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The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is currently consulting on the transition to mandatory registration of platform providers, Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers and support coordinators. This follows the announcement by former NDIS Minister Bill Shorten in September 2024 that registration would soon be compulsory for these providers.
The consultations focus on how to implement this policy and create a smooth transition. Importantly, they are not about whether registration should be mandatory for these providers, as that decision has already been made by government. But they do want to know how it will impact providers and participants to aid in a smoother transition.
Online submissions close on March 7th, though there will be industry forums after that. To get you up to speed, we’ll cover the Commission’s proposals and what it will mean for providers and participants.
Timeline
The Commission lays out this timeline for mandatory registration of platform providers, SIL providers and support coordinators:
- March 2025: Survey and submissions close and a provider forum
- April 2025: Last provider forum
- June 2025: Insight reports from consultations published
- No earlier than 1st July 2025: Transition to mandatory registration begins.
Sticking to a schedule isn’t any government agency’s strong suit, so take this timeline with a grain of salt strong enough to shoot up your cholesterol levels. There will also be a federal election before mid-May, which will push all of government into a caretaker mode for the length of the campaign. And if there’s a change of government, then lord only knows what that will mean.
Nevertheless, unless there’s a huge change of course, then registration is coming for these providers. So let’s look at what the Commission is proposing.
Support coordination providers
The decision to make registration mandatory for support coordinators comes off the back of the Commission’s Own Motion Inquiry in Support Coordination and Plan Management, which concluded that good support coordination facilitates choice and control for participants. But there have also been ‘widespread issues’ with integrity, conflict of interest and coercion.
The Commission has developed a consultation paper which outlines how they intend to transition support coordinators and SIL providers to compulsory registration (platform providers get their own separate consultation paper).
There are currently two registration groups for support coordinators:
- Registration Group 0106: Support coordination (Levels 1 and 2)
- Registration Group 0132: Specialist support coordination (Level 3).
Providers registered under group 0106 (Support Coordination Levels 1and 2) are currently only audited against the Core Module, while providers registered under group 0132 (for Specialist Level 3 Support Coordination) complete the Core Module and a Specialist Support Coordination Module.
The Commission is proposing to consolidate these two registration groups into one - group 0132. However providers will still only need to complete the specialist support coordination audit module if they intend to offer Level 3 Support Coordination.
So what does all this mean for Support Coordinators? The consultation paper proposes:
Unregistered providers
- Submit registration application within 3 months of transition date
- Full certification audit within 12 months from registration application (core module + supplementary specialist if applicable)
Registered providers (but not for support coordination)
- Apply to have registration varied to include support coordination.
- Assessed against the Core Module (+ supplementary specialist if applicable)
Registered support coordination providers
- Providers registered for 0132 - no action is required (though registration becomes mandatory).
- Providers registered for 0106 (Levels 1 and 2) will transfer to 0132 (may be done via Commission initiated variation).
SIL providers
Most SIL providers are registered, but registration isn’t compulsory. The Commission’s Own Motion Inquiry into supported accommodation, as well as the Disability Royal Commission and other inquiries, raised concerns about SIL being provided in closed settings by unregistered providers with limited regulatory oversight. These conditions can lead to abuse and neglect. The Commission also noted that SIL participant tend to have larger plan budgets, which can make them targets for exploitation. The average plan for a participant with SIL is $451,100, compared to $58,900 for non-SIL participants.
SIL providers are currently registered under registration group 0115 (Assistance with Daily Life Tasks in a Group or Shared Living Arrangement). This registration group also includes other supports, including short term accommodation (STA), medium term accommodation (MTA) and individualised living options (ILO).
The Commission is proposing creating a new sub-category in registration group 0115 called Assistance with Supported Independent Living. This change would not impact STA, MTA or ILO providers.
The Commission is doing separate work on new Practice Standards for SIL providers. You can read more about that here: Supported accommodation (NDIS Commission website).
So what does all this mean for SIL Providers? The consultation paper proposes:
Unregistered providers
- Submit registration application within three months from implementation date
- Full certification audit within 12 months of registration application (core module)
- Providers can continue delivering supports during the registration process.
Registered providers (but not for 0115)
- If not already, registered providers must undergo certification audit against the Core Module within 12 months. Providers can continue delivering supports during the registration process.
- The Commission may consider transitioning some already registered providers through a Commission initiated variation.
Currently registered for Registration Group 0115
- No action is required though registration becomes mandatory).
Consultation questions on SIL and support coordination registration
For both SIL and support coordination registration, the Commission is seeking feedback from participants:
- How they will be impacted by these changes
- If the transition arrangements proposed will lessen the impact
- What support the Commission should provide.
From providers, the Commission wants to know:
- The organisation’s registration status
- Whether the transitional arrangements will help organisations meet the registration requirements
- Whether the timeframes are achievable
- Support the Commission should provide
- What else the Commission should consider when implementing these changes
To read more about the consultation papers and how to make a submission, head to the Mandatory Registration page on the Commission’s website. There is also an online survey on the registration of SIL and support coordination providers.
Platform providers
The NDIS Commission’s consultation paper on the registration of platform providers, says their goal is to preserve the choice and control NDIS participant’s value in platform providers while ensuring quality and safety.
The Commission’s Own Motion Inquiry into Platform Providers found the benefits of platform providers are that they allow participants to choose their workers, easily access support and have greater flexibility over when services are delivered. However, it also found that more needed to be done to ensure the safety of participants using these supports.
Platform providers do not have their own registration group. Providers who choose to register do so under the registration group of the services they provide.
The Commission’s consultation is focused on two main areas:
The definition of platform providers - how the Commission defines platform providers will determine how wide the mandatory registration net is. The Commission’s starting point definition is that a platform provider ‘uses a profile-based platform. to connect participants with workers to deliver NDIS supports.’
The Commission has tried to identify the shared characteristics of a platform provider including that it is a platform-based service (e.g. a website or app), the platform collects fees and that participants are linked to workers and services. The Commission also wants the power to designate organisations as platform providers. Consultation questions focus on the risks and benefits of their current definition and what else they should include.
Regulation that balances choice and control with quality and safety - the consultation paper seeks feedback on how registration can be implemented in a way that maintains the unique benefits of platform services as well as how the Commission can facilitate a smooth transition.
Will other providers need to be registered?
There are some signs that the government is considering making registration mandatory for most NDIS providers, but this hasn’t been announced as a formal policy yet.
As many of you will know, the final report of the NDIS Review recommended that registration or enrolment be compulsory for all NDIS providers. In response to community concern around this recommendation, former Minister Shorten appointed a Taskforce to explore the issue of registration.
The Taskforce recommended that registration should be compulsory for most providers, with the exception of providers who support participants self-directing their supports and mainstream providers of off-the-shelf goods. The Taskforce also suggested quite a significant re-design of the registration system. Read more about the Taskforce’s recommendations in our article: The Registration Taskforce’s Final Report.
The government hasn’t responded yet to the recommendations of the Registration Taskforce or the NDIS Review. Whether they will do so before the federal election is anybody’s guess. However, the chair of the Taskforce Natalie Wade has since been appointed to the NDIS Commission as Associate Commissioner responsible for registration and reform. Which indicates that, at the very least, the government is taking the Taskforce’s recommendations seriously.
Submissions and learning more
Remember, submissions close on March 7th. To read more about the consultation papers and how to make a submission, head to the Mandatory Registration page on the Commission’s website. You can also complete the online survey on registration of platform providers or the online survey on the registration of SIL and support coordination providers.
We’ll keep you updated as this story continues to develop. But if you want to stay ahead of the registration game, be sure to check out our articles and workshops:
- Registration is coming: how to prepare! (article)
- Preparing for registration (workshop)
- Introduction to NDIS registration (webinar recording)
Artwork by Helen Maysey
