KEY FACTS — NDIS BILL, SCCP FUNDING AND EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT
✅ A Senate hearing examined the NDIS Bill’s proposed cut to Social and Community Participation (SCCP) funding
✅ Officials initially stated employment supports would not be affected by the cut
✅ Under questioning, officials confirmed participants are encouraged to use SCCP funding flexibly – including for job-related needs not formally logged as “employment support”
✅ Confirmed example: support to physically get a participant from transport into a job interview is funded through general SCCP, not the protect employment line — and would be subject to the cut
✅ Officials also confirmed the legislation does not cap the SCCP reduction at 50% — it permits a reduction of up to 99.99% of current funding
✅ Source: Senate hearing footage shared publicly by Dr George Taleporos, Chair of Every Australian Counts
✅ Kinship Uniting Services: registered NDIS provider NDIS ID: 4-GWVHCEY | 0437 733 744
A Senate hearing on the NDIS Bill produced an exchange that deserves far more attention than it has received. I want to walk through what actually happened, because the gap between what was claimed and what was confirmed under questioning matters enormously for NDIS participants trying to find or keep work.
What the Hearing Was About
The hearing examined the NDIS Bill’s proposed changes to Social and Community Participation (SCCP) funding — the category that supports participants to take part in community life, including social, civic and economic participation.
Officials told the hearing that employment supports would not be affected by the proposed cut. Senator Jordon Steele-John pressed on this claim directly.
The Flexible Funding Reality
Under questioning, officials confirmed something that NDIS participants and their families already know well: the National Disability Insurance Agency actively encourages participants to use their funding flexibly across categories, based on what they actually need — not strictly along the lines of how a budget is technically itemised.
This matters because a great deal of the support that helps someone find and keep work is never formally logged under an “employment supports” line item. It simply sits within the broader SCCP category, because — as disability sector leader Dr George Taleporos put it — life does not fit neatly into funding categories.
The Door-to-Interview Example
Senator Steele-John used a specific, concrete example to test the officials’ claim that employment would be unaffected.
A participant needs to get to a job interview. Transport funding — a maxi taxi, for example — covers getting there. But many participants also need a support worker to help them physically out of the vehicle and into the building.
Officials confirmed that this specific support is not classified as an “employment support,” because the participant does not yet have the job at the point they are applying. It is funded through the general, non-ring-fenced part of SCCP.
Officials went on to confirm directly that this is the exact part of the funding that would be subject to the proposed cut.
In other words: the support that gets someone through the door to the interview is not protected. Only support that begins after someone already has the job is ring-fenced.
Not 50%. Up to 99.99%.
A second, equally significant point emerged later in the same hearing. The government has publicly described the SCCP reduction as a 50% cut. Officials confirmed under questioning that the legislation itself does not cap the reduction at that figure.
The relevant provision allows for a reduction to a percentage lower than 100% — which, as confirmed in the hearing, technically permits a reduction of up to 99.99% of current SCCP funding, subject to the Minister determining the cut is required for financial sustainability reasons.
This means the legislated power extends well beyond the 50% figure currently being communicated publicly.
Why This Matters Beyond One Hearing
This exchange illustrates something providers like us see in practice every week: NDIS funding does not separate neatly into the boxes a policy document assumes it does. Support that helps someone get ready for the day, get somewhere, and get through a door is often inseparable from support that helps them participate in their community more broadly.
Cutting that funding does not just affect “participation” in an abstract sense. For many participants, it affects whether they can pursue or keep employment at all — directly contradicting the stated goal of increasing disability employment.
Kinship Uniting Services is a registered NDIS provider supporting participants across Colebee, Blacktown, The Ponds, Marsden Park, Schofields, Quakers Hill, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Stanhope Gardens, Riverstone, Windsor and all Sydney suburbs. We see firsthand how participants use their plans flexibly to meet real, daily needs — needs that do not always match the categories funding is built around.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is NDIS Social and Community Participation (SCCP) funding?
SCCP funding supports NDIS participants to take part in social, civic, economic and community activities. It is one of the more flexible NDIS funding categories, and participants are encouraged by the National Disability Insurance Agency to use it according to their actual needs rather than strictly along itemised lines.
Will the NDIS Bill’s funding cut affect employment supports?
Officials told a Senate hearing that formally classified “employment supports” would not be directly affected. However, under questioning, officials confirmed that support which helps participants pursue employment — such as assistance getting to a job interview — is often funded through general SCCP rather than a protected employment line item, and would be subject to the cut.
Is the SCCP cut capped at 50%?
The government has publicly described the change as a 50% reduction. Officials confirmed at the same hearing that the legislation itself permits a reduction of up to 99.99% of current SCCP funding, where the Minister determines this is required for financial sustainability reasons.
How can NDIS participants stay informed about changes to the Bill?
Participants and families can follow updates through the National Disability Insurance Agency (ndis.gov.au), the Parliament of Australia website (aph.gov.au), and disability advocacy organisations such as Every Australian Counts.
How does Kinship Uniting Services support participants navigating funding changes?
We help participants understand how their current funding is structured, what flexibility exists within their plan, and how to prepare for plan reviews in light of policy changes. Call 0437 733 744 to discuss your specific situation.
Written by Aishah Shah
Care Coordinator, Kinship Uniting Services
Registered NDIS Provider — ID: 4-GWVHCEY | ABN: 91 677 788 475
Sources:
- Senate hearing footage on the NDIS Bill — shared publicly by Dr George Taleporos, Chair of Every Australian Counts | June 2026
- National Disability Insurance Agency — ndis.gov.au
- Parliament of Australia — aph.gov.au
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