National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1346
To the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee,
RE: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
While I understand the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NDIS and addressing fraud within the system, I believe many of the proposed changes risk causing significant harm to disabled Australians and their families.
As a parent and carer, this issue is deeply personal to my family. I know firsthand how life-changing early intervention and appropriate supports through the NDIS can be. These supports are not luxuries — they are essential. They help children develop communication, emotional regulation, independence, and the ability to participate in everyday life.
Although our family is still far from where we need to be, the support we have received through the NDIS has helped us move forward instead of drowning. Without these interventions and therapies, we — and so many other families — would go backwards. When families lose support, the need does not disappear. It simply shifts the burden onto already overwhelmed parents, schools, hospitals, mental health services, and the public system as a whole.
I am deeply concerned that these reforms appear to shift the focus of the NDIS away from supporting people with disability and toward cost- cutting measures that may result in vulnerable Australians losing access to essential supports that allow them to live, participate, and thrive.
Disabled individuals deserve the opportunity to access therapies, supports, equipment, and services that improve their quality of life and give them the same opportunities many others take for granted. The NDIS was created because families were already falling through the cracks and because mainstream systems were unable to meet the
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1346
complex needs of people with disability. Those realities have not changed.
The proposed changes around eligibility, functional capacity assessments, permanence, and reassessments create enormous uncertainty and fear for participants and families who are already under immense pressure. Standardised assessments and tighter eligibility criteria risk overlooking the complexity and individuality of disability, particularly for autistic children, neurodivergent individuals, and those with fluctuating or invisible disabilities.
I am especially concerned about:
Narrowing eligibility criteria and redefining “permanence” in ways that could exclude people who genuinely require support. The requirement for individuals to exhaust “all appropriate treatment options” before accessing support, despite many families already facing financial, geographic, and systemic barriers to care. Increased reliance on standardised assessments and automated decision-making that cannot fully capture real-world functional impacts and daily challenges. Reduced flexibility and increased administrative burden placed on participants, carers, and families who are already stretched beyond capacity. The transition of children with developmental delays and autism away from the NDIS into alternative systems that are not yet adequately funded, accessible, or proven to meet their needs. The lack of clarity around safeguards, participant rights, and appeal processes under the proposed reforms.
I fully support stronger action against fraud and exploitation within the system. Genuine participants and families also want accountability and integrity within the NDIS. However, the solution should be to target the fraudulent and exploitative practices that are rorting the system — not to make it harder for disabled Australians to access the support they genuinely need.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1346
I ask decision-makers to remember why the NDIS was created in the first place. It was established because people with disability deserved dignity, inclusion, opportunity, and support. It was created because families were struggling without adequate help and because early intervention works.
Removing or restricting access to support will not create a stronger future. It risks destroying progress, compromising the wellbeing of vulnerable Australians, and pushing many families into crisis.
I am also deeply concerned about the extremely limited consultation timeframe provided for this Bill. For legislation of this scale and impact, disabled people, carers, advocates, and families deserve meaningful consultation and genuine co-design.
People with disability deserve to be heard before decisions are made that will directly impact their lives.
I urge the Committee to:
Extend the consultation period to allow proper community engagement. Ensure any changes to eligibility and assessment processes are transparent, evidence-based, independently reviewed, and co- designed with the disability community. Protect participant rights to review and appeal decisions. Ensure children and families are not left without support during transitions to alternative programs. Prioritise investment in frontline supports and safeguarding rather than measures that risk excluding vulnerable Australians from essential care.
The NDIS was created to provide dignity, participation, safety, and support for Australians with disability. Reforms must strengthen those principles — not weaken them.
Thank you for considering my submission.
Kind regards,
B.N
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1346