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Advocacy group calls for calm amid Thriving Kids concern.

Mark Butler, a white man with a dark suit and red tie, stands speaking at a podium

Many in the autistic community remain angry and confused following the recent announcement of the Thriving Kids program, an alternative to NDIS support for children with autism and developmental delay, which is set to begin its roll out next July.

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Mark Butler, claims the move was made to ensure the NDIS remains financially sustainable. In order to curb the growth of the NDIS, Mr Butler announced the Thriving Kids initiative for children with “mild to moderate” autism and developmental delay.

However the Australian Autism Alliance, a disability advocacy group, took issue with the language used to describe those eligible for Thriving Kids.

Policy must adopt a neurodiversity-affirming lens, in line with the National Autism Strategy
Australian Autism Alliance

The Australian Autism Alliance also stated that all support systems developed for the autistic community must take a holistic and systemic approach, recognising autism as a life-long disability.

Support needs may be ongoing, fluctuating, and context-dependent as reflected in the National Autism Strategy
Australian Autism Alliance

Nicole Rogerson a white woman with blonde hair in a black suit jacket and white shirt.

When The Wire approached Autism Awareness Australia (AAA) CEO, Nicole Rogerson, for comment, she made a point of reassuring the autistic community.

“ I know people are going to be nervous,” she says. “I’m all for judging governments when they do things wrong, but at this point in time, we don’t know enough to really judge it.”

According to Mr Butler, the NDIS was originally intended to support around 410,000 people with disability, yet the NDIS now supports just under 740,000 and is projected to grow to a million by 2034.

For Ms Rogerson, the Thriving Kids announcement was a step the Government needed to make to restructure the NDIS. She claims that the Thriving Kids program is a great opportunity for those caring for, as well as living with, autism and developmental delays.

“We check babies to see that they can hear and see, but we don't do those developmental checks. Those social and emotional checks,” the CEO says. “The fact that government's talking about doing that with three year olds and then seeing what they need is a really good opportunity, but you've gotta get that right.”

It is worth noting that the Director of Autism Awareness Australia is Professor Andrew Whitehouse, one of the developers of the Inklings initiative. Inklings is a proposed program under Thriving Kids for babies aged 6-18 months who are showing early differences in their neurological development.

AAA CEO Nicole Rogerson believes people should be more worried about what will happen to the NDIS if the sustainability issue isn’t rectified.

If we don't fix the NDIS and get it set up in a much better position to be more stable and sustainable, we'll lose it all together
Nicole Rogerson

For now, the Autism Awareness Australia CEO says the government must work closely with experts in the field of child development in order to produce a satisfactory program.

“If you're going to make a big change, we need…to make sure what we end up designing is actually going to support those children the way they need,” Ms Rogerson says. “I, for one, am very much willing to work with the government to make sure they get this right.”

Thriving Kids will begin rolling out on 1 July 2026.

Thriving Kids: NDIS Autism Debate

Video transcript

Emma Myers 0:00

Last month, NDIS Minister Mark Butler introduced the $2 billion thriving Kids program, but the announcement has left many concerned. The Y of Sam Giorgio spoke with CEO of Autism Awareness Australia, Nicole Rogerson, to find out more about what this program could mean for children with autism and development or delay, we're

Speaker 1 0:25

not sure yet. I think the minister has made this announcement that this program of thriving children is about looking at the kind of existing services that belong in the States, and how we can upskill them and help them to support children with learning developments and mild autism. It's a very bold move for the government to have a rethink about developmental pediatrics. We're going to have to wait and see what ends up getting

Speaker 2 0:51

delivered. The program is said to provide much needed support for children with developmental delay in autism. However, there are fears that the roll out time could potentially leave 1000s of families without essential NDIS services. How has your community responded to this news? I

Speaker 1 1:05

think it's fair to say, everybody's very nervous, but the minister has said, you know this, they're not throwing people off the NDIS tomorrow. There's no reason for alarm. I know people are going to be nervous, but I don't think they need to be. I think the minister was quite clear on that point,

Speaker 2 1:18

children and young people with disability Australia have made recommendations for the government, like a longer roll out time for the thriving Kids program, a pause on NDIS reassessments and a clear path that supports children with disabilities over nine. What else can be done to support the program and people with disabilities?

Speaker 1 1:35

What the government really need to do is work quite closely with experts in the field of child development to make sure what we build, which is going to be in place of, eventually, the NDIS for some children, we want to make sure we get that right. It's a really great opportunity. We've never done that in Australia. We check babies to see that they can hear and that they can see, but we don't do those developmental checks, those social and emotional checks, and the fact that government is talking about doing that with three year olds, and then seeing what they need, this is a really good opportunity, but you've got to get that right. We need to work with experts to make sure what we end up designing is actually going to support those children in the way they need support. If you're going to make a big change, and the NDIS isn't, all of a sudden, the only port in the storm, then you've got to make sure that the alternative is doing the job that you need it to do, and then I think you'll see that families feel a lot more relaxed.

Speaker 2 2:26

Do you believe it's too early to tell if the program will provide enough support for those with disabilities and autism? Yeah, I

Speaker 1 2:33

think it's way too early to tell the thing hasn't even been properly designed. It's a thought. I think the government has arrived with a big stick and $2 billion which is not an insignificant amount of money, to say, let's get this right. I'm all for judging governments when they do things wrong, but at this point in time, we don't know enough to really judge it. And I think people being really nervous about their situation changing. I think people should also be equally nervous that if we don't fix the NDIS and get it set up in a much better position to be more stable and sustainable. We'll lose it all together. I think we've just got to be rational about what we're worried about, and I for one, are very much willing to work with the government to make sure they get this

Speaker 2 3:13

right. In his speech at the National Press Club, NDIS Minister Mark Butler said that the NDIS needs to return its focus on people who need significant permanent care and support and ensuring it remains fiscally sustainable. What's your reaction to this quote?

Speaker 1 3:26

I think it's true. I think that the problem is been is for some people, the access to the NDIS has become very broad. In some cases, children only need a developmental delay in one area to give them an NDIS package that they may not need that sort of individual funding going to families to work out how to spend it in an open, already busy market, is a chance we were spending a lot of money on the NDIS, but maybe we weren't spending it smartly. I think it's fair to look at that, but it's also, I think, a recognition that the minister's saying, for those with moderate to profound disabilities, the NDIS that was designed for those people, that's not going away. It's merely thinking about, have we put too many people in the scheme that possibly could be helped elsewhere? Just think where possible. I'm just trying to make sure parents aren't panicked. I know they're going to be, and there's a few interesting people making commentary that is potentially inflaming the situation. We literally don't know enough yet. It's a recognition we need to restructure the NDIS and do it differently.