A failure to co-design IT systems and online portals with disabled people, advocacy organisations and service providers at the inception of the NDIS has resulted in significant administrative burden and additional costs within the scheme.

There are also significant issues with the MyPlace portal used by participants and service providers that continue to result in negative outcomes for disabled people in accessing the services and supports that they need to live a good life.

A report released by the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS in December, 2018 found that at that time the task of enrolling an estimated 460,000 individuals to the NDIS was being significantly hampered by ICT systems – the online portals used by individuals and service providers, as well as the internal systems used by NDIS staff – that were not fit-for-purpose.

Despite a website redesign, upgrades to the software behind the MyPlace portal and the addition of new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to augment the existing legacy IT systems used by the NDIS, the Tune Review found that NDIS systems were “complex and hard to navigate” due to the limited ICT systems and under-developed work management tools.

It’s clear that we need a reset. The online portals and other front-facing IT systems that are supposed to make the experience of engaging with the NDIS easy and enjoyable for disabled people are only making things worse because they are not fit-for-purpose.

Our NDIS needs an IT system that is specifically designed with the participant experience in mind to ensure that disabled people can easily access the services and supports they need to live a good life.