NDIS Workers Endure Violence and Threats as Safety Overhaul Faces Three-Year Delay
Frontline staff at the National Disability Insurance Agency are facing alarming levels of violence, harassment and security threats while critical safety reforms recommended in an urgent government review won't be fully implemented until 2027. Despite hundreds of security incidents being reported across NDIS service centres, the agency's timeline for introducing basic protective measures has been described as "outrageous" by union representatives.
"The List Goes On and On": Disturbing Pattern of Incidents
Lawrence (a pseudonym to protect his identity), a long-serving NDIA employee, has experienced multiple near-miss violent encounters during his work. He narrowly avoided being assaulted at a hospital, witnessed a participant throw a table through a glass window at a service centre, and saw another attempt to smash glass and run over staff using a power wheelchair. His experiences include being filmed and livestreamed without consent while working, receiving death threats, handling calls from distressed participants threatening suicide, and working through service centre lockdowns and evacuations.
These incidents reflect a broader pattern identified in the government-commissioned safety review conducted by Graham Ashton in 2023. The review was initiated following the stabbing of a Services Australia staff member at a shared service centre housing both Services Australia and NDIS offices.
Urgent Recommendations Face Implementation Delays
The Ashton review made 36 urgent recommendations to improve safety and security for frontline NDIA staff, yet Guardian Australia has obtained documentation revealing the agency doesn't plan to fully implement basic physical security measures until February 2027. These measures include ensuring all service centres have CCTV coverage, lockable barriers, and opaque glass barriers - nearly three years after the government received the report.
Despite being presented to NDIA management in May 2024, the government took 15 months before sharing the review findings with staff and their union. Beth Vincent-Pietsch, deputy national president of the Community and Public Sector Union, condemns the implementation timeframe as unacceptable. "What they've done is piecemeal and not enough," she states. "They need to have control measures in place now to deal with the fact that people are getting damaged now."
Recent Incidents Highlight Ongoing Risks
Vincent-Pietsch cites numerous incidents reported to the union since the Ashton review was presented to government, including one where an individual arrived at an NDIS service centre, poured petrol over themselves and threatened self-immolation. "The list goes on and on," she emphasises.
According to NDIA data from August to October 2025, there were 445 security incidents across NDIS service centres, including 16 classified as high severity. These included multiple suicide and self-harm threats by participants, threats to harm or kill staff and treating physicians, bomb threats targeting a local primary school, and actual physical assaults.
Agency Response and Staff Perspectives
An NDIA spokesperson states: "We place the utmost importance on the safety and wellbeing of our staff and that's why we proactively commissioned this review and are implementing all recommendations." The agency claims to have begun implementing safety initiatives in early 2024, including deploying security officers to all sites, updating lockdown and evacuation procedures, redesigning front-of-house areas at high-risk centres, upgrading CCTV facilities, and rolling out mental health and leadership training.
The Ashton review acknowledged the "professionalism and commitment" of NDIS staff while noting they often become the focal point for participant and public frustration. The review found that participants attending service centres in person frequently arrive already frustrated, and if their needs aren't met, this frustration can escalate into poor behaviour.
Understanding Participant Frustration
Both Vincent-Pietsch and Lawrence express significant sympathy for participant frustrations. "This is not to say that some of it's not understandable," Vincent-Pietsch notes. "These are some of Australia's most vulnerable people ... and they have seen a lot of change in terms of the supports that were available being wound back and their plans being changed."
She continues: "I understand the frustration and so do the [Australian public service] employees. They really do care deeply about the participants in the scheme and they do want to deal with them face to face. We just need to ensure that the safety measures are there to make sure that those interactions are positive."
Staff Demographics and Legislative Changes
The latest Australian Public Service census data reveals that 22% of NDIA staff have a disability, compared with 5.8% of APS employees generally. An NDIA spokesperson points to their 2025 staff census showing more than 80% positive responses across most health and wellbeing measures, exceeding APS averages.
Lawrence has observed a shift in interaction tones since October 2024, when new legislation affecting NDIS support was introduced. "The issue is there's wariness from participants about how changes to legislation are going to impact their funding," he explains. "And when those policies and rules change, we're the ones who have to communicate it. And really, in terms of staff safety, when you have to communicate difficult decisions to people, there's always going to be, unfortunately, a potential for a rise in aggressive behaviour."
Call for Immediate Action on Basic Safety Measures
Lawrence believes simple measures recommended by the Ashton review - such as providing secure meeting rooms, lockable barriers and comprehensive CCTV - could be implemented immediately and would significantly improve staff safety. "At the end of the day, the agency lacks a lot of very basic things that you could put into an office ... and if you did that staff would be safer."
The situation highlights the tension between supporting vulnerable participants and protecting frontline staff who deliver essential services. With hundreds of security incidents continuing to occur, the three-year timeline for implementing basic safety measures raises serious questions about workplace protection priorities within Australia's disability support system.
