National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1389
I am a current NDIS participant with family members who also access the NDI$ for daily survival needs. I am opposed to this proposed Bill as I fear for my own and my family members’ safety.
Accessing NDIS is the first time that I have been able to imagine a future for myself, the first time that my day to day life has felt sustainable. I have been able to go to university as a result of my supports, and being a part of the community no longer feels impossible.
One of my family members who is a participant is the sole carer of her children. They live in a regional town without access to many health care providers, particularly specialists. So the proposed law that would force her to seek already expensive and inaccessible treatments, when those are not availbale in her area and would require expensive travel with children, means she would risk going without necessary support. This not only endangers her life but threatens the well-being of her whole family.
Having the ability to choose my own support worker has been essential in my ability to achieve my goals. Working with someone that I trust and feel safe with has made it possible to navigate the bad days and consistently attend my classes. Being designated a care worker who may not understand me or my individual needs, and isn’t able to meet me where I’m at risks me losing the progress that I have made. It puts me at risk of losing access to education and community engagement.
Before the NDI$ life felt so impossible I had countless suicide attempts and hospitalisations. I have also been in and out of the psych ward for decades. I was unable to imagine a meaningful life or any kind of future for myself, when every day felt like a fight for survival. This proposed Bill threatens disabled people’s lives and dignity. It threatens to put us back into survival mode or worse kill us. For the sake of disabled people’s lives and dignity, this bill MUST NOT pass in its current form.
Signed,