National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 140

Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia

deeply concerned with this issue. Dear Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee,

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 family member of a person with disability and disability support worker with a animal therapy farm The NDIS is very important to me. It helps me to live independently with support and access the community to achieve his goals. I am totally invested in working with the NDIS to give people with disabilities their best life and helping them to achieve their ttrue desires, my animals on my farm work along side of me to assist clients to find peace, truth and problem solve all in a non judgmental environment learning safe boundaries while discovering how to manage emotions, I provide respite for carers to have a well needed break as I personally know what it is like to have not had a full night sleep the first 12 years of

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.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024

Submission 140

3. 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 we 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.

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,

Narelle Martin

Mangaroo Therapy Farm