Being an NDIS participant doesn’t cancel your consumer rights

If you’ve ever waited months for disability-related equipment that was meant to arrive in weeks – or struggled to have repairs made to a faulty item bought with your National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding – as an Australian consumer, that’s not okay.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently released its report NDIS – ACCC observations on consumer issues in the NDIS, and it validated the experiences of many participants and their families.

The report documented a frequency and breadth of issues with the buying and selling of goods and services in the NDIS that doesn’t happen in any other sector of Australian business. Reported issues include excessive delays in receiving goods and services, long wait times for repairs or replacements of faulty goods, participants feeling unable or hesitant to complain, and general confusion about the rights that exist under service agreements.

You're an Australian consumer first, even in the NDIS marketplace

When you use your NDIS funds to purchase goods or services, you’re an Australian consumer. You may not realise it, but your rights under Australian consumer law still apply.

That means, always:

goods must be of acceptable quality
services must be delivered with due care and skill
products must match their description, and
faulty items must be repaired, replaced or refunded within a reasonable timeframe.

If a fridge, phone or washing machine was delivered to you broken or faulty from a mainstream store, you wouldn’t accept an unreasonable or indefinite delay.

The same principle applies to assistive technology, therapy services, home modifications or any other NDIS-funded support. The funding source doesn’t change the standard.

Why this matters now

The recent ACCC report highlights the experiences of many participants who’ve felt stuck, dismissed or unsure of what to do next.

It’s also a reminder that, as the NDIS continues to mature and evolve, everyone in the sector – including providers, participants, regulators and support partners – needs to lift the bar.

High standards aren’t optional, they’re expected. And being an informed participant is a crucial part of that equation.

If something isn’t right, you have options

If goods are delayed, faulty or not delivered as agreed, you can:

raise the issue directly with the provider and request a clear resolution timeframe
review your service agreement to confirm what was promised
use the provider’s formal complaints process
seek advice from your state or territory consumer protection agency
contact the ACCC for guidance about consumer rights
lodge a complaint with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (where appropriate)

You don’t have to accept substandard products or service levels simply because the purchase was made using your NDIS funding.

Where we can help as your plan manager

As your plan manager, we work within the NDIS framework and have a very specific role to play. We support you to manage the funding in your NDIS plan, and that includes making sure you know the protections that are available to you beyond the NDIS itself.

We can’t make calls on legislation or chase up providers, but what we can do is: