Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia

deeply concerned about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024. I am writing to share my concerns about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024. I am a provider and a disability advocate.

I am worried about the following parts of the Bill:

• Reasonable and Necessary Budgets

Changing from ‘reasonable and necessary supports’ to ‘reasonable and necessary budgets’ will limit the supports people can get. People need support to live an ordinary life.

• Narrower Definition of Supports

The new definition of supports are too narrow. It will exclude important supports that people need to be part of the community and achieve their goals.

• Increased Powers for the NDIA

The NDIA would have more power to make people undergo assessments or provide information. If people do not comply, their plans could be suspended or revoked. This could be very hard for people with disability, especially during a crisis or if they have complex needs.

4. Restrictions on Self-Managing Funding

The NDIA could stop people from self-managing their funding if

they have made mistakes before. This goes against the principle of

choice and control.

I also have other concerns about the Bill:

Removing all animal assisted therapies and activities from the NDIS will

seriously impact the lives of participants currently accessing these

services. We currently provide equine assisted mental health services to

NDIS participants and have seen tremendous changes and

improvements across many areas of functioning including improved

emotional regulation and mental wellbeing, improved physical function

and fine-motor control, enhanced communication, social skills, social

connections and improved capacity for attending school, work and other

social engagements.

Overall, I am worried that this Bill moves away from the original vision of

the NDIS. The NDIS is meant to give people with disability choice and

control over their supports. This Bill is more focused on saving money

than helping people with disability.

I think the Bill should be paused or stopped. There should be real co- design with people with disability. We need changes that truly meet the needs of people with disability.

I urge the Committee to recommend significant changes to this Bill or making other moves to save money. There must be thorough consultation with people with disability and our representative organisations.

The NDIS is too important to get wrong. We must get this right, with people with disability at the centre of the process.

Thank you for considering my submission. I would be happy to provide more information if needed.

Yours sincerely,

Melinda Sargent (Registered Nurse)

Miracle Park Stables Ltd