Update: Expanded Mandatory Registration for High-Risk Supports
May 25, 2026
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission is expanding mandatory registration requirements to target high-risk support categories and platform providers. This regulatory shift aims to eliminate systemic fraud, elevate service quality, and close loopholes previously utilized by unregistered operators.
What is Changing?
Previously, a significant portion of the NDIS provider market operated as unregistered entities. Under the newly introduced tier-based registration system, mandatory registration will legally expand to include Supported Independent Living (SIL), platform providers, and workers delivering personal care or daily living supports. Operating in these designated high-risk spaces without official registration will carry severe civil and criminal penalties.
Impact on Participants
- Enhanced Safeguards: Stronger vetting processes minimize the risk of harm, neglect, or financial exploitation from untrustworthy operators. On the downside, participants are concerned that if mandatory registration is not adequately tiered so that it does not disadvantage good independent providers, they will lose long term supports and consequently, their much relied upon continuity of service. Having to retrain new providers is a daunting thing for most people with a disability.
- Adjusted Choice & Control: Participants who prefer using unregistered workers for personal care will need to transition to registered providers or support staff who meet the new workforce standards. This is also deeply concerning to people with a disability because (as above), disenfranchised workers who are well trained, caring and willing may leave the sector entirely if the tier of registration imposes a negative financial impact. This will remove choice and control for many participants.
- Maintained Retail Flexibility: Everyday purchases (like standard chemist supplies) will not require the same rigorous registration checks as direct human care services. This registration tier is not clear or transparent and there is a lot of unrest in the sector as a result.
Impact on Providers
- Strict Compliance Mandates: Unregistered providers currently offering personal care in SIL services and platform providers must undergo formal audit processes to achieve registration. This tier of registration is still convoluted, expensive and intrusive and many providers will not be able to justify staying in the sector under these conditions. This will leave many participants under supported.
- Rigorous Audit Cycles: High-risk registration tiers face shortened audit cycles, moving from a standard three-year timeline down to an 18-month frequency. Small providers are already feeling the pinch of these audits. Those who chose to become registered, thinking it was the right thing, soon found out that it was a clunky and burdensome procedure that interrupted their ability to provide supports, increasing the overall cost of audits. Shorter audit cycles will destroy small businesses.
- Workforce Upskilling: Businesses must ensure all support workers hold the minimum mandated staff qualifications published under the updated workforce standards. Most providers support regular training and take compliance seriously. The biggest complaint we are hearing today is that three massive legislation changes in the past 12 months is just too much to keep up with, causing re-training costs to go through the roof.
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