National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1373
About me
I am a person with mulƟple disabiliƟes (MS and auƟsm) and have an NDIS plan I also have ADHD and major depressive disorder. I am also the mother of a child who is auƟsƟc – they have an NDIS plan. They also have ADHD and very high anxiety. I have another child who does not have a disability although they have ADHD and specific learning disabiliƟes in reading, wriƟng and maths.
My concerns
I am concerned about the loss and/or reducƟon of supports. Even with two NDIS plans, the financial strain on my family of 4 is very high. We have increased costs around medicaƟons, healthcare appointments and therapies. My disability plus that of my child (teenager) means that I am unable to work. NDIS funding allows me to funcƟon by providing supports that build my capacity along with daily assistance. Without these supports I would be more isolated from my community, less able to do the things I wish to do (such as study), and less able to care for my children. Without NDIS supports my child would not be able to access their community, and would not have the limited social circle that they do.
I am concerned about eligibility and assessment changes – I understand the need for the NDIS to be sustainable but there is an increased burden if a person with a disability has to re-prove this. My concern about changes to assessments is that they will not look holisƟcally at a person, their personal needs and their goals. For auƟsƟc people my concern is that communicaƟon differences and fluctuaƟng capacity will mean that they do not receive the support that is needed. Assessments need to be differenƟated for the people that they are for. A person with intellectual disability has vastly different needs to communicate their funcƟonal capacity to a person with a physical disability to an auƟsƟc person etc.
I have concerns about unspent funding not rolling over - unspent funds are not automaƟcally proof that support was not needed. My child might not use funds for 6 months due to a reducƟon in capacity or burn out or because a program will take all of that part of funding and only runs in the second half of the year. My funds may be less during some months because I have been unable to arrange supports due to sickness, or services that are unavailable.
Community parƟcipaƟon is absolutely essenƟal for people with a disability. Already there is very limited representaƟon of people with a disability in work places, in posiƟons of power, in the media. The ability to be with others reduces mental illness and in turn reduces costs to the government. Increased parƟcipaƟon can help a person with a disability to commence or sustain work. ParƟcipaƟon and access to community is not a “nice to have”. It is essenƟal and people with disabiliƟes may need support to be able to do this. Taking it away punishes society as a whole.
Why it’s important
I want the commiƩee to understand that this is not a choice. Me being able to funcƟon is not opƟonal. I have two children – I need to take them to school, to acƟviƟes, look aŌer their wellbeing, feed them clothe them etc. It’s just that for me to do this I need support. For me to get up, make breakfast, have a shower, assist children to get ready for school (one who has higher support needs), get home, do some admin and do the food shopping I have used all of my energy for the day. If I don’t have support with something like shopping or cooking or cleaning I am unable to pick up the
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 1373
children. I am unable to spend Ɵme with them. I am unable to study so that I can at some point work. Currently I can’t work – I don’t know what days I will be able to funcƟon. I don’t know what days my child will be able to aƩend school. So we only have 1 income. My family’s pharmacy bill is $373 per month, or $4485 per year. These are non-negoƟable medicaƟons, all on PBS. Our out of pocket medical expenses are $18,143 per year, with the Medicare safety net. My child who doesn’t have a disability, but has ADHD and 3 specific learning disabiliƟes has therapies that cost $5981 per year. We cannot afford disability support that isn’t within the NDIS. If my child’s plan is cut, they have to go without. If my plan is cut, my family falls apart. This is not a choice. This maƩers to me.
The Bill
I do not support this bill in its current form.
- AutomaƟc or blanket cuts to support categories are not okay. Supports need to be individualised
- Social and community parƟcipaƟon supports cannot be treated as opƟonal.
- Assessments must be fair, individual, accessible and based on real life. One size fits all will not work because disabiliƟes affect people in different ways.
- People need to have rights to request a reassessment. The process have previously leŌ many people behind without access to needed supports.
- Disabled people must be properly consulted before changes are made. Nothing about us without us.
- The NDIS is not just a budget line. It is what allows many disabled people to live safely, parƟcipate in the community, work and study. It allows them to have communicate, and have choice and control over their lives.
I support acƟon against fraud and misuse of funds. I support clear rules. But I do not support reforms that make disabled people carry the burden of cost savings.
There are so many extra pieces of informaƟon - I’m concerned about communicaƟon changes, the loss of support, eligibility changes, funding and ministerial powers. I’m overwhelmed by the amount of informaƟon and I’m scared for my family. Unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to sit at the table and type anymore. The lack of voices with lived experiences represenƟng people with a disability in ministerial posiƟons means that it is leŌ to those with the smallest capacity to advocate for themselves. It’s already very very hard to access this world and our inaccessible society. Please don’t make it harder.