National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 107
Submission Regarding Proposed NDIS Cuts and Restrictions Affecting Autistic Australians
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express deep concern regarding the direction of recent and proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), particularly those impacting autistic Australians and people living with co-occurring disabilities and complex support needs.
The public narrative around the NDIS has increasingly framed autistic participants as a financial burden rather than citizens entitled to support, dignity, inclusion, and safety. This rhetoric is harmful, misleading, and dangerous.
Autism is not a temporary condition. It is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability recognised under Australian law. Many autistic people require substantial support throughout their lives, particularly where autism exists alongside intellectual disability, psychosocial disability, neurological conditions, sensory processing disorders, communication impairments, dyspraxia, and other co-occurring conditions.
This condition must be diagnosed by a clinical Psychologist, only then to have unplanned trainers dismiss reports or not be trained to understand the language and needs Autistic individuals require.
Recent policy discussions suggesting autistic people should “exhaust all other options†before qualifying for support ignore the reality many families already face. Families spend years attempting therapies, medical intervention, behavioural support, educational adjustments, and informal care long before seeking access to the NDIS. By the time many people apply, they are already exhausted financially, emotionally, and physically.
Restricting support for autistic participants will not eliminate need. It will simply shift the burden elsewhere:
onto unpaid carers and ageing parents,
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 107
onto hospitals and emergency departmentsTherapy supports, Support Coordination,Plan Managers. communication assistance, sensory regulation, support workers, SIL ,behavioural supports, allied health, and capacity building are not luxuries. They are often what prevent hospitalisation and family breakdown.
There is also serious concern about attempts to separate autism from associated co-occurring impairments when determining eligibility or funding. Autism rarely exists in isolation. Many impairments interact together and cannot reasonably be divided into artificial categories for funding purposes. Doing so ignores modern clinical understanding and creates impossible evidentiary burdens for participants and clinicians.
Autistic Australians deserve evidence-based policy, not politically convenient cost-cutting measures.
I urge Parliament to:
Reject measures that unfairly target autistic participants. Protect access to supports for people with autism and co-occurring disabilities. Ensure no participant loses essential support due to administrative reinterpretation of impairment categories. Maintain access to therapy and capacity-building supports across the lifespan. Protect children and vulnerable adults from reforms that create harm through neglect . Consult directly with autistic people, families, clinicians, advocates, and disability organisations before implementing major legislative changes. Stop framing disability support as waste when it is a fundamental human rights obligation.
The NDIS was created to provide reasonable and necessary support so disabled Australians can live with dignity, safety, and participation in community life. Weakening access for autistic people undermines the entire purpose of the scheme.
History will judge how Australia treated its disabled citizens during periods of economic and political pressure. Parliament must choose whether to strengthen inclusion and human rights, or abandon vulnerable people under the language of “sustainability†.
I ask that parents can also pass in peace when the time arises knowing their child will be supported and cared for, not subject to harm, neglect and abuse from incorrect funding based on algorithms.
I ask that this submission be taken seriously and that autistic Australians are not sacrificed through reforms designed primarily around budget reduction rather than human outcomes.
Sincerely,
Mother/ Plan Nominee
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 107