NDIS updates
When the NDIS Says No to Increased Support Ratios: Evidence for an ART Review
Requests for 2:1 or higher support ratios fail when the evidence describes the behaviour but not the functional and safety reasons behind the ratio.
Key points
- Requests for 2:1 or higher support ratios fail when the evidence describes the behaviour but not the functional and safety reasons behind the ratio.
Ratio requests are among the hardest to win
Moving from 1:1 to 2:1 supports, or securing higher ratios in the community, effectively doubles the cost of a support — so the NDIA scrutinises these requests heavily. Rejection letters typically argue that the need for two workers has not been demonstrated, or that the risks described could be managed another way.
The problem is often not the need itself. It is that the evidence describes incidents and behaviours without explaining, in functional terms, why one worker cannot safely manage the task.
What the evidence needs to show
Tribunal-ready evidence for a higher ratio connects the ratio to specific tasks and measurable risk: transfers that require two people for safe handling, community access where one worker cannot manage both the person's needs and the environment, personal care tasks that are unsafe or undignified with a single worker, or behaviours of concern with documented frequency, intensity and the strategies already tried.
General statements about 'high needs' do not persuade. Task-by-task analysis does.
The assessment process
For these matters I review the decision and existing behaviour support and allied health evidence, then observe the actual tasks in dispute — at home, in the community or both. The resulting report sets out, task by task, what one worker can and cannot safely do, what alternatives have been tried, and why the requested ratio is the appropriate response.
Observations happen in person across the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Logan, Scenic Rim and Northern Rivers, during regional visits to Adelaide, the Riverland and Mackay, with document review and interviews available by Telehealth across Australia.
References and further reading
Information checked against the official sources above on 26 June 2026.
This article provides general information only. NDIS rules and individual circumstances can change; check current official guidance or seek advice about your situation.
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