National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1319
SENATE SUBMISSION NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Template for: Parents / carers of adults with Cri du Chat living at home and attending day programs Submissions due: Friday 29 May 2026
Your submission is protected by parliamentary privilege Under the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 (Cth), any submission you make to this Senate inquiry is a ‘proceeding in parliament’. This means your submission is protected by parliamentary privilege — the same protection that applies to what senators say in the chamber. In practice, this means: • You cannot be sued for defamation for anything you write in your submission — even if you describe your family’s experience of the NDIA in frank or critical terms. • It is a criminal offence under federal law for anyone — including your employer, a service provider, or the NDIA itself — to penalise you, threaten you, or treat you less favourably because you made a submission. Write honestly. Tell your story in your own words. The law protects you.
About our family — I am the cousin of , who is 32 and has Cri du Chat syndrome. lives at home with my Aunt and Uncle in , NSW. ’s NDIS plan currently funds her to have access to social and community groups. The funding has given the opportunity to attend Stellar Experiences, which allows her to form and grow social connections/networks outside of home. Participation in such programs have become a huge part of ’s life, and has had a positive influence in how she lives her day to day life. Access to these types of programs/services would not be financially accessible or viable for and her family without the current funding.
Why I am concerned about this Bill I am writing to oppose provisions of the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 that would directly harm our family and many others like us.
- The 50% cut to social and community participation funding — the day program is not optional For adults with Cri du Chat syndrome living at home, the day program is not a leisure activity. It is a structured, therapeutic environment staffed by trained workers who understand our family member’s communication needs, behavioural profile, personal care requirements, and medical needs. It is where develops skills, maintains social connections, and has a life of her own outside of the family home. The proposed 50% cut to social and community participation funding — which is how day program attendance is funded — would directly reduce the number of days can attend. She cannot attend at a lower level of staffing. Her care needs have not changed. The provider cannot absorb a 50% funding cut and remain financially viable.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1319
- Parental responsibility assumptions
My Aunt and Uncle have been the primary carers for ’s entire life, whilst balancing careers, growing family and own personal health problems. The level of care they provide is substantial, skilled, and ongoing. The Bill proposes to embed an assumption that parents will continue to provide substantial care, without any consideration of our age, health, capacity, or the sustainability of their carers role.
My Uncle has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, which has added further stress to the family. There has been a significant shift in the care and responsibility of and her dad, with more stress and responsibility on my Aunt and ’s younger sister. The sacrifices and struggles they face often go unnoticed, and removing the funding will only add more stressors to their life. The funding allows for my Aunt and ’s sister respite and support in caring for someone with special needs.
- The Minister’s power to make further cuts (proposed section 34A) The Bill gives the Minister power to cut any support category by any percentage, at any time, without individual assessment and without the right of review. The 50% social and community participation cut is the first use of this power — but nothing prevents further cuts to core supports, supported independent living, or assistive technology. There is no floor. There is no independent check. This is an unlimited power over the lives of people with disability, with no equivalent protection for those affected.
What I am asking • Reject the 50% social and community participation cut, or at minimum exempt people in structured day programs who have no alternative provision. • Remove proposed section 34A in its current form, or require individual assessment before any determination affects a participant’s plan. • Require the parental responsibility provisions to include consideration of carer age, health, and sustainability. • Maintain the right to seek plan review when a family’s circumstances change, including when a carer’s health declines.
Sign-off Yours sincerely,
Publication preference: Please keep my name private
Submission prepared with support from the Cri du Chat Support Group of Australia. criduchat.org.au | info@criduchat.org.au