Clubmates Travel
NDIS Changes 2026: Nothing Changes When You're Doing It Right
Posted on April 24, 2026 by Matilda Negri
Reading time about 7 minutes
Following yesterday’s NDIS announcement by Minister Mark Butler, many participants, families, support coordinators, and plan managers may be asking the same question:
Can people still travel with support, and can they still use ClubMates Travel?
Our answer is yes.
We welcome stronger oversight across the sector. We support clearer rules, better accountability, and higher expectations around how disability supports are delivered and invoiced. In our view, that is a positive step. These are not new ideas for us.
The direction being reinforced by government is the way ClubMates Travel has already operated for years.
This article breaks down the key areas people may be concerned about and explains how ClubMates Travel already aligns with them.
1. Change: Greater scrutiny around providers
The government wants tighter oversight of providers, especially where supports involve vulnerable people and more complex service delivery. The focus is moving further toward accountability, quality systems, safety, and provider transparency.
Our response
ClubMates Travel is already a registered NDIS provider. We are not scrambling to adjust to a new environment. We have been working within a regulated framework for years involving
- quality and safeguarding systems
- documented processes
- regular audits
- clear accountability
- trained support staff
- proper service standards
It means you are dealing with a provider that already understands compliance and has the systems to back it up.
2. Change: More focus on whether support is genuinely related to disability needs
The NDIS is making it clear that support funding must be tied to real disability-related needs, not vague lifestyle language or loosely justified services. The emphasis is on functional outcomes, active support, and a stronger connection between the service delivered and the participant’s goals.
Our response
This has always been central to how we operate.
ClubMates Travel has never positioned support as simply taking someone away for a respite to give carers a break. Our focus has always been on what the participant is working toward while away from home and in the community.
That includes outcomes such as:
- building confidence in unfamiliar environments
- improving independence in daily routines
- developing social and communication skills
- increasing community participation
- reducing isolation
- supporting emotional regulation and resilience
We already map supports to goals. We already understand how to explain the value of travel-based support properly. We already know that the support itself must stand on its own as a NDIS support.
3. Change: Tighter expectations around social and community participation funding
There is clearly more attention now being placed on social and community participation spending, including how it is justified and how it is delivered. This is one of the areas likely to be examined more closely across the broader sector, but this will take time to be defined properly.
Our response
This is not a threat to our model. In many ways, it strengthens it.
Why? Because our service has always been built around genuine support in real-world community settings. We do not treat travel as separate from disability support. We deliver disability support in environments that require planning, adaptation, confidence-building, and active assistance.
That is exactly why many participants benefit so strongly from what we do. They are not just seeing a new place. They are:
- learning to manage change
- participating in the community
- making decisions
- building trust in themselves
- connecting with others
- practising skills outside the home
We believe high-quality social and community participation supports matter deeply, and we are pleased to see the government placing greater focus on doing them properly.
4. Change: Clearer invoicing and less tolerance for vague or bundled charges
Vague or bundled charges
Another strong theme is transparency. The sector is moving toward greater visibility around pricing, line items, and what exactly is being claimed. Poorly itemised invoices and blurred lines between service types are under more pressure.
Our response
This is an area where ClubMates Travel has already been very clear.
- We have long used an invoicing model that separates: travel expenses paid out of pocket
- NDIS support costs claimed appropriately
- line items connected to actual support delivery
Unregistered providers are getting caught out with this because their billing is blurry. We even have an NDIS cost calculator to show what support hours can be claimed from our tours, and the travel costs that are payable privately.
Once these changes come into effect and any changes to hourly charge rates occur for higher ris supports, we are ready. Our systems are already designed to adapt while maintaining the same standard of clarity and compliance.
5. Change: More attention on worker quality and support delivery
The announcement also reinforces that disability support cannot be treated casually. There is increasing emphasis on whether workers are properly trained, whether billed support hours are justified, and whether support staff are genuinely delivering active support rather than simply accompanying someone.
Our response
This is one of the biggest reasons we feel confident.
ClubMates Travel uses specialist travel support crew, not generic staffing models. Supporting someone while travelling is not the same as supporting them at home. It requires different awareness, different stamina, different judgement, and the ability to respond in changing environments.
Our crew are trained to support people with needs relating to:
- personal care
- medication assistance
- communication
- behaviour support
- mobility
- emotional regulation
- unexpected situations on the road
We are very pleased to see the importance of trained support workers being reinforced. This has always been part of our model and one of the key reasons people trust us.
6. Change: More pressure on providers who operate loosely
A major part of the announcement is the crackdown on providers who have not been operating with the right structure, standards, or transparency. The sector is moving away from vague, poorly controlled delivery and toward stronger professional expectations.
Our response
We think that is a good thing.
Participants deserve better. Families deserve confidence. Support coordinators and plan managers deserve to work with providers who make their jobs easier, not harder.
The reality is that some providers have created confusion by failing to invoice correctly, failing to separate support from travel expenses, or failing to show how their services align with the NDIS. That has made people understandably cautious.
ClubMates Travel is not in that category.
We have already built our service around the standards that are now being pushed more strongly across the sector. So, while others may need to change how they operate, we are continuing to do what we have already been doing.
For Participants, Support Coordinators and Plan Managers
If you are a participant or family member, this should give you confidence that supported travel is still possible when it is delivered properly.
If you are a support coordinator, this should reassure you that we understand the importance of structure, documentation, and goal alignment.
If you are a plan manager, this should reassure you that our invoicing model is already designed with clarity and accountability in mind.
Most importantly, it means that if you book with ClubMates Travel, very little changes from your point of view – because we have already been operating this way.
Yesterday’s announcement may have caused uncertainty across the disability community. That is understandable. But from our perspective, the direction is clear, and it is positive.
Watch the Full NDIS Announcement (22 April 2026)
Need Help Understanding Your Options?
If you are unsure how these changes affect you, we are here to help you understand:
- What supports may still be claimable
- How to structure your trip correctly
- How to align travel with your NDIS goals
Call 1300 158 003 or get in touch with our team to talk it through.
About the Author: Peter Negri
Peter Negri is the Director of ClubMates Travel, where he has grown the business from OzMates into one of Australia’s leading providers of supported travel for people with disabilities.
An outdoorsman at heart, Peter loves being on the road – driving coaches and leading 4WD adventures across Australia. He brings a hands-on, practical approach to travel, along with a strong understanding of the NDIS and how to deliver supports that build confidence, independence, and real social connection.
