Part of our ongoing series on the NDIS reforms · May 2026
The new NDIS Bill, introduced to Parliament last week, does something the sector has been waiting on for years.
It sets out, in plain language, exactly what evidence planners must weigh when they assess a request, and the order they have to weigh it in.
For the first time, we have a defined hierarchy. It looks like this;
The four tiers
The Bill organises evidence into four tiers, from most to least persuasive:
Tier 1: Peer-reviewed research and clinical guidelines. Systematic reviews. Peer-reviewed trials on the support modality in question. The strongest evidence available.
Tier 2: Participant voice and lived experience. First-person accounts. Family and nominee statements. Reports from the person being supported.
Tier 3: Outcomes from prior plans. Documented progress against goals. Outcome data. Before-and-after measures from previously funded supports.
Tier 4: Other evidence. Practitioner letters. Anecdotal case data. Professional opinion — used where higher-tier evidence is unavailable.
Where this lands for providers
Tier 3 is the one to watch.
It’s the tier where providers have to come through with the goods – clear, documented outcomes tied to the goals in a plan, captured consistently over the life of a support period.
If a provider can’t produce that, the evidence stack falls over. The voice of the person being supported (Tier 2) and the practitioner letter (Tier 4) won’t carry the weight on their own.
This is why we’ve spent years at CSBS building the data ecosystem that makes Tier 3 evidence possible. It’s also why our companion campaign #IAmMoreThanICannotDo matters more than ever: capturing the evidence is one thing, doing it ethically and with dignity is another.
The line to remember
If there’s one thing to take from the new Bill, it’s this: Evidence has to be tied to a goal. The goal has to be tied to a plan.
No loose pages. No stand-alone reports. A clear thread, all the way through. We call this the Golden Thread of advocacy and it’s been a CSBS mainstay for years now.
You can learn more about the Golden Thread by downloading our Brochure – below;
Have questions?
Reach out, we’re always happy to help – Contact Us