NDIS participant portals: a historical update and today’s route
Updates on the NDIS myplace portal: Federal Minister Paul Fletcher, OnSide and others working together
By Kollen Sussman · Originally published 4 December 2018
Original article and dated context
Kollen Sussman works with an amazing team of support coordination at OnSide and is passionate about building teams to deliver consistent high-quality service to people accessing the NDIS.
It’s rare to have the opportunity to swap ideas and experiences with a Federal Minister, as well as several other facilitators of change in the NDIS, so you can imagine how thrilled we were to spend time on November 5 at a group meeting in Dandenong. Present were Minister Paul Fletcher, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Craig Hibbins, Director Service Delivery NDIS, Vikas Moudgil, Test Lead NDIS, Stuart Barry, Director Program Delivery, Office of the CIO and Dean Richards, participant and NDIS planner Vic east.
We met as part of a co-demonstration of the NDIS provider and participant portals, with the Minister and his team keen to hear experiences from the ‘shop floor’. Dean Richards gave us an insight into accessibility to his plan, as well as self-managing and services. He presented a visual representation of budget, expenditure and his personal experiences of controlling his plan.
It was then our turn to discuss the role of support co-ordination. Having helped so many transition to NDIS, we understand how to navigate business and communications through the myplace portal, and how to guide those without current capacity to access the portal themselves. We gave Minister Fletcher our view of its recent updates, and in return, were briefed on further enhancements to the system’s functionality, including a sneak-peak of the new website that’s due to go live early next year.
[Clickability update, October 2026: This is the author’s 2018 assessment. Current NDIA portal guidance distinguishes the my NDIS and myplace participant portals and explains how to access the one linked to your plan.]
The myplace portal is thriving. And getting better.
The improvements in the government’s myplace portal have been constant and intuitive;
It can now update service provider information with links to maps for better access, which is soon to be available via portal and web.
A better search engine
Consistent symbolising that’s linked to NDIS process literature; pre-access, pre-planning for example
You can quickly search service bookings
View new plans (which went live last weekend) which are more usable and detailed.
On a daily, practical level, OnSide customers report how fantastic it is to have visual representation of budget and track spending.
Meanwhile, we’ve created the Usain Bolt of IT systems.
As a support coordinator, we facilitate choice and quality outcomes for people seeking connection to an ordinary life. Clearly, our customers want to transition to NDIS services as quickly and easily as possible. So while the myplace portal is upgrading, we’ve launched an IT system that means we can be super responsive.
So how does it work? The OnSide IT system fast-tracks information to our intake team, so customers have all their questions answered. Appointments are then made quicker than you can put the kettle on.
The meeting between the Minister Fletcher, his team, Dean Richards and OnSide, has meant that the connection between the NDIS and support coordination is stronger than ever. Yet what’s more comforting is that in day-to-day terms, the upgraded myplace portal supports us, ensuring immediate access.
Clickability editorial update: October 2026
Use the portal linked to your current plan
Follow NDIA participant-portal instructions rather than an older feature list. Ask your NDIS contact for help if you are unsure which portal to use or cannot access information in a suitable format. A portal issue should not be treated as permission to share your password with a service.
Keep the action you want to complete clear, such as viewing your plan or checking a claim. If you ask a support coordinator for help, agree what assistance is needed and the appropriate authority for accessing information.
Help people navigate without taking their credentials
Explain the current route and support the participant to use the appropriate authorised access. NDIA guidance says nominees and child representatives use their own myGov account for the my NDIS participant portal. Do not ask for the participant’s login as a shortcut.
Check what information the participant wants help with and document any agreed assistance. Keep provider systems and participant portals distinct. If access fails, record the issue and use the official help route rather than promising an immediate fix based on a historical rollout update.
Questions readers ask
Does everyone use only the old myplace portal?
No. Current guidance distinguishes portals according to the plan. Official guidance
Should a nominee use the participant’s myGov credentials?
No. NDIA instructions require their own account for the my NDIS participant portal. Official guidance
Find help to organise and understand your supports
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