National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1057
Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry
To Whom It May Concern,
As a parent and carer of a child with autism and severe speech and language delays, I am deeply concerned that the legislative and operational shifts being proposed will dismantle the very foundations that have allowed my son to thrive.
The purpose of this submission is to highlight how crucial early, comprehensive intervention is, and to warn of the severe collateral damage these changes will cause to families, parental mental health, and the broader healthcare system.
Before receiving NDIS funding, my son faced significant barriers due to his autism and speech delays. The introduction of targeted, flexible NDIS supports has been entirely transformative. Through the scheme, he has been able to access a variety of vital allied health supports that would have been financially impossible for our family to sustain independently.
Because of this consistent, specialized intervention, he has developed crucial communication skills, emotional regulation, and functional independence. This progress would simply not have been possible under a restrictive, “one-size-fits-all” model. The NDIS did exactly what it was designed to do: it gave a vulnerable child the scaffolding required to build a meaningful future.
The proposed changes threaten to restrict access, reduce funding predictability, and narrow the definition of what constitutes “reasonable and necessary” support. If these changes are implemented, the consequences will be devastating on multiple fronts:
The Flawed Narrative of ‘Permanence’: I am deeply concerned by the policy shifts regarding the definition of “permanence” and the potential for pushing children off the scheme once they show improvement. Autism and speech delays require sustained, long-term intervention. Progress is not a sign that support is no longer needed; it is proof that the support is working. Stripping away funding because a child has made gains will cause immediate regression, wiping out years of progress and taxpayer investment.
Parental Burnout and Family Breakdown: Caring for a child with complex developmental needs requires an immense amount of physical and emotional labor. The current supports do not just help my son; they sustain our family unit. Removing or reducing these supports will inevitably lead to severe parental burnout.
Mental Health Crises: The constant anxiety of navigating a clawed-back system, combined with the loss of essential therapies for our children, will trigger a mental health crisis among carers. The government risks shifting the financial
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1057
burden from the NDIS onto Medicare and the overstretched public mental health system.
The NDIS was founded on the principle of choice, control, and lifelong peace of mind for people with disabilities and their families. The proposed changes feel like a step backward—prioritizing short-term fiscal balancing over long-term human outcomes.
If you reduce access to these vital variety supports, you are not saving money; you are simply shifting the cost to future state education, mental health, and social services systems, while pushing loving parents to a breaking point. I urge the committee to reject changes that compromise early intervention and family stability, and instead protect the scheme for the children who rely on it for their voice and their future.
Thank you for considering my submission.