On 22 December 2025, the House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability released a final report following its Inquiry into the Australian Government’s Thriving Kids initiative.
Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA) welcomes the release of this report, as well as the opportunity to provide an update on what it means for our community.
CYDA’s submission to the Inquiry, endorsed by 15 leading disability and peak organisations, was based on findings from our September 2025 survey of more than 1200 families and disabled young people.
It formed the single largest lived experience evidence base on Thriving Kids in Australia, outlining widespread concerns about children falling through the cracks, losing trusted supports, and being pushed into systems that are not ready.
What did the Inquiry recommend?
The Parliamentary Inquiry’s report reflects many of the issues raised by our community about Thriving Kids, with CYDA meaningfully cited several times.
In particular, its recommendations recognise the importance of inclusive co-design, a phased rollout, regular reviews, and tailored approaches for intersectional groups such as First Nations and regional or remote communities.
These are important foundations.
They acknowledge that families are navigating a complex, fragile and uncertain support landscape, and that changes to early childhood supports must be made carefully – across jurisdictions – to avoid unintended harm.
Where did it fall short?
However, significant gaps remain.
Chiefly, the Inquiry report is vague about several key details, including when Thriving Kids will commence, what supports it will fund, whether they will be disability and neuro-affirming, and how co-design will work in practice.
Nor does it address one of CYDA’s top recommendations: that NDIS eligibility reassessments be paused and a guarantee made that no child be removed from the Scheme until alternative supports are running effectively.
Other recommendations made by the Inquiry overlook concerns explicitly raised by many in the community.
While intended to streamline access, the proposed use of a single portal of entry and block funding models could see families directed to services that are not a good fit, lose access to providers they trust, or have little say in how supports are delivered.
Limited information about oversight and accountability mechanisms means it is also not yet clear if and how families can raise concerns, seek independent review, or challenge decisions.
What needs to happen next?
CYDA’s Masking Is Not Thriving survey report sets out what children, young people, parents, and caregivers have said Thriving Kids must include to be effective and rights-based.
The Inquiry’s response is a good start, but it is now up to the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to engage deeply with the evidence and work closely with the disability community as we move towards implementation.
Through 2026 and beyond, CYDA will continue to advocate across jurisdictions to make sure Thriving Kids is genuinely informed by the community, disability and neuro-affirming, and complements existing supports.
We will keep you updated as this important work progresses.