The NDIS has moved fast this year, and a lot of Queensland families and support workers are trying to work out what actually changes their week. Some of it is already in place. Some of it only lands when a plan is reviewed. Some of it is still a couple of years away. This is a plain English guide to the parts that matter most in Brisbane, Ipswich, the Gold Coast, Logan and Caboolture.
What is already happening
From 1 July 2026, NDIS maximum prices for disability support worker hours went up by about 4.8 percent. In South East Queensland, a standard weekday daytime hour is now capped at $73.58. Evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays sit higher. Those caps apply when a plan is NDIA managed or plan managed. If you self manage, you and your provider can still agree a different price.
In September, the Minister’s pricing determination locked those rates into the NDIS Pricing Schedule for 2026–27. Providers and participants did not need to redo anything for that paperwork step. The July prices are the ones that already apply.
From 1 October 2026, funding for social, economic and community participation supports is being reset by 50 percent when a plan is created or reassessed. Improved daily living skills funding is reduced by 10 percent. This does not wipe every plan on the same day. It rolls through as plans are created, reassessed or renewed over about 12 months, and people should hear before their review. Employment supports, disability related health supports, high intensity supports and a few other groups are carved out.
Queensland and Thriving Kids
Thriving Kids is the national program for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs. It started in October 2026 with general supports such as information and helplines. Queensland is still the only state that has not signed a bilateral agreement. National resources are available, but the fuller state based supports other places are designing are not locked in here yet. Changes to NDIS access for this group are not due until 2028, and children with high support needs stay with the NDIS.
What this means for support workers
The July price rise followed the Fair Work Commission’s wage decision, so award pay for many disability support workers also moved. A further SCHADS change is coming for home care employees who provide disability care, with an initial increase from 1 December 2026. A wider new classification structure is due from 1 October 2027. Pay and pricing are linked, but they are not the same thing. A price cap is what a plan can be charged. Award rates are what a worker must be paid. Good providers hold both in view so shifts stay viable and familiar faces stay on the roster.
A story that hits home
Imagine Sam in Ipswich. He has psychosocial support in his plan, and every Thursday his worker helps him get to the local men’s group. Those two hours are the difference between a week he manages and a week that closes in. In October he hears that community participation funding might be cut in half when his plan is reviewed. He panics and cancels the Thursday shift “just in case,” even though his review is months away and his current plan still stands. His worker loses a regular shift. Sam stops going out. The policy change has not touched his plan yet, but the fear already has.
That is the human cost of unclear messaging. Confirmed changes and proposed ones get mixed together. People cut the very hours that keep them connected. Workers feel it too, because consistency is what makes the work good.
What to do if you are unsure
Keep using your current plan until you are told otherwise. Ask your support coordinator or plan manager which of these changes apply to your next review, and when. If community hours matter to you, say so clearly before the reassessment. If you are a worker, ask your employer which award stream you are on and how the December and 2027 changes affect your pay.
If you or someone you support needs local NDIS help for mental health or physical disability around Brisbane, I am happy to talk it through. You do not need an NDIS number just to enquire. Call David on 0413 838 881, or request a call back at https://247supportservices.au/contact/