National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1043
Hello,
I’m writing to address the following
- The 50% cut to Community Participation Budget commencing October 2026
- Self Management – losing trusted workers due to mandatory registration
My 21-year-old son, who has non-verbal autism and an intellectual disability, is a participant in the NDIS. Due to his limited capacity, I am his plan nominee. The NDIS has been life-changing for my son and, quite frankly, life-saving.
Because of his disabilities, he had to change schools four times, and I homeschooled him for approximately two years. He exited the education system with no functional skills, no friends, and no formal method of communication. The only thing he left school with was a diagnosis of trauma, formally identified by a neuropsychologist in 2019. He received very minimal early intervention, as most services had no capacity during the transition to the NDIS.
Once my son entered the NDIS, we were finally able to access Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Behaviour Support. Since then, he has come an incredibly long way. He is no longer the boy—now young man—who self-harmed, who could not communicate, and who lived locked inside his own world. Today, he can use his AAC device to express basic needs. This progress is precious, hard-won, and fragile. He still has a long journey ahead, and I fear deeply that we will lose these gains if the proposed changes to the NDIS become law, specifically cutting Community Participation Funding by 50%.
With the support of the NDIS, my son now volunteers for the Meals on Wheels program twice a week with his support workers. He interacts with the retirees there, and they look forward to seeing him. He also volunteers at Pinchapoo, packing toiletries for people experiencing homelessness. In his next plan, we were hoping to explore supported employment opportunities—something that once felt impossible. If this Bill passes, that hope will disappear.
My son’s disabilities are complex and profound. He cannot attend to any daily living tasks without assistance. We exclusively work with independent support workers and have built a team of amazing, trusting and supportive workers, some who have been with him for the past seven years. We have upskilled them on a trauma informed approach to interact with my son. My husband and I both work—we must, as we have a mortgage. Either one of us leaving the workforce is not an option. Our goal is to secure our home so that our son can continue living with us, supported, safe, and part of his family. We do not want him institutionalised. Having our team of workers allow us to remain in the work force.
From my experience, the issue is not participants—it is the system that allows registered providers to claim directly from the NDIS without adequate accountability. Anything labelled “NDIS” attracts inflated pricing. Many providers exploit this, charging excessively and delivering poor-quality services because they can claim without providing meaningful evidence of support. Too many are focused on paperwork for compliance rather than genuine outcomes for participants.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1043
Instead of punishing the people the NDIS was created to support, I urge the Minister to focus on addressing price-gouging, rorting, and provider misconduct. Participants and families should not bear the consequences of a system that fails to regulate those who exploit it.
My son deserves the chance to continue building the life he has only just begun. I kindly urge you to vote against the Bill, unless its amended.