The Profitable NDIS Provider

What Will the NDIS Look Like in 2027? Predictions, Challenges & Opportunities for Providers | Episode 92
The NDIS landscape is changing rapidly, and for providers, the big question is: what comes next?
In Episode 92 of The Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, Tania Gomez and Paul unpack their predictions for 2027, exploring the reforms, business challenges and emerging opportunities that NDIS providers need to prepare for now.
With ongoing funding changes, increasing registration requirements, greater regulatory scrutiny and uncertainty around government timelines, many providers are questioning whether their current business models will remain viable. Tania and Paul discuss what these changes could mean for small providers, allied health businesses, SIL providers and the wider disability support sector.
In this episode, they explore:
Provider exits and industry consolidation: Why some businesses may leave the NDIS sector and how this could affect participants and remaining providers.
Registration and business viability: Why registration isn't necessarily the right move for every provider and when a wait-and-see approach might make sense.
Collaboration over competition: How consortia, care cooperatives, mergers and shared resources could help smaller providers remain independent and competitive.
NDIS reform timelines: Why some major changes may take longer than expected and how providers can prepare despite ongoing uncertainty.
Diversification and new markets: Why providers should consider private-pay opportunities, fee-for-service supports and services beyond NDIS funding.
Scenario planning: How preparing for best-case, middle-ground and worst-case scenarios can help you make more confident business decisions.
The power of networking: Why investing in relationships, knowledge and the right business community is more important than ever.
Tania and Paul also share practical insights on thinking outside the box, generating new business options and building a business that aligns with your goals, values and desired lifestyle.
The key message? You have more options than you think.
Rather than waiting for the government to determine your future, start planning, building relationships and exploring creative ways to make your business sustainable.
If you're an NDIS provider wondering what 2027 might bring, this episode will help you think strategically, prepare for uncertainty and identify opportunities in a changing sector.
🎧 Listen now and start planning for the future of your NDIS business.
If you've been following the podcast, Tania and Paul would love to hear from you! Get in touch and share which episode has helped you learn something, solve a problem or move your business forward. And let them know how they should celebrate Episode 100!
Don't forget to subscribe, share this episode with another provider, and join the conversation.

Is support work just "entry-level" labor, or is it the core product driving quality across the NDIS and Aged Care sectors?
In this episode of the Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, host Paul Bryan and co-host Tania Gomez sit down with Carly, founder of the Support Worker Association of Australia (SWAA). Together, they challenge the "just a support worker" mindset and dive deep into how treating frontline staff as respected professionals directly impacts client outcomes, business growth, and staff retention.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Changing the Narrative: Why support work is skilled, vital work—and how the industry can shift from generalist care to specialization.
Investing in Your Team: How providers can deliver practical, continuous micro-training without breaking margins or requiring full-day workshops.
Allied Health Collaboration: Why OTs, clinicians, and allied health professionals need to treat support workers as expert partners in a participant's care team.
Building Safe Workplace Cultures: Strategies for establishing open feedback loops, toolbox meetings, and psychologically safe spaces where staff feel confident asking for help.
Overcoming Burnout & Retention Leakage: How matching support workers’ passions and skill sets with the right participant dynamic leads to longevity and lower turnover.
Connect with Carly & Support Worker Association of Australia (SWAA):
Website: supportworkersassociation.org.au
Email: hello@swaa.au
Connect with The Profitable NDIS Provider:
Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with fellow NDIS providers and leaders looking to elevate their practice!

The Bill Has Passed: What the NDIS Amendments Mean for Providers with Shane Stewart
The Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill (amending the NDIS Act) and the Integrity and Safeguarding Act have officially passed, signaling a definitive shift toward "NDIS 2.0." But what do these legislative updates mean for day-to-day provider operations, compliance, and financial sustainability?
In this episode of the Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, hosts Paul Bryan and Tania Gomez sit down with Shane Stewart, Principal Advisor on NDIS Home and Living at Resolv and former NDIA Director with a decade of internal agency experience.
Shane shares invaluable insider perspective on the intent behind the new legislation, why the commission is taking a "formidable regulator" approach, and how providers across all sectors—especially home and living—must adapt to tighter compliance, funding resetting, and the upcoming planning framework.
Key Content Covered In This Episode:
De-mystifying the Bill: Why the scheme is shifting from open-ended "choice and control" toward defined budgetary controls to secure its long-term future.
Tougher Penalties & Fraud Fusion: Where the NDIA and NDIS Commission draw the line between honest administrative errors and intentional fraud.
The "Formidable Regulator": How the Commission is using its expanded powers to target compliance breaches, ban fraudulent consultants/auditors, and uphold participant safety.
Funding Caps & Community Access: What the 1st of October funding adjustments mean for community participation budgets and why high-intensity critical care remains exempt.
The Future of Plan Reviews & The 90-Day Rule: Unpacking unscheduled plan reassessments, the push toward 21-day review turnarounds, and how the upcoming I-CAN assessment will streamline decision-making.
Duty of Care vs. Reduced Budgets: How providers can navigate plan reductions without running at a loss or compromising participant care.
Myth-Busting Home & Living: Why "ratios of support" and "rosters of care" are becoming obsolete concepts in the eyes of the NDIA, and how to navigate SIL supports in a modern framework.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Introducing Shane Stewart (Resolv)
01:30 – Inside the NDIA: Shane's Background & Policy Experience
03:15 – What is the "Securing the NDIS for Future Generations" Bill?
06:40 – Honest Mistakes vs. Criminal Intent: Fraud Controls & Self-Disclosure
10:15 – The Formidable Regulator: Auditing, Banning Orders, and Quality Standards
13:10 – Impact of Community Access Funding Caps (Starting Oct 1)
16:00 – The I-CAN Assessment Framework & Streamlined Decision-Making
18:30 – The 90-Day Unscheduled Review Rule & Evidence Requirements
21:15 – Managing Funding Reductions: What Happens When Budgets Shrink?
24:45 – Myth-Busting: Ratios of Support, Rosters of Care, and "SIL Homes"
28:30 – Wrap Up

In this episode, Tania and Paul are joined by Tommy Trout to unpack a glaring issue across the disability support sector: why does provider marketing often feel so generic, outdated, and uninspired?
Tommy shares his belief that people with disabilities deserve branding that is bold, human, and genuinely cool—moving away from overuse of stock photos, inspiration porn, and stereotypical heart imagery. Together, the group explores:
The Current State of Marketing: What a review of dozens of provider websites reveals about repetitive language and how the sector ended up in this routine.
Branding Foundations: Where to actually begin when improving messaging, who a brand is really for, and why getting it right matters so much.
Real Transformations: Case studies of providers who overhauled their brand identity and the tangible business and client results that followed.
Actionable Growth: Details on Tommy’s program designed to teach providers how to apply these core branding principles to their own services.
Tune in for a practical discussion on how providers can break out of the cookie-cutter mold and build authentic connections through better marketing.

How do you build a sustainable business when the ground beneath you is completely shifting?
In this episode of the Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, hosts Tania Gomez and Paul Bryan tackle the massive elephant in the room: the impending transition toward mandatory registration, tighter regulations, and the introduction of "NDIS 2.0."
Tania and Paul unpack why the good old days of the NDIS are behind us as the scheme shifts its focus from "choice and control" to strict budgetary constraints. From the exit of plan managers and support coordinators to the rise of commissioned models and the potential consolidation of SIL (Specialist Disability Accommodation) providers, this episode is a crucial wake-up call.
If you are a small to mid-sized provider, this is not the time to freeze. It is time to make sober, strategic decisions, explore other options outside the scheme, and find the innovation that always breeds in times of difficulty.
Key Takeaways From This Episode:
The Transition to NDIS 2.0: Why Treasury interventions and new integrity acts are shifting the NDIS from a social-access model to a strictly budgeted scheme.
The Commissioning Wave: An in-depth look at how plan managers, support coordinators, and early childhood providers are being transitioned out of the traditional provider model into centralized, commissioned arrangements.
Is the Small Provider Viable? Why rising administrative burdens and high regulation costs mean small businesses must consider consolidating, merging, or executing a strategic exit.
Branding and Trust in SIL: How mid-to-large providers who choose to stay can position their brands to successfully absorb market share as unregistered and smaller players exit.
Life Beyond the Scheme: Utilizing the Ikigai framework (combining what you love, what you are good at, and what people will pay for) to build thriving, non-funding-dependent services that families will gladly pay for out-of-pocket.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome & Tackling the Elephant in the Room
02:00 – Welcome to NDIS 2.0: The Shift from Choice to Budgetary Control
04:00 – The Commissioning Model: The Future for Plan Managers, Support Coordinators, and Early Childhood Providers
06:20 – The Scale Problem: Why Small NDIS Businesses Face a Viability Crisis
10:30 – Strategic Consolidation, Mergers, and Leadership Opportunities
14:10 – How Larger Providers Can Build Trust and Safely Scale
17:30 – Is SIL Safe? What Internal NDIA Metrics Say About "Medium" vs "Small" Providers
19:50 – Creating Opportunities Outside the Scheme: The Rise of Private-Pay Services
23:25 – Applying the Ikigai Principle to Innovate in the Disability Sector

The NDIS landscape is undergoing significant transformation, leaving many providers wondering what the future holds for their businesses. In this episode, hosts and industry experts Tania Gomez and Paul Bryan dive deep into the latest NDIS reforms to help you separate the noise from the facts.
From shifts in compliance and registration requirements to changing operational frameworks, Tania and Paul break down the practical impacts of these legislative updates. Whether you are an established registered provider, a sole trader, or navigating the sector as an unregistered provider, this conversation offers valuable insights into staying compliant, protecting your business, and adapting to the evolving scheme.

Co-Hosts: Tania Gomez and Paul Bryan
Guest: Jonathon Salgo

In this episode of the Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, Tania and Paul are joined by Greg Chadwick (Simply Stronger Supports / Chadwick Digital) to answer a big question providers keep asking: does a website still matter when social media is everywhere?
 
Greg explains why your website is the trust and conversion hub of your digital footprint, how it supports referrals, what “above the fold” must include, and the most common mistakes NDIS providers make (stock photos, generic copy, unclear services). Expect practical, NDIS-specific advice on building clarity, credibility, and connection online.
 
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Intro + why this topic matters now
01:20 Meet Greg: disability sector leader + digital marketer
02:20 Do websites still matter in the age of social media?
04:10 The “digital footprint” and why people Google you after meeting you
05:20 Why people bounce fast (and what to fix)
06:40 How a website should align with your socials (trust + consistency)
08:40 The referral connection: relationships first, website closes the loop
10:10 Touchpoints: why trust takes multiple exposures
11:45 What “above the fold” must include (value prop, real images, CTA)
14:10 Biggest website mistakes NDIS providers make (stock photos, generic services list, AI slop)
18:10 Humanising your brand: founder section, real photos, real language
21:10 Greg’s BHAG: impacting 30,000 providers through education
24:30 How to find Greg / Chadwick Digital
 
Listen via:
Podbean: ⁠https://profitablendisprovider.podbean.com/⁠
Apple Podcast: ⁠https://apple.co/3UQI0cA⁠
Spotify: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-profitable-ndis⁠
YouTube: @ProfitableNDIS_ProviderPodcast
 
#NDIS #NDISproviders #NDISbusiness #disabilityservices #NDISmarketing #NDISreferrals #NDISwebsite #NDISSEO #NDISoperations #NDISleadership #ProfitableNDISProvider #SILprovider #SDA #NDIScomplianceIn this episode of the Profitable NDIS Provider Podcast, Tania and Paul are joined by Greg Chadwick (Simply Stronger Supports / Chadwick Digital) to answer a big question providers keep asking: does a website still matter when social media is everywhere?
 
Greg explains why your website is the trust and conversion hub of your digital footprint, how it supports referrals, what “above the fold” must include, and the most common mistakes NDIS providers make (stock photos, generic copy, unclear services). Expect practical, NDIS-specific advice on building clarity, credibility, and connection online.
 
Episode Highlights:
00:00 Intro + why this topic matters now
01:20 Meet Greg: disability sector leader + digital marketer
02:20 Do websites still matter in the age of social media?
04:10 The “digital footprint” and why people Google you after meeting you
05:20 Why people bounce fast (and what to fix)
06:40 How a website should align with your socials (trust + consistency)
08:40 The referral connection: relationships first, website closes the loop
10:10 Touchpoints: why trust takes multiple exposures
11:45 What “above the fold” must include (value prop, real images, CTA)
14:10 Biggest website mistakes NDIS providers make (stock photos, generic services list, AI slop)
18:10 Humanising your brand: founder section, real photos, real language
21:10 Greg’s BHAG: impacting 30,000 providers through education
24:30 How to find Greg / Chadwick Digital
 
Listen via:
Podbean: ⁠https://profitablendisprovider.podbean.com/⁠
Apple Podcast: ⁠https://apple.co/3UQI0cA⁠
Spotify: ⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-profitable-ndis⁠
YouTube: @ProfitableNDIS_ProviderPodcast
 
#NDIS #NDISproviders #NDISbusiness #disabilityservices #NDISmarketing #NDISreferrals #NDISwebsite #NDISSEO #NDISoperations #NDISleadership #ProfitableNDISProvider #SILprovider #SDA #NDIScompliance