Since inception there have been few updates to the scheme, leaving many in the disability community worried about the future of a scheme that has transformed hundreds of thousands of lives and enabled many people to live better and more independent lives. 

Now the Albanese government has unveiled draft legislation setting out proposed changes, giving us our first major sign of what could be to come.  

Nothing is final — but tis what we know so far:

What's in the legislation? 

In terms of content, quite a bit. In terms of immediate change, not much. 

That's because the legislation is aiming to create a mechanism that allows future changes to take place. 

Essentially, the recommendations from the review can't take effect until legislative instruments are updated, so that's what this bill is aiming to do.

Among other things, the bill aims to enable changes including:

* The move towards a needs-based assessment to enter the scheme, rather than one focusing on diagnosis. It is understood this could remove the necessity to collect medical reports to repeatedly prove a person's disability. 

* Participants to be given longer plans of up to five years and the ability to spend more flexibly across their budgets, instead of having finite, allocated amounts that can only be spent on certain categories of support. 

* The creation of a definition of what constitutes an "NDIS support". The NDIS Act does not currently have one and a concrete definition could help prevent people from spending their plan budgets on things they aren't supposed to. 

* The agency that runs the NDIS to have greater ability to take control of someone's account if there's evidence of "financial risk factors", such as fraud. Those risk factors would be co-designed. 

* The powers of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to be expanded. 

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten (Above)said the legislation's introduction to parliament marked "The next part of our journey towards an improved [scheme]". 

"This bill paves the way for future improvements that will put participants back at the heart of the NDIS and ensure every NDIS dollar is put towards those who the scheme was originally intended to support," he said in a statement. 

It is understood that there is nothing in the legislation about "foundational supports", a new proposed category of disability services outside the NDIS, which has caused a political stand-off this week. 

When are the changes coming into effect? 

The federal government has stressed reforms won't happen right away or without more consultation. 

It is understood that the consultation period will last 18 months and any changes that result would be gradually rolled out over five years, as the review recommended. 

"There will be a significant piece of work to collaborate with people with disability on the reforms and we are seeking the lived experience of the disability community as we continue to strengthen the scheme together," Mr Shorten said.

What's the political tussle with the states about? 

State and territory leaders have been pushing the Commonwealth to delay bringing on its legislation over concerns about the speed and cost of the reforms — particularly foundational supports, which they last year agreed to jointly fund. 

Foundational supports have been pitched as less intensive services to be delivered through the likes of health services, early childhood education and schools.

It's expected they'd have a particular focus on support for kids with autism and developmental delay, who have been joining the scheme in rising numbers due to a lack of support elsewhere. 

A number of premiers were asked about their concerns at press conferences this week. 

"We're concerned because it means less oversight for the states, but more responsibility for the states. And we want to be around the table to help focus on reform," NSW Premier Chris Minns said on Tuesday. 

"I accept that there's exponential costs increasing in the NDIS but if it means that there is going to be cost shifting onto the states and more pressure on our hospital system in particular, then I need to know what those costs are going to be." 

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said there was concern his state hadn't been fully briefed and been able to discuss "all the issues and concerns". 

"We've simply urged the Australian government to have those conversations with us before passing legislation that could affect disabled Queenslanders or indeed the Queensland budget," he said on Tuesday. 

Foundational supports are aimed at taking pressure off the $42 billion scheme while also ensuring more people can access some kind of support, given the vast majority of the estimated 4.4 million Australians with disability are not on the NDIS. 

With the cost of the scheme projected to reach $97 billion by 2032-33, the federal government last year announced an annual growth target of 8% to try to rein in costs. Annual spending was growing at around 14%. 

Original Story By | Evan Young & Nas Campanella