National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1318
SUBMISSION TO THE SENATE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Inquiry: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Date: 28 May 2026
A little about me… I am a 35-year-old single woman, business owner, proud aunty, musical enthusiast, and NDIS participant. I am writing this submission because I am deeply concerned by the federal government’s proposed approach to achieving long-term sustainability of the NDIS.
From the outset, the NDIS was designed to treat people with disability — people like myself — with dignity and respect, recognising that we are capable of making decisions about our own lives and the supports we use to live them. Growing up often felt like a countdown to the moment my life would no longer truly belong to me; a future where I would have to give up what I wanted in order to fit within the schedule and limitations of a rigid support system, assuming I could access funded supports at all.
The NDIS changed that. For the first time, both my Mum and I could feel excited about my future and trust that I would be able to live life on my own terms. Just as we have begun to settle into that sense of security and possibility, the proposed bill threatens to take it all away, returning us to medicalised and overly regulated models of support that undermine choice and control. Once again, I fear a future where I must give up my own hopes and dreams in order to fit within a system that does not understand my life.
My Support Requirements I live with severe physical disability as a result of Juvenile Arthritis and am completely reliant on others for all physical aspects of daily living, including personal care. Since receiving my first NDIS plan in 2018, I have worked hard to build a flexible support structure that allows me to live independently, run my production company, maintain a social life, spend precious time with my young niece and nephew, and support my ageing parents.
Mandating NDIS Registered Providers for Personal Care Activities The flexibility and independence I currently experience have only been possible because I utilise independent support workers. Not only does this avoid wasting NDIS funds on excessive agency overheads, but it has also allowed me to negotiate rates that stretch my funding further, enabling me to cover essential inactive overnight supports that were not funded in my plan.
Before having access to independent support workers, I spent an enormous amount of mental energy calculating how much I ate and drank in order to avoid needing to use the bathroom before someone, usually my Mum, was available to assist me. There were times I would go more than 12 hours without drinking water, placing my health at serious risk. This was the price I paid for wanting a life like any other young person: going to university, enjoying nightlife with friends, and pursuing work opportunities with think tanks, local councils, and cultural institutions.
Because of the nature of running my own business, and simply because life is unpredictable, no two days or weeks look the same. Having to coordinate my supports through agencies or other “middle men” would significantly increase the mental burden associated with my disability while also compromising my dignity and independence.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1318
I am a strong and independent woman who knows what kind of support works best for me, particularly when it comes to deeply personal and vulnerable tasks such as toileting, showering, and dressing. It is unfair for anyone else to dictate who can and cannot support me in these intimate aspects of my life. The idea that registration alone is required to ensure safety demonstrates how disconnected the federal government is from the lived reality of disability.
While registration may, in theory, provide oversight of “high-risk” activities, it does not guarantee safety, competence, or quality of care. For many of us, these supports are not medical procedures. Suggesting that nurses or workers who have completed a theoretical training course are inherently better equipped to provide support creates a false narrative. In fact, I have often found such workers more limiting because they approach disability through assumptions and textbook knowledge that do not reflect my lived reality.
Please do not impose restrictions on who disabled people can choose to support us in our own homes and with activities that most people would not want strangers assisting them with. Instead, I urge the government to strengthen reporting processes and improve response times for participants who experience unsafe or inappropriate support. Do not assume that all of us are incapable of managing our own supports. Many of us are highly capable self-advocates who effectively manage independent workers in ways that provide the flexibility and autonomy necessary to live meaningful lives.
Reductions to Social and Community Participation Funding Another deeply concerning aspect of the proposed bill is the ministerial power to reduce funding allocations across certain support categories for all participants. This directly contradicts one of the core principles of the NDIS, individualisation.
When participants are assessed as requiring a certain level of funding in order to safely participate socially and within the community, that amount is not arbitrary, it is based on assessed need. To continue acknowledging that need within a plan while simultaneously restricting how much funding can actually be used is not only unsafe, but deeply patronising to the disability community.
In my own circumstances, if the proposed 50% reduction to Social and Community Participation funding were introduced, I would likely need to sacrifice weekend support in order to preserve the support I require during the working week to meet professional obligations. Losing weekend support would mean losing time with family and friends, as well as access to activities that support my mental health and wellbeing, such as attending live music events, visiting cultural spaces, and participating in hobbies.
Mental Health Impacts of the Proposed Amendments One aspect of disability that is rarely acknowledged is the significant mental health impact associated with navigating both disability itself and systems like the NDIS.
While the NDIS has been profoundly life-changing for me, it has also brought periods of immense anxiety and, at times, depression. This is compounded by public rhetoric portraying people with disability as a burden on the “average taxpayer”, alongside the constant fear that decisions made by ministers or policymakers, people with no understanding of my life, my goals, or the realities of my support needs, could dismantle everything I have worked so hard to build.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1318
The proposed reductions in supports, combined with additional layers of regulation and bureaucracy, only add to this emotional and psychological burden. We are expected to quietly absorb these stresses while continually fighting for the basic right to participate in Australian society, to work, and to live with dignity.
I want to reiterate that the NDIS has been absolutely life-changing for both myself and my family. It has given us access to possibilities and futures that once felt unimaginable. When I was younger, I was afraid to dream of flexible, individualised support because it simply did not exist. I am deeply concerned that the proposed amendments will take us backwards, towards a far more restrictive and demoralising reality for people living with disability.
Thank you for your consideration of this submission.