Choice and control
A narrow panel will limit participants’ choice and control to choose a plan manager who understands their circumstances, goals and support network.
Independent in nature.
Stronger together.
IPMA is bringing independent NDIS plan managers together to protect participant choice and help shape a fair commissioned future.
Our mission
Protecting choice through a stronger collective voice
Participant choice Keep trusted relationships intact.
Accountable scale Meet commissioning requirements together.
The Independent Plan Manager Alliance is a newly formed group of independent and community-based providers supporting participants across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia.
We have come together in response to proposed NDIS reforms that would move plan management to a limited commissioned panel from October 2027. Our goal is to offer government the scale, consistency and accountability it is seeking without losing the diversity, local knowledge and genuine choice participants value.
A practical, lower-risk path to a smaller, more accountable panel.
One coordinated alliance. Independent expertise retained. National coverage from day one.
24,000+
Participants supported
10
Founding organisations
8
States and territories
1
Coordinated alliance
Why now
Participant choice is at risk in a narrow panel model
Participants, families and advocates have raised consistent concerns about how commissioning could change plan management. Reform should safeguard diversity, innovation and competition — not simply favour scale for its own sake.
Thin markets
Regional, rural and remote communities could be left with few alternatives if a panel provider underperforms, withdraws or cannot meet local needs.
Deep understanding of needs
Consolidation risks replacing specialist knowledge and community-based relationships, particularly for First Nations and CALD communities.
Conflicts of interest
Vertically integrated providers may have incentives to direct participants toward affiliated services, weakening the independence of plan management.
Transition disruption
Payment delays and administrative friction during transition could interrupt supports when participants and providers can least afford disruption.
Our Mission
To preserve genuine choice and control for NDIS participants by giving independent, community-based plan managers a credible place within the future commissioned model.
Our Model
An alliance, capable of contracting with government at scale, with independent member organisations continuing to deliver the specialised and personal services their communities value.
What IPMA offers
National capability, without losing independent care
Our cooperative model directly addresses the objectives of a safer, more consistent and more accountable sector while retaining the specialised services participants rely on.
Diverse service models
Members retain distinct sizes, specialisations and ways of working, giving participants meaningful choice inside one accountable structure.
Technical Capability
The alliance combines proven technology with the capability to develop proprietary solutions, enabling consistent claims processing, transparent budget tracking, stronger oversight and more effective fraud prevention.
Specialised capability
Members bring trusted relationships across First Nations, CALD, Deaf, MND and Autism communities, including regional and remote experience.
National coverage
The collective already operates across every state and territory without asking thinner markets to rely on one distant provider.
Shared innovation
Independent organisations can trial and share improvements in engagement, compliance, reporting and fraud detection across the alliance.
Strong governance
Independently chaired, with a member-governed structure focused on participants, accountability and the long-term sustainability of the Scheme.