It’s Time for Fair Funding: Why the NDIS Must Raise Rates
At Sistability, we support over 100 NDIS participants across the Northern Rivers. Our team shows up every day to deliver more than just services—we deliver dignity, safety, and peace of mind. For many of our clients, that starts with a clean, well-maintained home.
But we’re reaching a tipping point.
The NDIS price limits for essential household supports like cleaning and gardening are no longer enough to cover the true cost of delivering these services safely, reliably, and professionally. The result? A growing crisis that’s affecting participants, providers, and frontline workers alike.
We’re standing with other providers, families, and advocates in calling on the federal government to urgently increase the NDIS price limits for cleaning and gardening. A new petition is now live, and we invite you to read and sign it here:
👉 Sign the petition
Essential Supports Are Being Undervalued
Let’s be clear: cleaning and gardening are not “nice-to-haves” for people with disability. They are essential supports that directly impact health, hygiene, safety, and independence. These services prevent falls, reduce respiratory illnesses, support mobility, and create a stable environment for people to thrive.
And yet, despite their critical role, they are still treated as low-priority within the current NDIS pricing structure.
The current rate caps for these services have remained stagnant, while the cost of wages, insurance, fuel, training, equipment, and compliance has steadily increased. Providers are being asked to do more—with better outcomes, more reporting, and higher standards—while being paid rates that don’t reflect the true cost of delivering those outcomes.
For a company like Sistability, which employs qualified staff, follows best practice compliance, and prioritises worker wellbeing, these rates are increasingly unsustainable.
We Support Over 100 Participants—and We’re Not Alone
Our clients include people living with physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, cognitive conditions, and complex care needs. Many are immunocompromised. Others live alone or have limited mobility. All of them deserve to feel safe, clean, and respected in their homes.
But too often, we’re forced to stretch our resources to make it work. And smaller providers, particularly in regional areas, are walking away because the numbers simply don’t add up.
This isn’t just a business challenge—it’s a social justice issue.
When providers are squeezed out of the sector, it’s the participants who suffer. They face longer wait times, inconsistent service, and fewer choices. That directly undermines the NDIS’s founding principles of choice, control, and inclusion.
Why the Petition Matters
This petition is about more than price guides. It’s about recognising the real-world value of the people doing the work—and the people receiving it.
The petition calls for:
An immediate increase in the NDIS price limits for essential household supports, particularly domestic cleaning and gardening.
Recognition of the vital health and safety outcomes these services support.
Equity across the provider landscape, so that not only large businesses can afford to operate in this space.
This is a chance for the government to listen to the voices of providers, participants, families, and frontline workers who are united in their message: essential support deserves fair funding.
Funding Shortfalls
Behind every underfunded service is a person affected by the shortfall.
There’s the mother who relies on a weekly clean to maintain a sterile environment for her immunocompromised child.
There’s the participant with a spinal injury who can’t mow their lawn or clean their shower safely on their own.
There’s the domestic support staff trying to do a thorough job in less time because the rates don’t allow for longer visits.
These are not optional extras. They are core supports that make everyday life possible.
When rates fail to keep pace with reality, quality suffers. And that erodes trust—not just in providers, but in the NDIS system itself.
What We’re Asking For
At Sistability, we’re not asking for special treatment. We’re asking for a funding model that reflects:
The real cost of service delivery, including PPE, admin, insurance, and fair wages.
The training, compliance, and care standards expected of quality providers.
The rights of people with disability to live in safe, clean, and dignified homes.
Raising the NDIS rates for cleaning and gardening is a simple, achievable way to support participants’ wellbeing and make sure frontline workers are treated with fairness and respect.
Help Us Push for Change
This petition is a powerful starting point—but it needs community support. Whether you’re a participant, a carer, a provider, or simply someone who believes in fair treatment, your voice matters.
📣 Click here to read and sign the petition.
Together, we can make sure essential supports are truly treated as essential—and that every Australian with a disability has access to the clean, safe, supported home they deserve.
