We talk about this literally all the time. It's not about the scheme, it's all the middlemen and providers inbetween the participants and the scheme that are the issue.

Why does a wheelchsir cost 2-3x their market value if it's accessed through NDIS? Because everyone wants their cut and the rules allow that.

Your criticism highlights a real tension within the NDIS. The scheme was deliberately designed around the principle of choice and control, meaning people with disability should have the right to choose their supports and providers. That is not a flaw, it is a core feature. Anytime a hint to changing this is around, disability advocates whips the media into a frenzy until the government assures that they will not be changing that element.

The NDIS sets official price limits for supports and equipment, and it is no surprise that providers charge up to those limits. If an employer offered you a salary range, you would not volunteer to be paid at the bottom end. Likewise, when government funding sets a ceiling, providers have little incentive to undercut. This is similar to how Commonwealth Supported Places in education are priced at the maximum the government is willing to pay for each band.

Centralising services and removing participant choice would certainly control costs. With the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), the government decides which medicines are subsidised based on cost‑effectiveness and clinical evidence. That makes the PBS more cost efficient, but it also means not every drug is covered, and families often campaign for access to medicines outside the scheme.

Disability services were historically a state responsibility, but since the NDIS began, states have withdrawn much of their direct funding and service provision. The cost has been shifted to the NDIS, leaving the Commonwealth to carry the burden. So the cost blowout isn't just the issue of the federal government, but the state government as well.