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What happens when disability support is slashed? 

 

For me, it’s the fear of losing my independence. Of no longer being able to walk. 

In Episode 74 of Wellbeing Interrupted, I speak with neurodivergent therapist, educator, NDIS participant—and parent to a young NDIS participant—Giarne Ashby about the very real consequences of the upcoming changes to disability support in Australia.  

These aren’t just policy tweaks—they are life-altering cuts that threaten the therapies and services that keep people like us functioning, moving, and coping with everyday life. 

With NDIS pricing changes due from July 1, this episode dives into what these shifts mean on the ground—from reduced access to Allied Health services to the strain on regional families and overwhelmed providers. 

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @hurdle2hope! 

 

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 

 

• NDIS pricing changes risk devastating access to critical Allied Health supports. 

• Cuts will hit hardest in regional Australia—where options are already limited. 

• Gaps in funding will force participants to cancel therapy or pay out-of-pocket—if they can. 

• Providers are being unfairly portrayed as overpaid, while many are burning out just trying to help. 

• Without support, people will end up in hospital or requiring more intensive care—at greater cost to the system and community. 

 

 

SHOW RESOURCES 

 

• Sign the petition to stop the NDIS cuts: Petition · Stand Up for Disability Support: Stop the NDIS Cuts - Australia · Change.org 

• Follow Teisha Rose on LinkedIn Teisha-Rose | LinkedIn

• Follow Giarne Ashby on LinkedIn  Giarne Ashby 

• For Healthcare Professionals feeling burnout check this out   hurdle2hope.com/frontlinelive  

 

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Giarne Ashby is a neurodivergent occupational therapist, educator, NDIS participant, and parent to an NDIS participant. Based in regional Queensland, she brings raw honesty and layered insight into what happens when a system built to support us begins to break. 

 

 

Transcript Episode 74 The Real Cost of NDIS Price Changes – A Participant, Parent, and Provider Perspective

 

Teisha Rose: [00:00:00] Hey there, Teisha here and welcome to Wellbeing Interrupted episode 74.

I'm gonna get straight into this episode today and it's a really important discussion in the news, you may be hearing now that there's some significant changes happening with the NDIS as of the 1st of July, so in two weeks for those of you not living in Australia, the NDIS is our National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Basically, that funds support for people with permanent or significant disabilities, and it helps them live independently. And participate fully in life. But what these changes will do is threaten to actually provide the support needed for people with disability that. Is personal for me because some of these [00:01:00] changes will mean that I can't access supports that help me walk, supports that, help me with the constant pain I'm in and it's a really worrying time.

So just really quickly, four changes that have been introduced are in relation to.

The reduction in Allied Health Services, their hourly fee. For example, physiotherapy rates will drop by $10 per hour.

And dietetics and podiatry reduced by $5 an hour. Regional price loadings will be removed. Travel funding for providers will be capped and

, Prices aren't being indexed to CPI. So on the surface, I know a lot of people think that these changes aren't significant, but they are so significant, they're going to [00:02:00] have an impact, as I said, on many, many, many thousands of people across Australia.

, If you are living overseas and out of Australia, and I know I've got lots of international listeners still listen to this episode because this is all about advocating for those living with disabilities. This is about standing up and raising your voice and advocating for what's right, and

i've been amazed over the last few days how much has happened to really bring together NDIS providers, allied health professionals also support coordinators and plan managers. Also, those living with health conditions, people with children who are also participants all coming together to raise their voice.

And yesterday I attended a, an online webinar. It's Now or Never, and it was incredible. [00:03:00] There was, I think a thousand people attending. It was also streamed on YouTube, and this was all about bringing together. Everyone who's gonna be impacted by these changes and having a collective voice. One of the people speaking at that event was Giarne Ashby, Giarne's a neurodivergent therapist, an educator, and a mom, and she really articulated so beautifully how these changes are likely to impact her family, and also her practice.

And I thought, why not get Giarne on to Wellbeing Interrupted? So I reached out yesterday, last night we confirmed a time to chat, and today we've had that chat. So hopefully you really enjoy this interview, Giarne and also myself really share The reality of what these changes will mean to [00:04:00] our everyday lives.

 

Teisha Rose: Hi Giarne. Thank you so much for joining us here today. . Wellbeing 

Giarne Ashby: Interrupted. Thank you so much for having me. I am, yes. So excited to connect with you and discuss all things [00:05:00] happening in the NDIS space.

Yes. 

Teisha Rose: Which is good because that's what we're gonna talk about and we, I only came across you , yesterday like? Yeah, it's a time goes and it was an actual, it's now or never. Webinar. You shared your own personal story, which was really powerful in relation to the announced NDIS Pricing changes made me emotional and I thought, ooh, this would be perfect if I could manage to get you.

On. So for the podcast, which comes out in two days. So for everyone, we are doing this because it is such an important topic. Mm-hmm. And I am impacted by it. As everyone knows, I'm dealing with MS and other health issues. And Giarne is here to share her story, how these changes will impact her personally, her family.

Her professionally as well. So the perfect person. So before we get into everything, for those that [00:06:00] don't know you, um, yeah, yeah. Just give us a little bit of insight into who you are. 

Giarne Ashby: Who I am. Yeah. So I am Giarne. I am a multiply neurodivergent. I'm an occupational therapist too, Chuck, that one out there.

Um, I like to joke that I'm collecting all the letters, um, with the amount of things that would be on my health summary these days. Um, I'm sure many of them, many of your listeners could probably relate to that one. So yeah, I have a chronic illness. I actually have Crohn's disease and I am late identified as an AuDHDer, and yeah, I'm an NDIS participant.

I'm also the parent. To a neuro fabulous 4-year-old who is also a participant. And yeah, I'm a provider 'cause I'm an OT and I'm working in the same space. I, uh, also employ, so I'm an employer. I just, I'm wearing all the hats. I'm collecting all the letters and we're wearing all the hats. So, 

Teisha Rose: yeah. No, that's great.

And I mean, that's [00:07:00] what it is, isn't it? And I think what I love is when we are working in the space, but bring to that lived experience, which you Oh yeah. Definitely do. And you mentioned too, living regionally. Yes. So we shared that in common. We do. , So I guess, what does that look like for you living regionally?

Currently? So, pre. You know, pre changes which have been pre Yeah. Um, what does that look like for you? Yeah. What's it look like now? Before 

Giarne Ashby: 1st of July? Yes. Yes. Um, yes. So, I live in like regional Queensland and I've seen the place where I live grow a lot in the last 10 years, but still has significant gaps in what sort of services and things that we have access to.

And I think, when you add to that, if you have a diagnosis or a health condition or just needs that fall into a specific skillset that you're looking for, it can be really hard to find [00:08:00] someone in the region. So, I am, my interest area is neuro as a therapist and so. There's not many of us, so I end up having lots of phone calls and people desperate to try and find someone.

But even then, when I'm trying to access that as a participant or even the parent of a participant, it's trying to find a, someone who's got a wait list that's open, and then b, do they have the skillset? That is gonna work. And then see are they the right fit? Because the reality is, we are not gonna find the perfect person just because they have the job title.

You need to have someone who's the right fit for you. And I think that was one of the things I thought was so beautiful about the NDIS was that it had choice and control around your provider and finding someone who had the skills and was the right fit for you. And that's always been a challenge in the regions, but we've known that, but I only see this as being a bigger barrier for us. So again, you know, we're talking about, it's hard enough being a person who lives with a [00:09:00] disability than we add on that we live regionally, so everything's more expensive and life is just harder, but we choose to live here. Or maybe we don't, but we live here.

And then you add on extra things that are, are just more barriers. So I know I look at the therapy teams that support my family and the physiotherapist that supports my daughter, who, first of all is a pediatric physio, which is hard to find, and she's a neuro affirming one. So she really understands the PDA profile, which my daughter has, and, and finding that I don't like If she stops, I don't have anyone else I can.

See, there's no one else in the town that we work in. We would have to travel. And telehealth wouldn't be an appropriate option for our, our little person 'cause she would just run away. So like, you know, just, uh, that's just one. And then we've also recently been through a period of burnout. So I think I mentioned in the webinar that.

She's four and she's burnt out twice from being in formal [00:10:00] childcare or education settings, which is a lot for a 4-year-old. That's not many years to have hit burnout twice. 

Teisha Rose: No, 

Giarne Ashby: no. Um, and the challenge is then when we are in that burnout space, leaving the house is just not. It just doesn't happen. You know, I end up going, I can't go get the groceries from the store because I'm the person who's primary carer that day, which means we are waiting until someone comes home or we're making a delivery for the next day because it's just not an option.

So if we can't have therapists be able to come to us. I know just from what I'm hearing in the community, that there will be a lot who will just blanket rules, say no, we are just not doing visits at all. Yeah. Yeah. So what are you doing? 

Teisha Rose: Yeah, that's scary. And that is like one of the changes we're talking about today is that travel allowance or however they word it.

Mm-hmm. That's gonna become [00:11:00] very minimal. It won't cover the costs for practitioners doing home visits for 10 years. When I was. Not living in my caravan on a hundred acres. It was down at the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. Every Saturday I had a physio, a neurophysio come to me and that type of service is needed.

Giarne Ashby: Yeah, 

Teisha Rose: but this will make that impossible. 

Giarne Ashby: No, they won't be able to come. 

Teisha Rose: No, they, it just won't cover and, . They can't be expected to cover those 

Giarne Ashby: costs. No. It's not reasonable. And I think even, I guess the other point here is that it's not reasonable to then push that onto participants, which is what I'm expecting is the biggest outcome of this is, you know, yes, we will hear therapists talk about their businesses and the cost to bottom line and numbers and whatever, but at the end of that.

Then is the cost to participants. And I think the hard part is, you know, these changes are rolling out. There's gonna be, people make [00:12:00] decisions, but the people who are gonna wear the cost a lot don't know about it yet. Yeah, they don't know what the cost is gonna be. They don't know how it's gonna affect their family until you're sitting across the table from them going, Hey, I can't come anymore.

And they're going, what do you mean? And you're going, they made a change and I can't come anymore. And you just watch the whole floor fall out underneath them. Yeah. And yeah, and to expect people like yourself, Teisha, if you have fluctuating capacity. So if you have some days where you can, and some days you can't.

Days where you've got energy and days where you can't get out of bed. And I mean, maybe that's your story. Maybe I'm making assumptions here. I should be careful. But the reality is, whether it's you who has that or it's another participant who has that, I know my capacity fluctuates.

There's days where I can, and there's days where I can't. If I can't have the person come to me, I then have to cancel that appointment. Because I can't make it to the appointment. And then that cost, that budget is gone and I didn't get the therapy service. You know, if we're [00:13:00] talking about cost effectness too, in that space, my plan ends up going on canceled appointments.

'cause I couldn't guarantee I could make it.

Teisha Rose: Yeah. It's, it is, and you're right. We are the ones you know for everyone. You see comments out there and. You know, they're getting a good hourly rate anyway. So what are they complaining about? It's dropping by $10. It's like, yeah, and we both laugh at that because it's ridiculous.

That. First of all, people, I think making those comments Yeah. Are assuming my physio is the same as the physio they go to for a sore back. Correct. And I think what my physios had to put up with me put up with over the last 10 years, you know, and my listeners will know I have gone with MS and there's a lot of complexities with that in my body.

Add to that, a stage four cancer diagnosis and the. Impact of mm-hmm. Having mastectomies and then other surgeries to remove other things. There's so [00:14:00] much. And then the emotional load of that and try and the impact that has. And it was funny, I remember a nurse. Saying to me, no, no, the no it wasn't, it was actually NDIS.

Yeah. And I rang them up after I had my mastectomies and I said, I need extra physio. And they said, well, we can't do that. Having a mastectomy doesn't, yeah. You know, that's a health thing. That's not to do your ms. And I said, promise you if you interview. Other people who've gone through a mastectomy, they're still walking.

I said, I'm not, I said, because living with ms, something like that happens to your body. It's huge. And need my neuro physio. Yeah. So they didn't 

Giarne Ashby: get that. You have to 

Teisha Rose: things. 

Giarne Ashby: And it's um, it's kind of like where we were saying earlier about the holistic view and the lifetime view. Like when you find a therapist who is the right fit and the right person, they become part of your safe people and.

And and I think it's sort of underwriting, like you said, what it is that as therapists, [00:15:00] we have the skill sets to do, but what training and things that we might have in, so like I'm an occupational therapist, my special interest is in neuro, but I also have skills from the other areas of practice that I might have worked in over time.

And then I will have gone and done additional training. In things that might not seem like they are related to the neuro caseload that I have, but that are, so like last year we went and did training on, um, oh, I can't remember the name of the training. It escapes me, but it was just basically suicide intervention training so that when we have clients that are.

Talking about these things because the caseload I work with has lots of grief. There's lots of mental health, there's lots of other things that show up in relation to living with a disability or in someone like yourself, Teisha living with a condition that changes over time that I need to have those skills to make sure I look after the people I work with.

And that $10 a. [00:16:00] Hour or that other bits and pieces. It might not seem like a lot, but it's a very big difference. The service is not the same. The service that you might go see to see someone under a Medicare scheme is not the same service that you're providing to a person with a complex disability.

It's just not. 

Teisha Rose: No, that's right. And I think too, and we talk about the cost then on participants. Lots are saying, well, if you do, if you're referring to Medicare, people will be aware that you can get plans from your gp. But there's gaps, there's so many gaps. You know, so there, there, you know, there's gaps that they're gonna have to pay.

And this is the same thing. And how does someone. I'm not on a pension. I'm doing everything I can to contribute to work. Absolutely. And I've always done that over the last 25 years, but I'm needing to then try and find extra money to come up with a gap, to get a ser it's 

Giarne Ashby: just not 

Teisha Rose: gonna happen.

It's happen. It's 

Giarne Ashby: insane. I know. Um, when we tried to get [00:17:00] access for both my daughter and I, and I remember at the time saying to somebody. Am I supposed to pick, am I supposed to decide which of us is more needy because I'm not okay. And I need the supports and my child, if she doesn't get access to these supports, this has lifelong impacts.

Like this is the, this is early intervention and we know that we need it in this space. Like if we don't have this, then we don't make it to school. We don't make it. Like it's big. So who am I supposed to pick? Because there's no support in a regional town where I was to access even the things to get onto the agency as a support.

You know, like there's, and again, if you go, okay, there's Medicare, well you can go to Medicare instead. Okay, cool. So if you wanted to see someone who has the skills in the thing that you need to gather the evidence or even to just meet your needs that it's $55, 10 or something like that is all you get back for five sessions a year.

Like it just doesn't, again, it's a different service [00:18:00] and I couldn't go and you can't do reports either. That's the other thing people don't understand about Medicare. So if I see someone under a Medicare thing, or I go and take my child to go see someone under Medicare, they can see her under Medicare, but the report has to be billed privately.

So I have to have the money to be able to pay for the report. And again, then there's, oh, you know, these assessments cost so much money. Why are they price gouging? The training to do the assessment? Some of them are thousands of dollars to do the training, to run the assessment. Then the assessment might take you several hours and then writing the report takes several hours and you actually, you like majority of the people I've, I've even accessed, they were.

Either making a loss or just covering their wages in the, in what they were doing for us with assessments. And that's not what I'm doing in my business or what other people are doing. That's as providers who I went and accessed a participant, sorry, who we went and accessed, they were covering their wages just enough [00:19:00] to pay their wages and pay their rent and do the things and the, at some of them weren't even running at a loss.

Like, yeah. 

Teisha Rose: And I think. Let's touch on this as well, because I'm not a physio or like I'm, or you know, an ot. That's okay. And yeah. And I'm qualified, as I've shared before, qualified social worker used to work in emergency housing, so a different area. Mm-hmm. Um, but what hurts me. Is seeing my physio upset at media stories that we're bombarded with that when she mentions I work for the NDIS, people are like ah, oh yeah.

You know, you are just trying to rip people off and it's like. This is a person who's dedicated their life to helping people like me. Mm-hmm. Without what she's done for me in the last 10 years, I wouldn't be doing this podcast now,, I would be in a wheelchair. I would be in so much pain, [00:20:00] and she's not, when she arrives at my house.

She's in a nice car, but not a ridiculous over the top. She's not rolling in it 

Giarne Ashby: like 

Teisha Rose: they're trying to imply. Yeah. No, she's not. And that is the narrative that mm-hmm. I want listeners, if you hear things like this, if you hear people talking like that. 

Giarne Ashby: Yeah. We've got an an, you know, I once had someone.

Share with me. And it was so frustrating 'cause they were in a medical setting, so their role was in a medical setting and they literally were like, oh, ot, that's a license to print money. And I was so offended. And at the time, I don't think I was working in the NDIS, this was before I had moved into the NDIS space.

And then once I moved into it, I was like, where is all of this stuff coming from about people printing money? Because I don't see it. Like I, I work, I do the job, I pay my overheads, I buy my assessments, I do pd, I I cover the costs and that's it. And, and it. Even 10 years ago if you [00:21:00] spoke to somebody and you, they asked you what you do at a barbecue, and they're like, oh, what do you do?

And I'm like, oh, I'm an occupational therapist. They go, oh, so you help people find jobs? They didn't know what we did. Um, and majority of the time. Or they'd be like, oh, I think I hurt my hand once. Do you do that? And they'd be like, oh yeah, that's one area of ot. There's lots of areas that we can do things in.

And, um. And now I am bracing. Every time someone asks what I do and I say, I'm an ot, I brace for, are they going to be desperately asking for a referral? Please, please. Will you see my child? Because I find it everywhere. Again, I'm in a regional town. We get phone calls. I literally had a phone call.

Just before we got on today from a family member going, I've rung everywhere and nowhere's got a, got any room? Have you, can you please, please, please? And me saying I don't see under 18, 'cause I work with adults. Them going Please. They're very good. And I'm like, your child is amazing as they are that you don't have to, it's just the systems.

It's not enough of us. Anyway, I'm getting side, just side [00:22:00] quested. Um, yeah, I brace myself for, can you please see my child or. Oh, you must be rolling in it. And it's devastating it. I'm really proud of my career. I wanted to be an OT since I was 12. And I think there's also this, like, I agree with you.

We get into this to help people, but there's a misconception that. This is the only area and space we could work in for a lot of allied health. There is actually other spaces that we can work in and so it doesn't mean that's where we wanna work. In fact, there's a lot of us who really love working in this space and love the participants that they work with.

And it's actually why. They're still there and why they're putting up with the cuts and for working out ways to pivot and change. And I've literally had that conversation this morning too, where I went, the price guide's been released. I don't know what we're gonna do, but we'll see if we can try to work it out.

Yeah. [00:23:00] 'cause at the end of the day, I love the people I work with and I, I see how this will cost them. Yeah, because I see how it would cost me. Yes. And yeah, there's other areas that we could work in, but we wanna be here and at the end of the day, if we did move into other areas. What happens to the participants, and that's the real, like the, the bit that I, you know, at the end of the day, if these businesses close and you sit there and you know, you've been watching all this stuff and you're going, ah, ha ha ha.

Yes, those money hungry therapists, we've saved the NDIS. Okay, well, like capacity building is not the biggest spend in the budget for the NDIS. It's actually core supports. Now we need core supports too, but. If we do have a whole bunch of providers shut down, then what? 

Teisha Rose: What? Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. And that's what's scary.

And you're right. I could get, and I've had discussions about this with the [00:24:00] NDIS planners. I could easily get a support worker to help. Me get through, and I was told this once, so you know, you could go shopping with a support worker and look that's great for some I'm not. Again, if that's what you need, yeah, that's what presence I would work.

That's fantastic. But I don't need that. No. I need to get my legs working so I can continue embracing my life. Yes. That's what I need. And from this, you're right, if my physio closes down, if I can't access any physio, I will then end up using a whole lot more mm-hmm. In the NDIS because I'll need people to help me.

Yeah. Yeah. And, and it's like, so anyone thinking, doing this is saving money, it's not because my story will be. Relapses. Mm-hmm. My story will be relying on physios. I can then access through the hospital system and rehab, you know, [00:25:00] so it's just shifting it to another broken system. Absolutely. So yeah, my story, 

Giarne Ashby: If they, well, they've already put the prices in place, but if they don't make a decision to reverse them or do something about this I expect that we won't have a physio.

I expect that we won't have the option for visits outside of a clinic. And particularly when I look at my daughter, we don't do transitions well. Like it's really, really hard. Um, it's not her fault. That's just how her experiences at the moment. And so we do our best to accommodate them, but that leads.

To greater burnout for her because now we have to transition for every therapy appointment everywhere. It leads to greater burnout for myself, which means I can't work as much, which means I'm not A, helping other people in my community, and B, I'm then going, okay, where's my financial? Break point here, where do I start going?

[00:26:00] Okay, I can't do this. I need to go line up at Centrelink and ask for help. And I don't want to do that. 

Teisha Rose: It is. Just, there's no words. It's so awful. No, there's no words. It's 

Giarne Ashby: just tears. 

Tears and knocking in 

the corner and, 

Teisha Rose: yeah. That's right. That's right. Look, we'll leave it there and thank you so much for your time because I think for those listening.

This is reality. When you listen to these news reports, and I've heard from my dad this morning that different things were happening on the radio and all. Please listen, share this podcast episode because what Giarne going through, what her family's going through, what her clients are going through, 

Giarne Ashby: oh, 

Teisha Rose: the cost.

Yeah. Yeah. It is massive. It's massive and we're being honest and authentic with all of you as to what the reality is. We are both really worried. And yeah, but I. The government can change this.

Giarne Ashby: Yeah, they can. Yeah. And, and we're asking [00:27:00] them to put put participants first. Yeah. Yeah, 

Teisha Rose: absolutely. So we'll share and yeah, we'll definitely share the parti petition that we're both signed.

Um, that was all part of the, it's now or never webinar as well. And there's so much happening. Um, 

Giarne Ashby: it's very confusing. It's okay to reach out to and ask either your therapists or the people in your, your close knit circle that you go, Hey, I'm so confused. What is going on? Yeah. So I think that's the other thing.

And I know a lot of therapists are in that space too. It's um, yeah. I literally have a message just popped up while we've been here. If someone saying it's just also upsetting, and they're a clinician and they're going, I'm gonna have to charge a gap fee. No one can afford it, I. It's starting to impact my health and so yeah, we, we just ask, reach out.

You'll keep trying.

Teisha Rose: Yeah, that's right. That's right. And the positive from this is we didn't know each other before yesterday [00:28:00] that all people are coming together. Yeah. Um, for the one thing to make sure that people living with disabilities, with health conditions who are struggling. Supported.

Yeah. And that brings people together and that's amazing. Be and hopefully through that energy, some good things will happen. I So thank you again. I really appreciate your time. 

Giarne Ashby: You're so welcome. Thank you for having me. 

Teisha Rose: You're welcome.

 So thank you for listening to that interview. I really do hope you got a lot out of it. I hope that what came through was these changes. You may read them or you may have read them, you may have listened to them and you may have not really realized the significant impact they will have. If you've been listening to Wellbeing Interrupted for a while, you know that I do everything I can to keep well.

Life with MS is difficult [00:29:00] and although I don't share that. All that often because I do have a positive outlook on life,

But part of the reason I've been able to be positive about my outlook, positive about my future is . Because of the incredible support I've received by Allied Health practitioners. As I mentioned, it's been incredible neuro physio and incredible neuro speech therapist that's helped me with my voice.

Over the years I've had occupational therapy, there's so much that goes on behind the scenes that enables me to turn up every day. Without that support, I'm worried. Without that support, I'm not sure what my future will be.

Before we go, I'm asking a big favor today. Just spend a moment to sign the petition. Stand up for disability support. Stop the [00:30:00] NDIS cuts. This has been an incredible campaign, which is really gaining momentum. I will share links in the show notes also on at Hurdle2Hope on Instagram Also go to Hurdle to Hope on Facebook or Teisha-Rose on LinkedIn. All of the links are there. So stand up for disability support. Stop the NDIS cuts. It's also on change, is it change.org? So yeah, sign that petition. It's gaining a lots, lots and lots of signatures. I think if they've reached 25,000 signatures, then it can be taken to the government and parliament, or maybe just the government.

Anyway. Yeah, sign it. Let's make some changes. What's happening is not right. And I'm hoping that the more and more people that share the personal impact that these cuts have, then [00:31:00] hopefully, hopefully these will be reversed. Okay. Have a great week and thank you so much for listening.