We get asked this a lot. And honestly? It's a great question — because not all NDIS providers are the same. We've seen firsthand how much the right provider can change someone's life. We've also seen what happens when the wrong one lets a participant down. So here's our honest guide, from our team to yours.

Registered or Unregistered — Does It Actually Matter?

Short answer: yes, it really does. A registered NDIS provider has been independently audited against the NDIS Practice Standards. That means someone has actually checked that they do what they say they do. Unregistered providers haven't gone through that process.

If your plan is agency-managed, you don't even have a choice — you can only use registered providers. But even if you're self-managed or plan-managed, we'd strongly recommend sticking with registered. The accountability is just on a different level.

Questions Worth Asking Before You Sign Anything

We encourage every participant and family to ask these — including asking us:

• Are you NDIS registered? Can I see your registration number?
• Do your staff have NDIS Worker Screening Checks and Police Clearances?
• How do you match support workers to participants?
• How do you keep my personal information secure?
• Do you use digital clock in/out and progress notes after every visit?
• What happens if my usual support worker can't make it?
• Do you have a complaints process? How does it work?

A good provider won't hesitate for a second on any of these. If they dodge the question — that tells you something.

Why We Believe Local Matters

We're based right here in Perth. We know the suburbs, the traffic, the allied health clinics, the community groups. When a participant in Joondalup needs support at short notice, or a family in Ellenbrook has a question on a Friday afternoon — we're here. A national provider with a call centre in another state just can't offer that.

Being local also means we're accountable in a very real way. We see our participants' neighbours. We cross paths with their allied health teams. Our reputation in this community matters to us deeply.

The People Are Everything

Honestly, you can have the best systems in the world — but if the support worker who walks through the door isn't the right fit, none of it matters. We spend a lot of time on matching. We want the person supporting you to feel like a familiar, trusted face — not a stranger every week.

Ask any provider about staff turnover. Ask whether the same person comes to each visit. Ask if progress notes are written after every single shift. The answers will tell you a lot about how much they actually care.

Watch How They Handle Billing

This one's simple. A trustworthy provider charges the correct NDIS rates, sends you clear itemised invoices, and can explain every line. We use digital clock in/out and automatic kilometre tracking — so every invoice we send is backed by data, not guesswork. And on cancellations: the NDIS allows providers to charge within 7 days of a no-show. We charge only within 48 hours — because that's when our workers are already rostered and we owe them their pay. You should expect nothing less from any provider you choose.

We hear this one constantly — and it's completely understandable. The NDIS can feel like a maze, especially in the beginning. Support Coordination is one of those things that sounds complicated but once you get it, you wonder how you ever managed without it.

So What Actually Is Support Coordination?

Think of it like having someone in your corner who really knows the NDIS system. A Support Coordinator helps you make sense of your plan, use your funding properly, and connect with the right providers for your specific situation. They don't just hand you a list of phone numbers — they actually help you get things moving.

We've worked with participants who had thousands of dollars sitting unspent in their plan simply because nobody had helped them understand what it was for. That's exactly the kind of thing a good Support Coordinator fixes.

Level 2 vs Level 3 — What's the Difference?

• Support Coordination (Level 2) — for most participants. Helps you put your plan into action, find providers, and gradually build your confidence in managing your own supports.
• Specialist Support Coordination (Level 3) — for more complex situations. Delivered by a qualified specialist, usually where there are higher risks or multiple complex needs to manage at once.

Is It Already in Your Plan? Check This Now

Open your NDIS plan and look under the Capacity Building budget. If you see "Support Coordination" with a dollar amount next to it — that money is yours to use. Right now. Many participants we speak to genuinely had no idea it was there.

No Support Coordination in your current plan? You can ask for it at your next plan review. Come prepared with a clear reason — how it would help you reach your goals — and your planner will consider it.

What Can a Support Coordinator Actually Do For You?

• Sit down with you and explain exactly what your plan covers, in plain English
• Find the right providers in Perth for your specific needs
• Make sure all your providers are working together, not in silos
• Prepare you properly for plan reviews so you get the best possible outcome
• Be there when things go wrong — not just when everything is smooth
• Connect you with allied health, community services and anything else that helps

Support Coordination at OCD Brilliance

We recently launched Support Coordination as part of our services — and the response from participants and families has been really encouraging. Our team knows Perth's provider landscape well, and we genuinely enjoy helping people untangle the complexity of the NDIS. If you're not sure where to start, just give us a call. No pressure, just a real conversation.

You'd be surprised how many people don't know this. We have conversations almost every week with participants who've been struggling to keep on top of their home — and had no idea their NDIS plan could help. So let's clear it up properly.

Yes, Cleaning Can Be Funded. Here's How.

NDIS cleaning sits under your Core Supports budget — specifically Assistance with Daily Life. If your disability makes it genuinely difficult or unsafe to clean your home yourself, there's a good chance it qualifies as a funded support.

The key phrase the NDIS uses is "reasonable and necessary". Basically — is the cleaning need directly caused by your disability? Is it something you genuinely can't manage independently, and that family or friends can't reasonably take on? If yes, you've got a strong case.

What We Can Help With

• Regular home cleaning — vacuuming, mopping, dusting throughout
• Bathroom and kitchen cleaning
• Laundry and linen changes
• Surface wiping and general tidying

What's Not Covered — Be Honest With Yourself Here

The NDIS is funded by all Australians, so it's important this support goes to the right people for the right reasons. A few things that aren't covered:

• Cleaning products and consumables — these come out of pocket or a separate budget
• High-risk tasks like external work
• Cleaning for other people in the household who don't have a disability
• Garden maintenance — that's a different support category entirely

Why We Only Use Chemical-Free Products

This was a decision we made early on and we've never looked back. A lot of our participants have respiratory conditions, allergies or sensitivities that make standard cleaning products genuinely harmful. We've heard some awful stories from people before they came to us. So across all our cleaning services, we use only chemical-free products — safe for every household, every time.

How Do You Actually Get Started?

If you're self-managed or plan-managed, you can contact us directly — no referral needed. If you're agency-managed, you'll need to use a registered provider, and that's us. Just get in touch, share your NDIS details, and we handle the rest. If you have a plan manager, we'll liaise with them directly so you don't have to.

Honestly, the process is simpler than most people expect. The hardest part is usually just picking up the phone.

We're going to be honest with you. And we think you deserve that honesty.

There's a perception out there — and we hear it more than we'd like — that NDIS providers are doing very nicely, thank you. That the government rates are generous, the work is easy, and the money just rolls in. We get it. From the outside, it can look that way. But we'd like to open the books a little. Not to complain — we genuinely love what we do — but because transparency is one of our core values, and this conversation is long overdue.

The Rate Is Fixed. We Can't Change It.

Here's something most people don't realise. When a regular cleaning company quotes you a job, they can charge whatever the market will bear — and in Perth, company rates typically start from $60–$70 per hour for standard residential cleaning. In competitive sectors like hospitality or mining, commercial cleaning rates in Western Australia routinely reach $90–$120 per hour. A self-employed person cleaning on their own might charge around $45/h with minimal overheads, but a company running with employed staff, insurance and full compliance obligations works from a fundamentally different cost base.

We can't do any of that. As a registered NDIS provider, our rate is set by the NDIS Price Guide. It doesn't move. It doesn't flex. Whether we're in Joondalup or Butler, whether it's a straightforward visit or a complex one — the rate is the rate. That's actually great for participants — no surprises, no inflated quotes. But it means every cost we carry comes out of a number we simply cannot control.

The 2-Hour Minimum — And It's Not the NDIS That Requires It

A lot of people assume our 2-hour minimum booking is an NDIS rule. It isn't. It comes from the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award — a Fair Work Australia instrument that governs pay and conditions across our entire industry.

Under the SCHADS Award, when we send a worker to your home, we must pay them a minimum of 2 hours — regardless of how long the actual job takes. This isn't us being difficult or trying to squeeze more out of your plan. This is Australian employment law, designed to protect workers from being called in for 45 minutes and sent home with nothing. We follow it because it's the right thing to do — and because Fair Work requires it.

So before we've even started calculating costs, we're already committed to 2 hours of labour, every single visit.

So What Does That Fixed Rate Actually Have to Cover?

Let's take one standard NDIS cleaning visit and look at what comes out before we see anything left over:

• Worker wages — at the SCHADS Award rate, including any applicable penalty rates for early mornings, evenings, weekends or public holidays
• Superannuation — 11.5% on top of every dollar of wages. Required by law, every single pay cycle
• Travel time and kilometres — more on this below, but it's significant across a city as spread out as Perth
• Public liability and workers compensation insurance — non-negotiable for a registered provider. Not cheap.
• Cleaning materials — gloves, cloths, chemical-free products, mop heads, replacement equipment. Every visit consumes supplies
• NDIS registration and compliance — audits, quality management systems, mandatory training, incident reporting, policy maintenance. Being registered is a serious, ongoing financial commitment
• Operational software — compliance-grade platforms for clock-in/clock-out, automatic kilometre tracking, participant records and scheduling carry a real monthly cost — charged per worker and per participant. This isn't optional for a provider committed to transparency and accuracy; it's the only way to ensure every timesheet and every kilometre is recorded correctly
• Administration — scheduling, invoicing, plan manager liaison, progress notes, payroll. Real hours, real costs
• General overheads — phone, accounting, office costs. The invisible expenses that never stop

Add all of that up — honestly and carefully — and the margin that remains is genuinely thin. Much thinner than people assume when they hear the word "NDIS."

Travel Costs — The One That Catches People Off Guard

This is worth its own section, because it's caused us real pain. We've had participants — good people, people we genuinely cared about — who saw travel time and kilometres on their invoice and felt we were overcharging them. In one case, it ended the relationship entirely. That was hard. Because we weren't doing anything wrong. We were doing exactly what two separate bodies of Australian law require.

Here's how it works. Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, registered providers are entitled to charge for worker travel time and kilometres. At the same time, under the SCHADS Award enforced by Fair Work Australia, we are legally required to pay our workers for their travel time between clients. We cannot ask a trained, screened, insured worker to drive across Perth and pay them nothing for that time. Fair Work does not allow it — and rightly so.

So the travel charge on your invoice is not padding. It's not profit. It's a cost that two separate pieces of Australian legislation place on us simultaneously — one from the NDIS side, one from the employment side.

And here's what we do about it at OCD Brilliance: we use purpose-built software that automatically records every kilometre travelled. No manual entry. No estimation. No rounding up. The distance on your invoice is the exact distance driven — verified by our system, not guessed by a person. We built our operations this way precisely because we never want a participant to feel overcharged. Transparency isn't just something we talk about. It's built into our systems.

We now explain all of this to every new participant before their first visit — clearly, in plain language, as part of our service agreement. Because we'd rather have that conversation upfront than lose trust over something that was never hidden to begin with.

"But Don't NDIS Providers Just Pocket the Government Money?"

We need to be direct here. Yes — there have been providers who abused the NDIS system. It has happened. It is completely indefensible. Every dollar misused comes directly from a participant who genuinely needs it, and it damages the reputation of every honest provider working hard to do things right. That behaviour deserves to be condemned, investigated and prosecuted. Full stop.

But the vast majority of registered NDIS providers are doing exactly what they should be doing. They're running lean, absorbing rising costs, navigating complex compliance requirements, and genuinely trying to make a difference in people's lives. Registration is not a licence to print money. It is a serious, ongoing responsibility — with audits, standards, reporting obligations and real consequences for falling short.

We ask that people hold that distinction in mind. Scrutiny is healthy. Accountability is important. But painting every NDIS provider with the same brush as the rare bad actor is unfair — and it makes it harder for good providers to have honest conversations like this one.

So Why Do We Do It?

If the margins are tight, the compliance burden is real, and some people will always be suspicious — why not just run a regular cleaning business with flexible pricing and no regulation?

Because this work matters in a way that's genuinely hard to explain until you've done it. Walking into someone's home and knowing that what your team member is doing today is making a real difference to that person's comfort, dignity and quality of life — that's not something you walk away from easily. We got into this because we wanted to serve our community. Not because we thought it would make us rich. And we believe most of the good providers in this industry feel exactly the same way.

What We'd Ask of You

If you're a participant or a family member — thank you for trusting us. We take that seriously every single day.

If you've ever been surprised by a travel charge or a minimum booking — we hope this article helps. Ask questions. Ask providers to explain every line of every invoice. That's your right, and any good provider will do it without hesitation.

And if you ever feel something isn't right — report it. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission exists for exactly that reason. But please, don't let the actions of a few bad actors stop you from trusting the many honest people working hard in this industry every day.

Working in the NDIS is tough. It is also, without question, worth it.

If you've ever looked at your NDIS plan and seen a line like "$193.99 per hour" next to your occupational therapist or physiotherapist, it's completely natural to wonder: where does all that money go? Are these providers making a fortune? And if the rate is that high, why do so many Allied Health services in Perth seem to have long waitlists, high staff turnover, or simply close without warning?

This article isn't about OCD Brilliance specifically — we're a support work and cleaning provider, not an Allied Health practice. But we work closely with participants who rely on these services, and we think the honest answer to this question deserves to be said clearly. So here it is.

The Number on Your Plan Isn't What Anyone Takes Home

Let's start with the most common misconception. When people see $193.99/hour on their NDIS plan, the brain naturally shortcut-thinks: "This person earns $193.99 an hour." They don't. Not even close.

That figure is the maximum billable rate set by the NDIS Price Guide — the ceiling, not the floor, and certainly not the profit. Out of that amount, a provider needs to cover the clinician's salary, every employment cost on top of it, and the entire cost of running a compliant NDIS business. What's left over — the actual business margin — is typically a fraction of what most people would expect.

The Billable Hours Problem

Here's a number that surprises a lot of people: the average Allied Health clinician in a community NDIS role bills roughly five hours of funded client time per day. Not eight. Not six. Five — on a good day.

The rest of their working hours go to things that don't get billed: writing progress notes, preparing for sessions, liaising with support coordinators and plan managers, attending team meetings, completing mandatory training, and dealing with the administration that NDIS compliance requires. That work is real, it's necessary, and it takes time — but it doesn't appear on anyone's invoice.

Now take that five hours a day and think realistically about the calendar. Clinicians take annual leave. They get sick. There are public holidays. New participants need onboarding time. Cancellations happen — often at short notice, and under NDIS rules, short-notice cancellations can only be charged under specific conditions. When you account for all of this honestly, a full-time Allied Health clinician working in NDIS services realistically bills around 44 weeks per year, not 52.

Run the maths on 44 weeks at 5 hours a day at $193.99: you get roughly $213,000 in gross revenue per year — for one full-time clinician. Before a single overhead is paid.

Every Dollar of Salary Costs More Than a Dollar

This is the part that catches most people — and a lot of providers — off guard. When you employ someone in Australia, the base salary is just the starting point. On top of it, you must legally pay:

• Superannuation — currently 11.5% on top of every dollar of salary
• Leave entitlements — annual leave, personal/carer's leave, long service leave. These accrue whether or not the person is working on any given day
• Workers' compensation insurance — mandatory, and higher for roles involving physical work
• Payroll tax — once a business exceeds the state threshold, another percentage comes off the top
• Professional indemnity and public liability insurance — non-negotiable for registered Allied Health providers

Add those together and the rule of thumb in the industry is that every $100,000 in salary costs a provider closer to $140,000–$160,000 once all employment obligations are met. That multiplier is real and unavoidable. It applies to every single employee, every single year.

And that's before you've paid for the room, the equipment, the software, the compliance audits, the admin staff who keep the whole thing running, or the professional development that NDIS registration requires.

The July 2025 NDIS Reforms Made It Harder

In July 2025, significant changes to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements came into effect. For Allied Health providers delivering mobile services — visiting participants at home or in community settings — two changes hit particularly hard:

• Travel was capped at 50% of the hourly rate. Previously, providers could charge full hourly rate for worker travel time. Now they can only charge half — meaning the cost of getting a clinician to a participant's home is increasingly absorbed by the provider rather than funded by the plan.
• Discipline-specific rate reductions were applied in some areas, reducing the maximum billable rate for certain Allied Health supports.

Together, these changes represented roughly a 10–15% reduction in revenue per clinician for providers delivering mobile or in-home services. For practices already operating on thin margins, that is a significant hit — and it has forced many providers to reduce the geographic areas they service, increase minimum booking times, or in some cases, exit the NDIS market entirely.

If your usual Allied Health provider has recently told you they can no longer visit you at home, or that their waitlist has grown — this is often why.

So Why Do Some Providers Still Seem to Be Doing Well?

The ones managing best have usually made deliberate operational choices. They bill non-face-to-face time where the rules allow it — progress notes, case conferencing, report writing. They cluster their visit schedules geographically to reduce travel time and costs. They've invested in good software to manage scheduling, invoicing and compliance efficiently so that admin doesn't eat more hours than it has to.

These aren't shortcuts or tricks. They're the difference between a practice that can sustain itself — and keep seeing participants — and one that burns out its team and closes.

What This Means for You as a Participant

A few practical things worth knowing:

• Waitlists are real, not laziness. When a provider tells you they're at capacity, they usually mean it. The economics of taking on a new participant in a geographically inconvenient location can genuinely not stack up for a small practice.
• Cancellation policies exist for a reason. A clinician who drives 40 minutes to find nobody home has just lost income that their employer couldn't recover. Most policies aren't punitive — they're survival.
• Progress notes and reports cost time. If a provider bills for non-face-to-face time, check your plan funding carefully — but understand that this work is real and genuinely takes hours.
• The rate on your plan does not reflect what your clinician earns. If you ever feel like the people providing your care deserve better pay — you're probably right, and you're in good company. The funding system hasn't kept pace with employment costs, and many excellent clinicians have left the NDIS sector because of it.

Why We Think This Conversation Matters

We wrote this article because we believe NDIS participants deserve honest, clear information — not just about our own services, but about the broader ecosystem they're navigating. When providers close suddenly, or waitlists stretch to 6 months, or your OT tells you they can no longer come to your home — it helps to understand why.

It's not indifference. It's not greed. For the vast majority of Allied Health providers working in the NDIS, it's the result of a funding model that is genuinely stretched — and a workforce that genuinely cares but is working under real financial pressure.

Understanding that doesn't fix anything overnight. But it's a better starting point than confusion or frustration — and it's the kind of transparency we'd want if we were in your position.

A frequent concern we hear from participants and families in Perth is: "My plan ends in two months, and I still have money left — what do I do?" This situation is common, and the answer is important. Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Cth), unspent NDIS funds do not automatically roll over to your next plan. When your plan ends, most remaining funds are returned to the NDIS.

However, it is not appropriate to spend remaining funds quickly on anything. Every dollar from your NDIS plan must meet the legal requirement of being a reasonable and necessary support under Section 34 of the NDIS Act. Spending without justification can trigger a fraud review, lead to repayment demands, and reduce funding in your next plan. The following is a practical guide to using your funds appropriately.

Step One: Check Where You Actually Stand

Before you do anything, you need to know your actual position. Log in to the MyPlace participant portal at my.ndis.gov.au. There, you can see your current budget by support category, how much has been claimed to date, and your plan's end date. If you are plan-managed, your plan manager can pull a full statement for you. If you are self-managed, check your own records.

Review three key details: how much funding remains, which budget category it is in, and how many weeks are left in your plan. This will help you determine if you have an underspend issue or if you are on track.

Your Three Budget Types — They Behave Very Differently

Many people find this part confusing. Your NDIS plan may include up to three distinct budget types, each with different rules.

1. Core Supports

Core Supports is your most flexible budget. It covers daily activities, social and community participation, consumables, and transport. Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits, you can generally shift spending between Core Support subcategories, except for transport, which is separate. For example, if you have underspent on community participation, you can use those funds for additional personal care or domestic assistance. This flexibility is a valuable tool.

You can use unspent Core Support funding by increasing the frequency of your existing supports, adding services you are eligible for but have not yet started, or purchasing disability-related consumables such as continence products, gloves, or low-cost assistive aids.

2. Capacity Building Supports

Capacity Building (CB) budgets are tied to specific goal categories and cannot be used for Core Support items. CB funds cannot be spent on cleaning, personal care, or consumables; they must be used for the subcategory they were allocated to, such as Support Coordination, Improved Living Arrangements, or Improved Health and Wellbeing. If you have unspent CB funding, consider increasing your engagement with the relevant service, such as booking more sessions with your Support Coordinator, scheduling additional allied health appointments, or progressing a delayed therapy programme.

If you cannot use your CB funding before expiry due to unavailable services or changed circumstances, document this clearly and inform your LAC or Support Coordinator. This information can support your plan review.

3. Capital Supports

Capital Supports covers Assistive Technology (AT) and Home Modifications. This budget is the most restricted, and spending should be carefully considered. The rules depend on the cost of the item:

• Under $1,500 — can generally be purchased directly without prior approval
• $1,500 to $15,000 — requires a supplier quote and, in most cases, a recommendation from an Occupational Therapist or other relevant allied health professional. Formal NDIA approval is not always required, but the item must be in your plan.
• Over $15,000 — requires formal NDIA approval with supporting evidence before purchase

Home modifications always require an assessment by a qualified Occupational Therapist and formal NDIA approval, regardless of cost. Purchasing AT without following the correct process or for items not specified in your plan is not permitted and may result in a repayment requirement.

If you have Capital Support funding and an approved item is already in progress, such as an AT quotation submitted, contact your AT supplier or OT to confirm the expected timeline. The NDIA recognises that some Capital purchases require time and will consider this during your plan review. Do not purchase alternative items simply to use the funding.

What You Can Legitimately Do Right Now

Assuming your underspend is in Core Supports, here are lawful, practical steps:

• Increase service frequency if your plan allows. For example, if you currently receive two cleaning sessions per fortnight, consider increasing to weekly. Ensure this change is documented in a service agreement with your provider.
• Start a support you have delayed. If your plan funds community participation and you have not used it, now is the time to connect with a support worker and begin attending social activities.
• Purchase consumables you use regularly. Continence products, protective gloves, or other disability-related items can be purchased in reasonable quantities from your Core Supports consumables line. "Reasonable quantities" means a practical amount for ongoing use — not an entire year's supply in one purchase.
• Engage or re-engage your Support Coordinator. If you have Support Coordination in your plan and have not used it fully, book sessions now. A good Support Coordinator can help you plan your transition to the next plan and prepare a strong report for your review.

What You Must Not Do

This section is important. The NDIS Act and NDIS Rules are clear, and the NDIA fraud team closely monitors spending patterns.

• Do not purchase items unrelated to your disability. Every item or service must connect to a support need arising from your disability. Groceries, household appliances, or general fitness memberships are not NDIS supports unless specifically funded and approved in your plan.
• Do not bulk-buy consumables in excess. Purchasing up to six months' worth of continence products is reasonable. Buying three years' worth just before your plan ends is not and will attract scrutiny.
• Do not pay in advance for future services beyond what is permitted. The NDIA's rules on prepayment are strict. Paying a provider for services that have not yet been delivered, simply to claim funds before expiry, is not allowed under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements.
• Do not transfer funds between budget categories. You cannot move Capacity Building money into Core Supports, or Capital Support money into anything else. The categories are legally separate.

Under Section 182 of the NDIS Act, the NDIA has powers to require repayment of funds that were not used in accordance with the participant's plan. Under the broader Commonwealth fraud framework, deliberate misuse of NDIS funds is a criminal offence. These risks are real and enforced.

If You're Significantly Underspent: Talk to Someone Before Your Review

Many participants do not realise that significant underspending can affect the funding level of their next plan. The NDIA considers your actual spending history when determining your next plan budget. If you consistently use only a small portion of your budget, your planner may assess whether you need the full amount at your next plan review.

This does not mean you should spend funds in a rush. Instead, have an honest conversation with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or Support Coordinator before your plan review about the reasons for your underspend. Common legitimate reasons include long waitlists for services, health episodes that interrupted support delivery, or periods of transition such as moving house. Document these reasons. A written explanation from your Support Coordinator or allied health provider can significantly influence your review outcome.

You have the right to request a plan review if your situation has changed. Following the NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024, which came into effect in October 2024, the review process has been updated, but your right to request a review remains. If your needs have increased or you have been unable to access the supports your plan was designed to fund, speak to your LAC or Support Coordinator about requesting a variation. Do not wait for the scheduled end date if your circumstances require earlier action.

The Bottom Line

Your NDIS plan provides funding based on your individual assessed needs. Using it fully on appropriate supports is not "taking advantage of the system." This is how the system is intended to work. The NDIS Act exists to provide Australians with disabilities the reasonable and necessary supports they need to live the life they choose. Claiming funding for legitimate support is your entitlement.

You are not entitled to spend funds on items that do not meet the legal test — and you should not let funds lapse without understanding why, because that history will be considered in your next plan review.

If you are unsure of your position, speak with your Support Coordinator, your plan manager, or your LAC. And if you do not have a Support Coordinator and your plan includes that funding — that is the first call to make.

We're going to be honest with you — because we think you deserve honesty more than you deserve a polished answer that sounds good but tells you nothing.

Finding dedicated, reliable NDIS cleaners and support workers in Perth is genuinely difficult. Keeping them is even harder. And when it doesn't work out — when a worker you've come to rely on leaves, or when illness means someone can't make it to your door — we know that's not just an inconvenience. For many of our participants, that missed visit carries real weight. We don't take that lightly. So here is the honest picture of what we're working with, what we do about it, and what we commit to you when things don't go as planned.

The Reality of Perth's Labour Market

Perth sits at the heart of one of the most resource-intensive economies in the world. The mining and resources sector — BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group, Woodside — dominates the WA labour market in a way that has no equivalent anywhere else in Australia. Entry-level site roles regularly pay $90,000 to $130,000 per year. Fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) positions offer structured rosters, guaranteed hours, and financial packages that a disability support provider simply cannot match.

A support worker at an NDIS provider earns between $25 and $35 per hour under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award 2010 — the industrial instrument that governs pay across our sector. This is not an arbitrary figure. It is the legal minimum set by the Fair Work Commission, and it is what registered NDIS providers work within, because the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits cap what can be charged per hour of support — which directly limits what any provider can pay their workers.

In other cities, this wage gap is a challenge. In Perth, it is acute. We are not competing with other disability providers for good workers. We are competing with the Pilbara.

This Is Not a Local Problem — It's a National Crisis for Cleaners and Support Workers Alike

The NDIS Workforce Plan, published by the Department of Social Services, projected that Australia would need an additional 83,000 NDIS workers by 2030 to meet growing demand. The 2023 Independent Review of the NDIS — the most significant review of the scheme since its creation — identified workforce availability and sustainability as one of the most pressing threats to the scheme's future.

Annual staff turnover in the disability sector averages around 25–30% nationally. In WA, in years of strong mining activity, it runs higher. That is not a reflection of bad providers. It is a structural reality of a sector that is legally constrained in what it can pay, operating in a city where almost every other industry can offer more.

The 2023 Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability also called out workforce conditions, acknowledging that underpaid, undertrained or unsupported workers are a risk to the very participants they are meant to protect. We agree entirely — and it is why we take the selection and support of our team more seriously than almost anything else we do.

What We Look For — and Why It Takes Time

NDIS cleaning roles are some of the most challenging positions to fill and sustain over time. These roles demand more than just technical skills; they require deep reliability, careful attention to detail, and a sincere respect for each participant's home, privacy, and dignity. While interviews and background checks can help, they offer only a partial glimpse of a person's true character. Sometimes, despite all checks and positive first impressions, a worker may still fall short of the high standards we set and that you rightfully expect. This is rarely due to ill intent; more often, it is the result of the unique pressures that come with working independently in someone else's home, where the reality of the job can be quite different from what was imagined. We want to be transparent: when a worker's actions do not align with our values or your needs, we act swiftly and decisively to make things right. Your safety, comfort, and satisfaction will always be our first priority.

We do not hire quickly just to fill a gap. Every worker we bring on must hold a current NDIS Worker Screening Check and a National Police Clearance — legal requirements under the NDIS (Worker Screening) Act 2020. They must complete the NDIS Worker Orientation Module. They go through our own interview and values assessment before they meet a single participant.

This process takes time — typically two to four weeks from application to first shift. We do not cut corners on it. The person coming through your door is someone we have looked at carefully and chosen deliberately. The alternative — rushing someone into a role because we need the number — is not something we are willing to do.

What we look for goes beyond compliance. We look for people who genuinely want to be there. People who understand that this is not just a job. People who will still be with us — and with you — in twelve months' time. That kind of person exists. They are just harder to find in Perth than almost anywhere else in Australia.

When a Worker Can't Make It — What Happens

Illness happens. Life happens. No provider — no matter how careful their hiring process — can guarantee that the same person will be at your door every single time. What we can guarantee is how we handle it when that occurs.

Our commitment is this: we communicate before you're left wondering. If a worker is sick, you will know as early as we do. We will attempt to arrange a known substitute — ideally someone you have already met. If that's not possible, we will tell you clearly and honestly, and we will not charge you for a visit that didn't happen.

We do not send unfamiliar strangers to your home without warning and without introduction. We do not pretend the situation is fine when it isn't. And we do not make you chase us for answers.

Cancellation Fees: Our Flexible Approach

We understand that cancellation fees are often disappointing and inconvenient, especially when unexpected circumstances arise. No one wants to pay for services they couldn't access, and we genuinely empathise with how this can impact your plans and budget.

While NDIS Pricing Arrangements permit providers to charge a cancellation fee if a participant cancels with less than 7 days' notice, our approach is designed to be more considerate and flexible. We only require 2 clear working days' notice, reflecting our commitment to accommodating your needs and minimising additional stress where possible.

If a participant cancels with less than 2 clear working days' notice (excluding weekends and public holidays), we do charge a cancellation fee. This is not a decision we take lightly. Clause 34.8 of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHADS) Award 2010 requires us to pay our staff for their scheduled shifts, even when clients must cancel at short notice. The cancellation fee is set only to cover these unavoidable wage costs and is not intended to generate any profit for our organisation.

Importantly, if a cancellation occurs because of circumstances within our control — such as a worker being unavailable, our inability to fill a shift, or any issue on our end — we take full responsibility and do not charge a cancellation fee. In these cases, we cover the associated costs ourselves. You can rest assured that you will never be charged for cancellations that are not your fault.

We recognise that this policy may be challenging at times. Please know that we apply it only when absolutely necessary, always with fairness and compassion, and in strict compliance with legal requirements. Our intention is always to act with integrity and understanding, supporting you wherever we can.

When We Have to Part Ways With a Worker

This is the part that is hardest to talk about — but the most important.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, a worker does not live up to what we need them to be. They may lose the consistency that participants rely on. They may not share the values that underpin every visit we make. When this happens, we make a decision that protects you — even when it is uncomfortable for us. We part ways.

We know this creates disruption. We know that every transition is a cost — emotionally, practically — for the participant and family involved. We take that seriously. But the alternative — keeping someone on simply to avoid disruption, when their commitment has faded — is a worse outcome. Participants deserve workers who want to be there. Nothing less.

When we make a transition, we do it with as much notice as possible. We explain why, as honestly as we can within what is appropriate. We introduce a replacement before the final visit. And we follow up to make sure the new arrangement is working.

The Legislative Reality in Australia

Under the NDIS Code of Conduct, all support workers and providers — registered or unregistered — are required to promote the safety and wellbeing of participants. However, there are limited legal protections available to participants if a support worker fails to fulfil their obligations. It is important to be transparent about this reality so you can understand why certain disruptions may occur, even with the best intentions on all sides.

In Australia, and particularly in Western Australia, NDIS support workers in the disability services sector are covered under the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry (SCHADS) Award 2010, which sets out the obligations of both employers and employees. The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched an inquiry into compliance with workplace laws in the disability support services sector — a recognition at the national level that problems in this area exist.

Unlike some European systems where employment contracts may impose stricter, enforceable duties on workers, Australian workers in this sector can generally choose not to respond to shift offers, decline work without giving a reason, or underperform in their duties — with formal remedies available mainly through Fair Work authorities. The Fair Work Act 2009 and the SCHADS Award are designed primarily to protect workers, ensuring they are treated fairly and receive appropriate pay and conditions. The options available to employers or participants when a worker does not comply with their obligations remain limited.

We say this not to excuse any failure on our part, and not to blame the workers who do leave — many of whom are good people facing real pressures. We say it because you deserve to understand the environment we operate in. Every disruption to your supports has happened without our preference and against our intentions. When it occurs, it is because we have exhausted every other option — and we will always tell you so directly.

What We Are Doing to Retain the Good Ones

Retention is not just about money — though money matters. We work to offer our cleaners and support workers:

• Consistent, reliable rosters that respect their time and commitments
• Clear communication from the office — the same standards we hold ourselves to with participants
• Recognition when they do good work, not just correction when something goes wrong
• The knowledge that they are valued — not interchangeable units filling a slot on a schedule
• A workplace where raising a concern is welcomed, not penalised

We also pay fairly within what the SCHADS Award and NDIS pricing allow. We do not offer the Pilbara. But we offer something the Pilbara cannot — the knowledge that the work genuinely matters to someone, every single day.

Why We're Telling You This

We're telling you this because we think the disability sector is too often sanitised in public. Providers talk about their beautiful values and their passionate teams — and many of them mean it — but few talk openly about the structural challenges that affect every participant's experience sooner or later.

You deserve to know what the landscape looks like. You deserve to know that when something goes wrong, it isn't always because your provider doesn't care — sometimes it's because the system they operate in makes the right outcome genuinely hard to achieve. And you deserve to know what a provider who takes these challenges seriously looks like in practice.

We don't have it perfectly figured out. Nobody does. But we are honest about the difficulty, clear about our standards, and committed to improving. That's the best we can offer — and we think it's worth more than a perfect story that isn't true.

Changing NDIS providers can feel like a bigger deal than it needs to be. There's paperwork. There are people involved. There's the quiet worry that something will fall through the cracks — or that you'll end up worse off than before. We hear this all the time from new participants who come to us after difficult experiences elsewhere. And almost every single one of them says the same thing afterwards: "I wish I'd done it sooner."

Here's what the NDIS doesn't always make clear — but what you genuinely deserve to know before you start.

You Have the Right to Change Providers — Full Stop

Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Cth), you have an absolute right to choose and change your providers at any time. This is not a courtesy — it is law. No provider can prevent you from leaving, and no provider can penalise you for choosing someone else.

A service agreement may include a reasonable notice period — typically two to four weeks — and that is standard practice. But it cannot lock you in indefinitely, and it cannot prevent you from ending the agreement immediately if a provider is causing you harm or distress. If you are ever in that situation, contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544. They exist specifically to protect you.

Your NDIS funding stays in your plan when you leave a provider. It does not disappear. It does not reset. You simply end one service agreement and sign a new one. The money follows you.

The Service Agreement — What It Must Contain

Before a registered NDIS provider delivers a single hour of support, they are required to offer you a service agreement. Under the NDIS Practice Standards (2018), this document must include:

• A clear description of the supports to be provided and when
• The exact cost per unit of support (at or below the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits)
• How and when you will be invoiced
• Your rights as a participant — including the right to raise concerns and make complaints
• The cancellation policy, including any fees that may apply
• How the agreement can be ended by either party

Under the NDIS Code of Conduct, the agreement must be written in plain language. If it is not — if it is full of legal jargon that a reasonable person cannot understand — that is a red flag worth noting.

Take your time with it. Ask questions. A good provider will welcome the conversation.

No Provider Can Charge More Than the NDIS Price Guide

This surprises many people. The NDIS publishes annual Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits — a document that sets the maximum hourly rate any registered provider can charge for each support type. In 2025, for example, the rate for standard weekday support work is set at a specific amount per hour. No provider can charge more than this cap without prior written agreement for specialised services that fall outside standard categories.

What providers can vary is their approach, their quality, their reliability, and their values. Price alone will not tell you which provider is right for you. But if you are ever quoted a rate higher than the published NDIS price limits for a standard support — ask for an explanation in writing.

What the First Few Weeks Should Look Like

Starting with a new provider is not just about paperwork. It is about building trust — and a good provider knows that takes time. Here is what a well-run onboarding process looks like in practice:

• An initial conversation — not a tick-box form, but a real discussion about your goals, preferences, routines and what matters most to you
• Worker matching — being introduced to a specific support worker, with time to ask questions and raise any concerns before visits begin
• A written support plan — documenting exactly what will happen at each visit, including any specific needs, health considerations or communication preferences
• A clear point of contact — one person at the office you can call or message if something isn't right
• Progress notes after every visit — a legal requirement under the NDIS Practice Standards, and a sign that your provider takes accountability seriously

If a provider skips any of these steps in the first few weeks, it is worth asking why. These are not extras. They are the standard.

Your Rights Under the NDIS Code of Conduct

Every registered NDIS provider and their workers are legally bound by the NDIS Code of Conduct, administered by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The Code requires all providers to:

• Act with respect for individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making
• Respect the privacy of people with disability
• Provide supports and services in a safe and competent manner, with care and skill
• Act with integrity, honesty and transparency
• Promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about matters that might affect the quality and safety of supports
• Take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse

These are not suggestions. Breaches of the Code can result in formal investigations, banning orders, and loss of registration. You have every right to expect this standard from day one — and to report to the Commission if it is not met.

What to Watch For in the Early Weeks

Most providers are doing their best. But here are the early signs that something may not be right:

• Different workers showing up each visit without explanation
• No progress notes being written — or none shared with you
• Invoices that don't match the agreed service hours
• Difficulty getting a response when you call or message
• A worker who seems unfamiliar with your specific needs or support plan
• Any pressure to sign paperwork you haven't read or don't understand

One mistake, communicated honestly, is human. A pattern of these issues is a signal worth acting on. You do not have to wait for things to get worse before you raise a concern — or before you choose to move on.

A Word on Giving It Time

Here is the honest truth we share with every participant who starts with us: the first few weeks can feel a little unsettled, even when everything is going right. New routines take time to form. New relationships take time to build. If your previous provider was with you for a long time, the change will feel significant — even if the new provider is better in every measurable way.

Give it a genuine chance. Be open with your new team about what worked before and what didn't. The more we know, the better we can serve you. And if something isn't sitting right — tell us. We would far rather hear a concern early than have it grow into something bigger.

If you've ever found yourself using the words "support worker" and "carer" interchangeably, you're not alone. Most families do. And for a long time, the distinction didn't matter much — because most care happened informally, at home, without any official structure around it. But once the NDIS enters the picture, understanding the difference becomes genuinely important. It affects your funding, your plan, and the relationships around you.

Here's what you actually need to know — without the jargon.

What Is a Carer?

A carer is typically a family member or close friend who provides unpaid, informal support to someone with a disability, illness, or age-related condition. They might help with meals, transport, personal care, medication prompting, emotional support — or all of the above. They do it out of love, commitment, or both.

The NDIS recognises carers. In fact, one of its core principles is to build on and protect informal support networks — not replace them. But carers generally cannot be paid through a participant's NDIS plan for the support they provide to their loved one. That's not a criticism of what carers do. It's a boundary the NDIS has placed to ensure paid supports are delivered by trained, screened, accountable professionals.

Carers also have their own needs. Carer Gateway is a separate federal program designed specifically to support them — with counselling, respite, peer support and more. If you're a carer reading this, it's worth knowing that help exists for you too.

What Is a Support Worker?

A support worker is a paid professional who delivers specific, planned supports as outlined in a participant's NDIS plan. They might assist with daily living, personal care, community access, transport, household tasks, or skill-building — depending on what's been funded.

Good support workers hold an NDIS Worker Screening Check and a current Police Clearance. They complete progress notes after every shift, work to a service agreement, and are employed — or contracted — through a registered provider who is accountable for their conduct and training.

At OCD Brilliance, every support worker we engage goes through our screening process before they meet a single participant. We don't cut corners on this, because the person walking through your door deserves to be someone you can trust.

Why the Difference Matters for Your NDIS Plan

Your NDIS plan is built around what's called your "reasonable and necessary" supports — the things that your disability makes genuinely difficult, and which aren't already being provided by family, the community, or other government systems.

This is where the carer distinction becomes important. If a family member is already providing support, the NDIS will consider that when building your plan. The goal isn't to fund what's already happening — it's to fill the gaps, build independence, and reduce the burden on informal carers where possible.

Understanding this helps you advocate clearly at your plan meeting. You're not asking for support workers to replace your family. You're asking for professionals to fill the spaces your family can't — or shouldn't have to — fill alone.

Can a Family Member Be a Paid Support Worker?

This is one of the most common questions we hear — and the answer is: rarely, and only under specific circumstances.

The NDIS generally does not fund family members living in the same household as paid support workers for that participant. There are exceptional circumstances where this can be approved — usually where a participant has very high or complex needs, lives in a remote area, or where no suitable providers are available. But these are exceptions, not the rule, and they require explicit approval in the participant's plan.

If this is something relevant to your situation, it's worth raising directly with your LAC or Support Coordinator before assuming it's possible.

The Relationship Side — It's More Than a Job Title

Here's something we don't talk about enough: the emotional reality of these relationships.

A good support worker becomes a familiar, trusted presence in someone's life. They're not family — but they're not strangers either. Over time, they learn routines, preferences, quirks. They know that you like your coffee a certain way, that Tuesdays are hard, that you'd rather watch the footy than talk sometimes. That kind of consistency matters deeply.

This is why we take matching seriously at OCD Brilliance. We don't rotate workers arbitrarily. We match on personality, communication style, interests and needs — and we keep that worker with you. When something changes beyond our control, we always communicate before we act.

What to Look For in a Good Support Worker

Whether you're choosing a provider or asking questions about who's coming to your home, here's what matters:

• Current NDIS Worker Screening Check and Police Clearance
• Consistent scheduling — the same person, regularly
• Progress notes completed after every visit
• A provider who communicates proactively if anything changes
• Someone who listens first, then acts
• A person who treats your home with genuine respect

These aren't luxury expectations. They're the baseline every participant deserves.