National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1200
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIA for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submitted by: on 26 May 2026
To the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee,
I am writing as a disability support worker regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
I currently support a woman living with complex disabilities who is also the primary carer for her two children, both of whom have severe disabilities and high support needs. I am deeply concerned that the proposed legislative changes, while framed as necessary for the sustainability of the NDIS, will have devastating consequences for families like hers.
The participant I support already faces significant physical, emotional and functional challenges in her daily life. Despite her own disabilities, she continues to provide extensive care for her children, including personal care, behavioural support, appointment coordination, emotional regulation, supervision, transport, household management and advocacy across multiple systems.
The supports she receives through the NDIS are not excessive. They are what allow this family to remain functioning, stable and safe.
My concern is that the proposed changes within this Bill place too much emphasis on reducing expenditure, tightening eligibility, and limiting what is considered “reasonable and necessary,” without adequately recognising the complexity of real family situations where disability affects multiple members of a household.
In particular, I am concerned about:
tighter interpretations of functional capacity and eligibility increased consideration of “informal supports” and family capacity reduced flexibility in plan reassessments narrower definitions of funded supports increased administrative burdens on participants and carers reforms that appear to prioritise cost containment over individual lived realities
While these measures may appear reasonable in policy language, in practice they risk shifting unsustainable caring responsibilities onto families who are already at breaking point.
The participant I support cannot simply absorb reductions in support because she has children who also require high levels of care. If her supports are reduced or restricted under these reforms, the consequences will not affect only her — they will directly affect her children’s safety, wellbeing, development and quality of life. As with many disabilities, unfortunately
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1200
her disability is degenerative meaning there is a genuine fear about the future and how she can continue to care for her children appropriately and with dignity.
The Bill’s increased focus on “informal supports” is especially concerning. In families like this one, there is no hidden reserve of support capacity to draw upon. The participant herself is disabled. She is already performing beyond her physical and emotional capacity every day simply to keep her children cared for and housed. She has no informal supports and completely relies on NDIS funding for formal support.
Reducing funded supports on the assumption that families can fill gaps ignores the reality that some families are already operating in survival mode.
As a support worker, I witness firsthand the preventative value of adequate supports. The assistance provided through the NDIS helps prevent crisis situations, hospital admissions, mental health deterioration, and family breakdown
If these reforms proceed without stronger safeguards for families with intersecting disabilities and caring responsibilities, the long-term human and financial costs will likely be far greater than any immediate savings.
I acknowledge the need to protect the integrity and sustainability of the NDIS, including addressing fraud and ensuring accountability. However, sustainability should not come at the expense of participants with the highest levels of vulnerability and responsibility.
The NDIS was designed to support dignity, participation, independence and quality of life. For the participant I support, adequate funding means she can continue caring for her children safely and remain connected to her community rather than being pushed further into exhaustion, isolation and crisis.
I urge the Committee to carefully consider the unintended consequences these reforms may have on:
parents with disabilities families where multiple people live with disability participants with complex and intersecting support needs carers already experiencing significant physical and emotional strain
I respectfully request that stronger protections and exemptions be considered for families in these circumstances before the Bill proceeds further.
Thank you for considering this submission and for recognising the importance of lived experience and frontline perspectives in shaping the future of the NDIS.
Yours sincerely,
Disability Support Worker