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

Submission 1416

Submission re proposed NDIS legislative changes

May 2026

I am the mother of a woman currently receiving NDIS support.

My daughter has lived with severe psychosocial disability and chronic mental illness since she was fifteen years old. She is now almost thirty-seven.

Over the years she has received numerous diagnoses. The labels, in and of themselves, do not matter. What does matter is the reality of how profoundly her conditions affect her daily functioning and capacity to live independently.

My daughter is intellectually very bright. She is thoughtful, kind, perceptive and deeply sensitive. However, despite her intelligence, she finds everyday life extraordinarily difficult to manage and is therefore unable to commit to paid employment. She lives with persistent depression and significant emotional distress.

Tasks most people take for granted are often overwhelming for her.

At times, even having a shower is beyond her emotional capacity. Leaving the house can feel unbearable and so she usually does not. Managing meals, cleaning, organisation, appointments, self-care and social connection are not simple lifestyle matters for her; they are major functional challenges directly connected to her disability.

The support she currently receives through the NDIS is not excessive. In truth, it is already inadequate for her level of need. However, the supports she does receive make an important difference to her quality of life, stability and safety.

I am deeply concerned that some of the proposed legislative changes will seriously impact her wellbeing and functioning.

In particular, I am concerned about proposals or interpretations that may reduce:

• psychology supports
• meal preparation and daily living assistance
• support for cleaning, self-care and organisation
• social and community capacity-building supports
• transport assistance to day programs and activities

For people with psychosocial disability, these supports are not luxuries or conveniences. They are often the difference between basic functioning and complete collapse.

A reduction in my daughter’s NDIS support will not suddenly make her more independent. Rather, it risks worsening her mental health, increasing her hospitalisations and deepening her social isolation. Such cuts will, most likely, result in her becoming more isolated, more

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

Submission 1416

overwhelmed and more unwell and, therefore, placing even greater pressure on our currently overstretched health systems.

As a retired older woman with my own health, the pressure and responsibility to support and care for her is simply beyond my capacity financially, emotionally and physically.

Psychosocial disability is real even though it is largely invisible and often misunderstood. A person, like my daughter, can be articulate and intelligent yet be profoundly disabled in their capacity to cope with ordinary daily life.

The reality of psychosocial disability is that it can fluctuate from day to day. A person may appear capable for brief periods yet still be profoundly impaired in their ability to function consistently and independently over time.

Severely reducing or removing NDIS supports will not create independence; it will only create deterioration, crisis and far greater long-term costs — not only to individuals and their families, but also to society and government.

I ask that the Senate carefully consider the lived reality of people with severe psychosocial disability when reviewing these proposed changes.

My daughter’s quality of life is already extremely poor. The limited supports she currently receives help her survive with some dignity, structure and connection to the world around her.

I am genuinely frightened about what will happen if those supports are further reduced or removed.

Yes, the NDIS should be properly scrutinised and funding carefully monitored. However, efforts to reduce costs must not come at the expense of vulnerable people in our community. If we are to see ourselves as a mature, compassionate and responsible society, than any reforms must not create harm or unintended consequences for current or future NDIS participants.

I urge the committee to ensure that people living with severe psychosocial disability are not overlooked, underestimated or unintentionally harmed by these legislative changes.