White Paper: A Model Built to Fail - the Disability Support Worker Cost Model
- Feb 20
- 1 min read
Drawing on Ability Roundtable’s national benchmarking data, the paper shows that many established, registered providers are operating at or near financial unsustainability, placing workforce stability, service quality, and participant outcomes at risk.
A Model Built to Fail presents evidence that the current Disability Support Worker (DSW) cost model underpinning NDIS pricing is structurally flawed and no longer reflects the real cost of delivering safe, high‑quality supports.
The paper demonstrates that gaps between NDIS price limits and actual operating costs are driven by unrealistic assumptions in the DSW cost model, including wages, supervision, utilisation, overheads, and the cost of quality and safety. These pressures disproportionately affect providers supporting people with complex needs and undermine the viability of the “provider of last resort”, increasing the risk of market failure in thin or high‑needs markets.
A Model Built to Fail concludes with clear, evidence‑based recommendations for reform, including a bottom‑up cost model that better reflects workforce conditions and the true cost of quality service delivery. The paper calls for pricing settings that support a sustainable, skilled workforce and a stable provider market, ensuring continuity of supports and long‑term confidence in the NDIS.
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