National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1166
I am the mother of an autistic 23 year old young man who is a NDIS participant.
I am writing about the NDIS Future Generations Bill 2026.
I am asking you to: • reject or amend the proposals that significantly reduce social and community participation supports • reject the Minister’s new power to cut funding across categories • reject cutting 160,000 participants out of the current Scheme
Before the NDIS, my son received some early intervention in his pre-school years and went to a special school (ASPECT School for Children with Autism) for 2.5 years. He then transitioned to mainstream schooling. Despite being settled at school he was not able to make one friend.
He was accepted onto the NDIS in 2017. Access to youth camps was invaluable; it was where he could learn to spend days away from his family, and with the guidance of the camp leaders, he learned skills to increase his independence (like making breakfast, packing his lunch, taking public transport) and learned social skills with peers (conversation, sharing a room with a room mate, sharing a house with a number of people). He has attended group sessions to access the community (museums, pubs, sports, recreational activities) and importantly maintained contact with peers which would not have been possible without the NDIS.
Cutting the access to community participation by 50% will result in isolation. How do you mix with your peers, when you rely on support to maintain a circle of communication, rely on someone organising meet ups, rely on transport to get you to the venues, rely on others to keep you in contact with your peers? His disability is the inability to form and maintain relationships and connections.
Which brings me to say that I am extremely concerned about the slashing of current participant numbers. If removed from the NDIS, my son would not receive any support at all for the rest of his life.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1166
We are trying to transition him to his own home and this will only be possible with some paid support funded by the NDIS. Without support my son will have to continue to rely solely on his parents. His options will be limited, his resentment and frustration will grow; and his relationship with his parents will deteriorate. He will not be able to move out of his parents’ home to a home of his own.
I am nearing the age of 60 and can see that with these changes to the NDIS • His social connections will shrink and his quality of life will diminish • He will become more reliant on his ageing parents • He will not be able to move out of home and become independent • He will not be ready, when we die, to live on his own
Please do not let these changes to the NDIS pass before listening to families of people with disability.
Yours sincerely