Since day one of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), music therapy has been a funded therapeutic support. 

Recently, the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) discovered that the NDIS will remove music therapy from the Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living category. 

No-one in the music therapy community was consulted about this decision.  

Neither the NDIA nor the Department of Social Services has provided a reason for the decision other than a review was carried out that revised what was a valid form of therapy - and according to this review, music therapy is excluded from the inclusion criteria. 

Please see the statement from the Australian Music Therapy Association’s (AMTA) website.

"AMTA and its members hold grave concerns for NDIS participants who receive music therapy under this category. We fear that the benefits they experience, and the goals they are working to achieve, will be jeopardised. We are also deeply concerned that participants’ and registered providers’ trust in the NDIS will be undermined. 

We make this statement on their behalf and on behalf of the 950 registered music therapists in Australia, many of whom are also NDIS registered providers."

For current information and to support the AMTA’s campaign please click here.