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

Submission 1428

My name is , and I have worked as an independent disability support worker for the past four years and the positive impact this work has had on my life is beyond measure. I also have close personal relationships with several people with intellectual disabilities and as such I understand the NDIS in a professional and personal manner, and I want to be very clear about the consequences of cutting social and community access funding for all participants.

In reference to my work, majority of my job surrounds supporting my clients in social and community related activities such as social outings, workplace attendance, and general equitable access to daily activities. The proposed cuts towards social and community access funding would strip my and thousands of other independent support workers of the majority of their income. A proposition to reduce cuts back to a level they were multiple years cannot be sustained in this current economic climate. Unless rent, groceries, bills, petrol and any other need my income supplies me with will also be reduced in price, these cuts are the difference between thousands of workers making ends meet.

Support work has filled my life with unimaginable joy, purpose and connection. I have been so lucky to become an integral part of so many peoples formal support systems. If NDIS funding were cut, my ability to continue this work would be severely impacted. The loss of funding would not only disrupt the support I provide to those who rely on these services but also diminish the stability and fulfillment I’ve found in this profession. Many people who depend on these systems would face uncertainty, and the ripple effects would extend far beyond my own life.

In relation to the participants whose funding is proposed to be cut, it is not just a matter of income or career related purpose, it is many peoples entire lives. The privilege people without disabilities have in their lives is so misunderstood and overlooked it cannot be written into words. Take a coffee date with a friend, a seemingly simple outing someone may take that can completely frame their day and overall mental health. I’m sure I do not have to detail the importance friendships have on a person life. In this “simple’ activity an able-bodied person does not think about the steps involved, driving yourself there, reading a menu, verbally ordering what you would like from said menu, picking up the glass and drinking from it, and most importantly having the ability and opportunities to create connections to make a friend to have coffee with. These steps are what support workers are there to assist with. Some NDIS participants may not have a license, I do. They may not be able to read a menu, so I will read it to them. They may not be verbal, so my voice is their voice. They may not be able to physically lift up a cup and drink from it, so my hands are their hands. Most importantly they may struggle to initiate connections with people, start a conversation or understand they basics in creating a friendship despite longing for them, so I am the bridge that closes that gap. Support in every single one of these aspects in one social outing falls under social and community access funding. Cutting these funds is cutting off people from their support systems, their friends, their humanity. No one should have to fight for their right to basic human connection.

Overall is it of utmost importance that changes to the NDIS are looked at through the lens of peoples with disabilities lives. Cutting these community funds is cutting peoples independence, purpose in life and happiness. Every person deserves the opportunity to experience the ups and downs of friendships and the impacts socialisation has on ones life.

We value the NDIS highly and we need it to be sustainable, but cuts to social and community access will be unsustainable for support workers and participants alike.

Please reconsider these cuts.