NDIA Accountability Project

NDIS participant's concerns regarding autism and CPTSD support limits

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

Submission 17

to Committee Secretary Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs

I am an NDIS participant, diagnosed with autism level 2 and CPTSD. I write today in response to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024 (‘Bill’) and its recent amendments. While some amendments have been made, there are still important concerns that have been pointed out which have not been addressed including:

  • Co-design is not required: The Bill now requires the Minister to consider co-design principles, but it doesn’t make this a legal requirement, this must be added as a legal requirement.

  • Unclear review and appeal rights: The Bill lacks a clear way to appeal or replace your needs assessment, clear appeal rights for participants must be added to the bill to ensure safety and prevent deterioration of condition should a needs assessment not accurately reflect someone’s support needs

  • Limits on Support and Spending: The Bill gives the NDIA a lot of power to control how participants use their funding, reducing participant choice and control. Section 10 must be amended to provide choice and control for participants and remove any kind of perspective ‘in/out’ list, this will just harm people with disabilities health, wellbeing as well as cost to the scheme in the long run. People with disabilities are the experts in what they need and the most cost effective way to meet these needs, section 10 threatens the ability for participants to create cost effective solutions to their support needs and is dangerous.

This is only a limited list of many of my concerns with the bill, I urge the committee to listen to lawyers, disability advocates and people with disability. The bill in its current form it dangerous, does nothing to address fraud that the current laws do not already do and will result in many people with disabilities losing vital supports that are needed to maintain their health and wellbeing, prevent deterioration (and as such will increase long term costs to the scheme and medical system), maintain employment and participate in the community.