Dear Members of the Senate,

I am writing to express profound concerns regarding the National Disability Insurance

Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024. This legislation

fails to adequately incorporate the perspectives of individuals within the disability

community, which is deeply troubling. Below, I outline specific issues:

• Lack of Co-design Requirement: Co-design with individuals with disabilities is not mandated by the bill, which is essential for ensuring policies and services meet our unique needs. Many of us already face challenges with local area coordinators rushing through their work and not reading reports. We also struggle with medical professionals, service providers and support workers who lack understanding or adequate training, necessitating continuous education on our part. Not co-designing with us means that our needs may not be understood at all.

• Absence of a Whole of Person Approach: The bill neglects to adopt a holistic approach to disability support, despite the interconnected nature of our disabilities. Individuals with disabilities are multifaceted, requiring comprehensive support that addresses all aspects of our lives. We need to be viewed as whole people, inclusive of all our disabilities, so that our human rights needs are adequately addressed.

• Unclear Review and Appeal Procedures: The bill fails to establish clear avenues for appealing decisions or revising needs assessments, crucial for individuals whose circumstances may change or be misunderstood. We need to know we are not at the mercy of administrators and assessors who may not understand our disabilities and that we have an avenue through which to ensure our disability needs are met.

• Broad Powers for Assessments: Granting extensive powers to require medical assessments pose significant challenges, including financial burdens and encounters with healthcare professionals unfamiliar with our conditions. Such requirements have

Limits on Support and Spending: The bill grants considerable authority to administrative personnel, without adequate expertise or consideration for individual circumstances, potentially limiting participants’ control over their funding for disability necessities.

Introduction of Punitive Measures: New provisions empower the NDIA to alter plan management and impose debts for alleged misuse of funds, decisions that may be made without thorough understanding of participants’ needs or situations.

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Moreover, trusting professional reports rather than assuming superior knowledge could reduce the need for costly legal interventions. Therefore, I urge the government to consider cost-saving measures that do not infringe upon the human rights of people with disabilities but instead look at other mechanisms of waste within the system.

Thank you for considering these critical matters.

Sincerely,