National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1354

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1354

Anonymous Submission to the Senate Inquiry

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

I am an NDIS participant with low vision, a condition that has deteriorated over time. I am making this submission anonymously because I am worried about the impact that speaking out may have on my plan and my supports.That worry itself speaks to the power imbalance that already exists between participants and the Agency — and which this Bill, in my view, will worsen.

I am deeply concerned about this Bill and ask that the Committee carefully consider how its provisions will affect people like me — NDIS participants who are already struggling to receive the supports we are entitled to, and who rely on the Scheme not just for care, but for our ability to work, connect with our communities, and live with dignity.

1. I am worried about cuts to community participation supports I am worried about community participation supports being cut. Without assistance to navigate the barriers I encounter, I do not think I will be able to work nearly as much as I currently do. I am a freelancer working for myself, and my NDIS supports help me get to work-related events and manage barriers online. A loss in community participation funding would directly impact my ability to earn an income and participate in professional life.

The Bill’s Schedule 1, Part 4 inserts a new section 34A into the Act, giving the Minister power to make a legislative instrument — called a support determination — that reduces funding for specified groups of supports across all plans. The groups explicitly listed in the Explanatory Memorandum (EM) include ‘Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation’ and ‘Increased Social and Community Participation.’ Critically, the EM confirms that ‘changes to funding as a result of support determinations are not subject to merits review.’ This means I would have no avenue to challenge a reduction to my community participation budget on the basis of my individual needs.

I am also worried about increasing isolation for myself and my community. I am worried it will be harder to care for my home and find suitable housing. Community participation is not a luxury — it is what enables me to function and contribute.

2. I am already only receiving half the supports recommended for me I currently only receive half of the core supports recommended in my Functional Capacity Assessment. I submitted a Change of Circumstances over 18 months ago, including several recommendations — among them that I should be approved for a Guide Dog. An updated FCA was requested at that time. Despite having 11 reports in support of my needs, neither the FCA nor the Change of Circumstances has been actioned. I had a meeting with my LAC around six months ago which took two hours and was apparently part of this process, but I have heard nothing since. My support coordinator — who is a wonderful advocate — follows up regularly but is told only that someone will be in touch soon.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1354

The Bill’s Schedule 1, Part 3 tightens the conditions for requesting a plan reassessment. Under new section 48A, a change in functional capacity must be ‘significant and ongoing’ to qualify. The EM also confirms at Item 19 that once a reassessment is requested, the CEO has up to 90 days to make a decision. For someone already waiting 18 months without resolution, this Bill does nothing to reduce that administrative neglect — it only makes it harder to seek a reassessment when things change.

I am concerned this Bill will only increase the administrative burden on me and my community, while doing nothing to ensure this kind of neglect is reduced or prevented.

I am relying on ad hoc support where I can find it to secure suitable housing, as my funding doesn’t cover the support hours to address this need. Being blind, I can’t properly review listings online, nor find and inspect open properties.

3. I am worried the contact rules put me at risk of losing my plan entirely It can be very difficult for me to receive and respond to communications from the NDIS. The Agency sends letters I need an app to read. Because I am not well supported, I get very tired constantly using apps to access written information. The NDIS also calls from private numbers, and if I miss the call, there is no way to call back. It sometimes takes me longer to answer my phone. These are not failures of effort — they are the real barriers that come with having low vision and inadequate support.

The Bill’s Schedule 1, Part 7 inserts a new section 40A, which enables the CEO to suspend a participant’s plan where ‘reasonable attempts have been made to contact the participant’ and the participant is ‘not contactable.’ Further, under new subsection 30(1A), the CEO may revoke a participant’s status entirely if their plan has been suspended for at least 90 days due to being uncontactable. The EM confirms that written notice is given, but the onus then falls on the participant to contact the Agency within 28 days to avoid the suspension continuing.

I am worried that these provisions, as written, do not adequately account for participants whose disability itself creates barriers to communication and timely response. ‘Reasonable attempts to contact’ is not defined in a way that requires the Agency to use accessible formats or to consider a participant’s communication needs. For someone like me, missing a call from a private number could — under this Bill — set in motion a process that ends with my plan being revoked.

4. The 90-day claims rule will add to an already heavy burden I am also not able to easily access or reimburse costs through the NDIS. I have not been able to get reimbursed for several thousand dollars it cost for my screen reader to update, despite this being directly related to my disability. I have also not been able to get the screen reader training I need through the NDIS.

The Bill’s Schedule 2, Part 5 (Item 89) amends paragraph 45A(5)(a) to reduce the timeframe for making a claim from 2 years to 90 days from the date of provision or acquisition of a support. The EM notes that the CEO retains discretion to accept late

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1354

claims in ‘exceptional circumstances,’ but that is a high bar and relies on a participant being able to engage with the Agency effectively to make that case — something that is already difficult for me.

5. Record-keeping requirements will be difficult to meet The Bill’s Schedule 2 inserts a new section 45B imposing record-keeping obligations. Participants who make claims must retain records for 3 years from the date of the claim (subsection 45B(5)). Nominees and child representatives must keep records for 5 years (subsections 45B(7)–(8)). For a participant with low vision who relies on assistive technology to access written information, maintaining records in accessible formats over multi-year periods is a real and significant burden.

It’s particularly disturbing when the agency refuses to assess a Change of Situation, fund assistive technology and associated training, and also doesn’t fund adequate core supports as has been my personal experience is my current situation.

6. Unspent funds should not disappear due to Agency delays I currently have OT funding in my plan that I did not request and have not been able to use, while supports I do need go unmet. The delays are not mine — they are the Agency’s. Yet under the Bill’s Schedule 1, Part 5, plan renewals will replace plan continuations, and this will prevent unspent funds from rolling over. The EM states explicitly that this change will ‘prevent unspent funds rolling over from the old plan.’ For participants like me, where unspent funds exist because the Agency has failed to action requests or provide adequate supports, this feels deeply unjust.

Conclusion I am asking the Committee to consider what this Bill looks like from where I sit — as a participant who already receives only half the supports I am assessed as needing, who cannot easily be contacted, who struggles with administrative processes because of my disability, and who relies on community participation funding to work and stay connected.

The Bill, as introduced, addresses sustainability — but it does not address the administrative failures that already harm participants. It reduces supports, tightens timeframes, and increases record-keeping obligations, all without meaningful protections for those of us who face communication and access barriers. I ask that the government withdraw this Bill and work with the disability community to develop reforms that are genuinely fair. I don’t believe this bill is not focused on sil providers, and big registered providers, as there are loop holes.

I’m also very concerned that with legislative changes around Parental responsibility, families will fall apart. I’m worried about the cost to our communities, to the trauma this will result in, and the budget costs being much higher than supporting families. I’m worried about women needing to drop out of the workforce. I’m worried about costs being shifted onto other crisis services.

I’m worried about that modelling hasn’t been done around what these cuts may cost in trauma, unpaid labour and crisis systems. Plus, I’m worried about the lack of trauma informed care when people reach out to us.

I’m worried they will perpetuate the gender inequity that already exists in the NDIS.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1354

I’m also worried about impact on the workforce, with massive job losses, burn out and a reduction in quality of service.

For all these reasons, I’m concerned and devastated about the impact, harm and devolution these proposed cuts and the new legislation will cause.

Submitted anonymously by an NDIS participant.