Cheaper NDIS name change: minister

The federal government has given the national disability insurance scheme back its original name for a fraction of the initial $2.8 million estimate.

The previous Labor government rebranded it DisabilityCare Australia after spending almost $200,000 on focus group testing, $130,000 for a logo and brand strategy and $17.96 million advertising the new name.

Late last year Assistant Social Services Minister Mitch Fifield decided to reinstate the original name after concerns that DisabilityCare was seen as condescending by people with disabilities.

Ministerial briefing documents to Senator Fifield, obtained by AAP under Freedom of Information, show an initial cost estimate of $2.8 million.

But Senator Fifield told AAP he had refused that quote and the department achieved the name change for much less - $68,137.

There were costs incurred to change communications materials, the website, links, email addresses but the bulk of the money went to updating office signage.

"It was important to the government that the name is embraced by the people the scheme is designed to support," he said.

"Australians with disability do not want to be objects of care."

Senator Fifield, in opposition, made calls for the public release of the assessment tools which are used to gauge a person's level of need.

But the NDIS agency fears releasing the criteria could result in fraudulent conduct.

"Participants could be coached to prepare their responses to questions that could compromise the integrity of the assessment process," a ministerial briefing document says.

Disclosure might have allowed participants to provide misleading responses as a way of obtaining "unjustifiable support".

This could affect the scheme's financial sustainability in the medium term.

In January, the effectiveness of the assessment tools was reviewed.