, or home) become financially unviable
- Clients may lose access to therapy in community settings
- Plan-managed clients may face partial reimbursement or gap fees
- Providers may stop offering travel services altogether
At present, self-managed participants are unaffected, as they can choose to pay above the price guide and claim the full travel amount from their plan. For plan-managed clients, we are still awaiting guidance from the NDIA on how invoices above the capped rate will be handled.
There has been widespread concern and backlash from the sector. We hope that the NDIA will review this change given the impact it will have on access and equity, especially for children who cannot attend clinic-based sessions.
The Impact on Plan Budgets
While provider fees have generally increased in response to real-world costs, NDIS plan budgets continue to be calculated using outdated pricing. The result is that funding doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.
Many families are finding that their plans are running out sooner than expected, leading to:
- Gaps in therapy
- Reduced session frequency
- Missed assessments or delays in intervention
- Greater stress in managing funds
In many cases, families are faced with out-of-pocket costs when plan funding runs out and remaining services need to be funded privately and with limited Medicare or Private Health Insurance rebates.
It’s a difficult and frustrating position, and one we really empathise with. It will continue to worsen if NDIS doesn’t adequately fund supports for participants.
What You Can Do: Advocate for Change
The best way to push for improvement is through coordinated advocacy. If these changes have impacted your family or your child’s therapy, you can:
- Provide feedback directly to the NDIA: NDIS Feedback and Complaints
- Contact your local MP and share your experience: Dr Sophie Scamps MP – Mackellar or Zali Steggall MP – Warringah
- Join or support a disability advocacy organisation:
These organisations often provide templates or quick forms to make it easier to share your story and advocate for change.
We’re Here for You
At Speak Listen Learn, we’re committed to working alongside you to make the most of your NDIS plan, even as the system becomes more complex. We believe in transparent communication, sustainable service delivery, and fair access to therapy for all children.
If you have questions about your plan, funding periods, travel, or how our fees work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here to help.
