Speech Pathologist

A note for any SP running their own NDIS business right now

Most of the speechies I've spoken to lately are running their own show because someone, somewhere, told them it would mean more freedom.

What it's actually meant in 2026: doing your own scheduling, your own invoicing, your own NDIS plan reviews, your own service agreements, your own GST, and trying to deliver therapy somewhere in the gaps. All while the funding ground keeps shifting under everyone's feet.

If that's where you are, this might be the post you needed to see.

I'm Alison McDonald. I founded Newcastle Speech Pathology in 2012 because I wanted to build the kind of practice I would have killed to work in as a younger clinician. 14 years on, we've supported more than 2,600 clients, we have a full admin team, and I'm hiring a speech pathologist to join our Kurri Kurri clinic in the Hunter Valley, starting as soon as we find the right person.

I've been a speech pathologist for 32 years. NSP has been a registered NDIS provider since 2013. We've come through multiple audit cycles cleanly, and we know our clients and our team well. Thriving Kids is the great unknown for all of us right now, and I won't pretend to know how it'll land. What I can say is that we built NSP on solid foundations, with experienced people around you and the depth to weather change. We're not promising to shield anyone from what's coming, because we can't. We're saying we built NSP to be steady when things aren't.

Here's what's actually different

You see clients. We handle most of the rest. Bookings, NDIS service agreements, invoicing, plan management, parent comms, resource library. Our admin team owns it. You walk in, see your kids, write your notes, and go home.

Mentoring from someone who's done it. I'm in the clinic. I supervise. I'm not a name on a website.

Protected admin and report time. Built into your week, not stuffed into your evenings.

A real caseload mix. Paediatric, adult, school-age, NDIS, Medicare, private. Voice work too if you're interested, including LSVT LOUD and Speak Out.

An honest workload. We say no when we're full. We don't backfill diaries by burning out our team.

Who I'd love to hear from

• SPs with 2+ years' experience who are tired of being the whole business
• Clinicians currently in a role that promised support and didn't deliver
• Sole traders who are good at the work and done with the rest of it

The role: Full-time or part-time, permanent. Based at our Kurri Kurri clinic in the Hunter Valley. Salary above award, mapped to experience. Paid PD, paid supervision time, no on-call, no after-hours.

If Kurri isn't right for you geographically, hold that thought. We have a second permanent SP role opening at our Cooks Hill clinic in around three months, and I'd still rather hear from you now than miss you.

Send your CV and a quick note about where you're at to ***email_hidden***. I read every application myself.

Not ready to apply but want to have a quiet conversation about what the role looks like? Same address. Same promise.

Alison

Founder, Newcastle Speech Pathology