24 June 2025

The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) has joined the Now or Never campaign, joining a growing coalition of allied health professions advocating for urgent action to protect the future of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

A unified voice across the allied health sector, the Now or Never campaign calls for meaningful reforms to service pricing to safeguard participant outcomes, by ensuring that high-quality, person-centred care remains at the heart of the NDIS.

The most recent Annual Pricing Review has reduced rates for therapy, plan management, and provider travel, and has continued the price freeze on support coordination.  These vital supports are becoming harder to access, pushing allied health services to breaking point and shifting pressure onto family members, schools, hospitals, and communities already stretched thin.

Many NDIS allied health professionals are making personal sacrifices just to maintain their current services.  Others are leaving the sector entirely. As these providers disappear, NDIS participants lose capacity, face worse outcomes, and risk ending up in emergency and hospital services.

AASW’s CEO Cindy Smith said “Social workers are integral to the NDIS.  We joined this campaign because of the vital role social workers play in supporting participants with complex needs, ensuring that their human rights are respected, and promoting social inclusion.” This is not a one-off issue; it’s a system-wide crisis that affects all Australians”.

The AASW joins other associations representing occupational therapy, speech pathology, physiotherapy, psychology and other disciplines, collectively urging government to commit to sustainable reforms that will secure the long-term viability and integrity of the scheme.

As part of the campaign, the AASW will continue to amplify the voices of social workers and the people they work with, many of whom rely on the NDIS to live with dignity, autonomy, and hope.

“The strength of the Now or Never campaign lies in its collaboration,” Ms Smith added. “Together, we are sending a powerful message: the time to act is now.”

The AASW urges all members, social workers, and the broader community to stand with us – sign the petition and add your voice to the growing call for urgent reform.

 

 

For enquiries, please contact:
Matt Loads, Communications Lead
Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0403 011 174

About the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)

The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is Australia’s professional body for social workers. As well as representing and supporting social workers in their essential work, we set the benchmarks for professional education and practice in social work.