What Corri McKenzie’s exit means for people with disability

The quiet resignation of NDIA Deputy CEO Corri McKenzie has sent ripples through Australia’s disability community — not because it was scandalous, but because it’s personal.

She was known as a champion of co-design and someone who actively listened to participants, so her departure comes at a moment when the NDIA is pushing through reforms that many feel have left people with disability sidelined and unheard.

The quiet exit and the loud implications

Her resignation, which became public last week, closely followed two major NDIS shake-ups. First, there was the news that ‘foundational supports’ for people with mild disability, long-promised and due to begin July 1, would be delayed. These supports were meant to offer assistance to people not eligible for the NDIS but still in need of help.

Second, there was the decision to begin rationing participant funding into three-month instalments, replacing the current system where participants receive their full annual budget upfront. This shift blindsided not only participants but also many who were involved in consultation processes — including, reportedly, McKenzie herself.

The new system was communicated as a budgeting aid in a message from the NDIA CEO Rebecca Falkingham.

“Funding periods will usually be set at three months […] to help you manage your budget,” she said.

However, for many people with disability, this default model could pose several challenges.

Why it matters for NDIS participants

For people navigating the NDIS, McKenzie’s exit signals a deeper problem: the erosion of trust. She was widely seen as someone who pushed back against bureaucratic inertia and understood that good support depends on listening, not assumptions.

Her role in leading co-design initiatives gave participants a sense that their voices might finally shape policy.

Now, with McKenzie gone, many worry that co-design will become an empty buzzword — an illusion of inclusion, rather than genuine collaboration.

What’s at stake

The implications for people with disability are significant.

• Funding insecurity
  People with episodic or degenerative conditions may suddenly find themselves without access to adequate supports if their needs change mid-instalment.
  
• Increased administrative burden
  Shorter funding windows mean more plan reviews, more paperwork and longer wait times — all of which already stretch the system and participants to the brink.
  
• Widening trust gap
  As reforms continue without clear communication or real co-design, participants are left feeling powerless in a system meant to support them.

Additionally, for those outside the scheme — the 86 percent of Australians with disability who don’t qualify for the NDIS — the delayed foundational supports mean continued uncertainty, isolation and unequal access to the services they need.

A community left wondering

With no replacement named for McKenzie yet, advocates have urged the NDIA to ensure her successor shares her commitment to listening, transparency and genuine co-design. People with Disability Australia has called for more inclusive leadership that reflects the community it serves.

Where to from here?

NDIS Minister Jenny McAllister has said the government is ‘listening’ and remains committed to fairness and transparency. However, for many in the disability community, the loss of a trusted ally like McKenzie, combined with fast-tracked changes that feel disconnected from lived reality, speaks louder than any press release.

People with disability are calling not just for better policy, but for genuine partnership in shaping their futures. Whether that call is heard depends on who steps up next and whether the NDIA learns to walk the talk on trust and co-design.