Commencement
All 17 commencement entries, read from section 2
The Act commenced in stages. The dates below are the details in column 3 of the commencement table in section 2. Column 3 is not part of the Act (subsection 2(2)), and where a provision depends on Proclamation the page says so.
| Date | Provisions | What starts |
|---|---|---|
| Sections 1 to 4 and anything not covered elsewhere | Royal Assent, the short title, the review power and the schedules | |
| Schedule 1, Parts 1 to 3 | Functional capacity, reassessment limits and the direct impairment link | |
| Schedule 1, Part 4 | Ministerial power to reduce funding for a group of supports | |
| Schedule 1, Parts 5 and 6 | Key date: automatic plan renewal and the new reasonable and necessary test | |
| Schedule 1, Part 7 | Suspension of a plan when a participant cannot be contacted | |
| Schedule 1, Parts 8 and 9 | Permanence requires appropriate treatment, and compensation impairments are excluded | |
| Schedule 2, Parts 1 to 4 | The provider definition, civil penalties, information powers and record retention | |
| Schedule 2, Part 5 | Claim window falls from two years to 90 days | |
| Schedule 2, Part 6 | Plan management deed, conflict rule and public register (Proclamation) | |
| Schedule 2, Part 7 | Immunity from producing Agency material | |
| Schedule 2, Part 8 | Inducements prohibited | |
| Schedule 2, Part 9 | Fraud offences and serious contravention penalties | |
| Schedule 3, Parts 1 to 3 | Pricing decisions, automated administrative action and access decision timing | |
| Schedule 3, Part 4 | Whistleblower protections widen | |
| Schedule 3, Part 5 | Debt notice before recovery | |
| Schedule 4 | New framework planning and needs assessment | |
| Schedule 5 | Transitional rules may be made |
The table order is the Act's order. Column 3 is not part of the Act; the dates are the details it records.
What 1 February 2027 changes
Schedule 1 Parts 5 and 6 commence. Part 5 renews an old framework plan automatically on its end date, with one off funding removed and no new statement of participant supports. Part 6 adds the other scheme exclusion, tests value for money against comparable lower cost supports, and fixes the order in which evidence of effectiveness is weighed.
What is already live
Many provisions in Schedules 1 to 4 commenced on 27 August 2026, seven days after Assent, including the definition of functional capacity, the reassessment conditions, the definition of NDIS provider, the civil penalties, the record retention duty, the insurer notification duties, the pricing power and the automation of administrative action. A register that treats the whole Act as future law is wrong today.
What has no certain date
Schedule 2 Part 6, on registered plan management providers, commences on a day fixed by Proclamation. If no day is fixed within 24 months of Assent, it commences on the first day of the next calendar month after that period, which the table states as 1 September 2028. Treat that as a fallback and watch for the Proclamation.