National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Amendment (Consequential Amendments) Guidelines 2025

National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Amendment (Consequential Amendments) Guidelines 2025

I, Louise Glanville, Commissioner of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, make the following guidelines.

Dated   13 November 2025   

Louise Glanville

Commissioner of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

Contents

1  Name

2  Commencement

3  Authority

4  Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Guidelines 2018

1  Name

  This instrument is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Amendment (Consequential Amendments) Guidelines 2025.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.

3  Authority

  This instrument is made under subsection 181D(2) the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013.

4  Schedules

  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors Scheme) Guidelines 2018

1  Introduction (paragraph beginning “This instrument is made by”)

Omit “The Commissioner is assisted by the staff of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (the Commission) to perform a range of functions under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (Act).  These include functions related to approved quality auditors and the assessments they conduct under the Act.”, substitute:

“Together with the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors) Rules 2025 (AQA Rules), this instrument establishes the Approved Quality Auditor Scheme.

The Approved Quality Auditor Scheme provides the framework for quality audits under the NDIS and sets out requirements on approved quality auditors when undertaking quality audits of prospective and current registered NDIS providers.”

2  Introduction (paragraph beginning “This instrument is underpinned by”)

Omit “Social Services”, substitute “Health, Disability and Ageing”.

3  Overview of the core accreditation processes for the Approved Quality Auditors Scheme (paragraph beginning “This instrument supports the delivery”)

Omit “subsection 6(4)”, substitute “subsection 6(1)”.

4  Overview of the core accreditation processes for the Approved Quality Auditors Scheme (paragraph beginning “The Commissioner approves a person”)

After the sentence that ends “under section 73U of the Act.”, insert:

 “The AQA Rules set out the matters to which the Commissioner must or may have regard to, in deciding whether to give, or refuse to give, an approval to a quality auditor, whether or not to make an approval that is subject to conditions, and, whether or not to revoke an approval. The AQA Rules also set out conditions that apply to the approval of all approved quality auditors, which continue to apply until an approval is varied or revoked.”

5  Section 4

Insert:

 AQA Rules means the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Approved Quality Auditors) Rules 2025.

JAS-ANZ accreditation has the meaning given by section 6.

6  Section 4 (definition of Auditor)

Repeal the definition, substitute:

 Auditor means a person employed, contracted or otherwise engaged by the approved quality auditor to conduct an audit. An auditor includes an auditor-in-training and an audit team leader.

7  Section 4 (definition of Certification Body or CB)

Repeal the definition, substitute:

Certification Body means a body that has received JAS-ANZ accreditation towards becoming an approved quality auditor.

8  Section 4 (definition of JAS-ANZ)

Repeal the definition, substitute:

JAS-ANZ means the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand being the body responsible for the accreditation of Certification Bodies.

9  Section 4 (definition of Residential aged care service)

Repeal the definition.

10  Section 5A (note 3 under definition of Modified NDIS RAC audit)

Omit “Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018”, substitute “Aged Care Act 2024”.

11  Section 5A (definition of Residential aged care provider (or RAC provider))

 Repeal the definition, substitute:

Residential aged care provider (or RAC provider) means a registered provider, as defined in the Aged Care Act 2024, of residential aged care to one or more participant(s).

12  Section 5A (definition of Residential aged care service or Residential aged care)

 Repeal the definition, substitute:

Residential aged care has the same meaning as funded aged care service, as defined in the Aged Care Act 2024, delivered in the residential care service group, other than through a specialist aged care program.

13  Paragraph 5B(1)(b)

 Repeal the paragraph, substitute:

(b) a person or entity:

(i) that is a registered provider (within the meaning of the Aged Care Act 2024); and

(ii) is providing residential aged care on a permanent basis to a participant; and

(iii) the participant is approved as a recipient of residential aged care under Part 2 of Chapter 2 of the Aged Care Act 2024; and

(iv) is a NDIS provider providing assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement under participants’ plans.

14  Subsection 5C(1)

 Repeal the subsection, substitute:

1.     The Commissioner has determined that the aged care audit process against the Aged Care Standards undertaken under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 (as in force immediately before the commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024) is a comparable quality audit process for the purpose of subsection 5(3) of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018.

15  Subsection 5C(4) (note 2)

Omit “an approved provider under the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018”, substitute “a registered provider under the Aged Care Act 2024”.

16  Section 6

  Repeal the section, substitute:

6 JAS-ANZ accreditation

1.     Accreditation by JAS-ANZ means accreditation by JAS-ANZ by reference to:

1.     the JAS-ANZ Accreditation Manual;
2.     ISO/IEC 17065:2012 – Conformity assessment –- Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services – available from your national standards writing body;
3.     this instrument; and
4.     JAS-ANZ Policy 03/11 – Transfer of Accredited Management Systems Certification.

17  Subsection 7(3) (note)

Repeal the note, substitute:

Note: The Commission’s document entitled ‘NDIS Practice Standards Qualification and Professional Associations Required Documentation Guide’ is available at https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/document/1051