National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1124
23 Mqy,2026 - -
Committee Setretary
Re: Subm1ssion_on the National•oisability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
I am making this submission as the uncle of a young woman who depends on the NDIS for meaningful participation in daily and community life. My niece is 23 years old, lives wit_h . severe intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and requires high levels of supportwith everyday activities. For people in her circumstances, funded supports are not discretionary services; they are essential to safety, routine, social connection, and quality of life. ,
I understand and support the objective of maintaining the long-term sustainability of the • . ’ . Scheme. However, reforms aimed at controlling expenditure should not operate in a way that disproportionately harms participants with severe and permanent disability. In considering this Bill, I ask the Committee to recognise that some categories of support are indispensable for a participant’s basic inclusion in family and community life.
My principal concern is the proposed reduction in social and community participation funding from October 2026. For participants with severe intellectual disability, this support category is often what enables attendance at day programs, access to the community, maintenance of routines, and engagement with other people outside the home. Without that support, the practical result is not a minor reduction in services, but a serious loss of participation, independence, and structure.
I am also concerned by any reform process that allows important decisions about a participant’s supports to be made through automated decision-making without a clear and accessible right of review or appeal. For participants with severe disability and for their families, funding decisions can have immediate and serious consequences for safety, routine, well being, and community access. These decisions should not be made in a way that limits procedural fairness or makes it harder to challenge an outcome that is incorrect, unreasonable, or based on incomplete information. At a minimum, participants and their families should have access to transparent reasons for decisions and a genuine opportunity for independent review.
Funding arrangements should continue to reflect the actual level of impairment and support required by the individual participant. In many cases, including my niece’s, safe access to the community depends on close supervision and one-to-one assistance. preference: a matter of
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1124
preference; it is a necessary condition for her to participate in ordinary activities outside the home.
If this support is reduced, my niece’s opportunities to attend her day program and maintain social engagement will decline immediately. She enjoys being around other people, but she cannot sustain those opportunities without funded assistance. The burden would then fall even more heavily on her parents, who already undertake substantial caring responsibilities each day, including personal care, constant supervision, meals, and support with outings and routines.
For that reason, I ask the Committee to consider protections within the reform framework for participants with moderate, severe, or profound disability whose support needs are ongoing and substantial. At a minimum, changes to social and community participation funding should not remove the supports that enable these participants to leave the home, attend structured programs, and remain connected to the community.
The NDIS was established to improve the lives of people with disability by supporting participation, inclusion, and dignity. Reforms that reduce access to essential community- based supports for those with the highest needs risk producing the opposite result. I therefore urge the Committee to ensure that any legislative change preserves meaningful support for participants who cannot safely or independently engage in community life without it.
Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission and for considering the impact of these proposed changes on people with significant disability and their families.
Yours sincerely,