National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 119
To whom it may concern,
I am writing as both the mother of a 13-year-old child currently supported by the NDIS and as the director of a registered NDIS business based in regional NSW.
My daughter lives with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 3, an intellectual disability, and a seizure disorder. The NDIS has been critical in supporting her development, wellbeing, and ability to participate meaningfully in her community.
While I acknowledge that the NDIS requires reform to ensure long-term sustainability and accountability, I am deeply concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the proposed legislative changes and what they may mean for my daughter’s future and for families like ours.
The lack of clarity around these reforms has already had a significant impact on my mental health. The ongoing media coverage, changing information, and uncertainty about what support my daughter may lose has created enormous stress and anxiety for our family. For parents of children with complex disabilities, uncertainty is not simply inconvenient — it is frightening, because our children’s futures depend on consistent and appropriate support.
One of my greatest concerns is the potential limitation of community participation supports.
Over the past several years, particularly as my daughter has grown into adolescence, community access has contributed more to her development than some traditional therapies. Through regular support work in the community, she has made remarkable progress in building life skills, independence, confidence, emotional regulation, communication, and social understanding.
Her support worker has played an extraordinary role in this progress. Together they work on practical life skills, navigating everyday experiences, and building emotional safety through trusted relationships. This kind of learning cannot always be replicated in a clinical therapy setting — it happens naturally through real-world participation and meaningful connection.
Restricting community participation would significantly reduce opportunities for growth and independence for children like my daughter.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 119
I am also deeply concerned about mandatory provider registration and what this will mean in practice for participants and families.
Our daughter’s primary support worker is independent. Over several years, she has built an incredible relationship of trust and understanding with our daughter. She knows her needs, triggers, communication style, and the strategies that help her feel safe and supported.
If mandatory registration requires independent workers to undertake costly and complex audit processes, many simply will not be able to continue operating.
This would force families like ours to transition to larger registered providers. As a mother, this is an extremely distressing prospect. In our experience, many larger providers cannot offer the same continuity, flexibility, compassion, and personalised care that dedicated independent workers provide.
I strongly support greater oversight and accountability within the sector. However, I believe there are more practical and proportionate ways to achieve this, including:
• Requiring regular submission of progress notes to the NDIS Commission • Mandatory worker screening checks • Evidence of appropriate insurance coverage • Practical compliance monitoring systems that ensure accountability without placing unreasonable financial burdens on small providers and sole traders
I am also writing from the perspective of a provider.
My husband and I operate in Grafton, NSW. Inspired by our daughter’s journey and our firsthand understanding of disability support, we became support workers because we wanted to make a meaningful difference in participants’ lives.
We currently support seven participants and provide highly personalised, quality services focused
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 119
on consistency, trust, and genuine outcomes.
However, the current audit and compliance costs are becoming unsustainable for small providers like us. For just two support workers/directors, the combined cost of certification, surveillance, and mid-term audits exceeds $15,000.
In regional areas, these costs are even higher due to auditor travel and accommodation expenses.
This raises serious concerns about the future viability of small, high-quality providers. If businesses like ours are forced out of the sector, participants and families will lose access to trusted, relationship-based supports and be left with fewer choices.
It is also deeply concerning that providers are expected to comply with constantly changing requirements while often being unable to obtain clear guidance from the Commission itself.
How can providers confidently deliver compliant, high-quality services when there is ongoing uncertainty and insufficient practical guidance?
My greatest fear is for my daughter, our participants, and the many families who rely on stable, trusted supports.
Reform must not come at the cost of participant choice, continuity of care, community participation, or the sustainability of small providers delivering exceptional outcomes.
I urge decision-makers to ensure that any reforms:
• Protect access to community participation supports • Create affordable and achievable compliance pathways for independent and small providers • Preserve participant choice and control • Provide greater clarity and certainty for families and providers • Focus on practical accountability measures rather than excessive administrative burden
Families like ours need confidence that the NDIS will continue to support our children not only
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 119
today, but well into the future.
Thank you for considering my submission. Sincerely,–