Submission 1429

I am writing this personal statement because the proposed NDIS reforms will directly affect my life, my safety, and my ability to function day-to-day. I have been an NDIS participant for over a decade. During that time, I have experienced the best and worst of the Scheme. I have relied on it to survive, and I have been harmed by its failures. I am terrified of what the proposed legislation will do to me and to thousands of others.

This statement is not theoretical. It is not political. It is my lived reality.

Living With Disability and the NDIS: My Reality

Living with a disability is already difficult. Every day requires planning, support, and energy that many people take for granted. The NDIS was meant to make life safer and more manageable. Instead, it has become a system that is increasingly hostile, inconsistent, and frightening to navigate.

I rely on my supports to:

• leave my home
• manage daily tasks
• maintain my mental health
• stay safe
• stay alive

Without these supports, I would be isolated, vulnerable, and at serious risk. I have already experienced severe mental health deterioration during NDIS disputes. I have been pushed to the point of suicidal thoughts because of the stress, fear, and uncertainty created by the system.

The proposed reforms make me fear that I will be forced back into that place.

The Impact of Funding Cuts: Isolation, Decline, and Risk of Death

The proposed 50% cut to Social and Community Participation and the 10% cut to Capacity Building will trap people like me inside our homes. These supports are not luxuries — they are lifelines.

Without them:

• I cannot safely leave my home.
• My depression worsens.
• My physical health declines.
• I become socially isolated.
• I am at risk of self-harm or suicide.

Submission 1429

We have already seen what happens when people with disabilities are left unsupported. The death of Anne-Marie Smith is a tragic example. These reforms will create more situations like hers.

I am genuinely afraid that I will become one of those statistics.

Independent Assessments and the I-CAN Tool: A System Designed to Cut, Not Support

The proposed assessment model — including the I-CAN tool — is deeply flawed. It ignores clinical evidence, dismisses professional reports, and replaces qualified clinicians with unqualified assessors or automated scoring systems.

I spend hours attending medical appointments, therapy sessions, and assessments. My plan is charged thousands of dollars for reports. Yet the NDS routinely ignores them.

If the government introduces a tool designed from the outset to reduce funding, people like me will lose essential supports. This is not reform — it is rationing.

Planners Without Qualifications or Lived Experience

NDIS planners often have:

• no clinical background
• no disability experience
• no understanding of daily functional needs

I have been told directly by planners that they are instructed by management to cut, reject, save money. This is not a person-centred system. It is a cost-cutting exercise disguised as support.

The idea that these same planners will have even more power under the new Bill is terrifying.

Choice and Control Under Threat: The Push Against Unregistered Providers

One of the most alarming aspects of the proposed reforms is the clear intention to restrict or eiminate unregistered providers.

This would destroy my ability to choose who supports me.

In my 10 years on the NDIS:

• 99% of the fraud, abuse, neglect, and misconduct I have experienced came from registered providers.
• Registered providers have threatened me, overcharged me, falsified invoices, and put my health at risk.
• The NDS Quality and Safeguards Commission has repeatedly failed to act.

Submission 1429

Unregistered providers, on the other hand, have been reliable, respectful, and safe. They treat me like a human being, not a revenue stream.

Taking away my right to choose them is not “safeguarding.” It is forcing me back into the hands of providers who have harmed me.

Real Experiences of Neglect, Fraud, and Abuse

Taxi Misconduct

I have been:

• overcharged
• threatened
• taken on deliberately long routes
• told “we can charge extra because it’s NDIS” Nothing was done.

Neighbour Neglect Case

My neighbour nearly died after being left on the floor overnight by a registered provider who falsely claimed daily visits. His home was filthy, he was severely unwell, and he was being charged for services he never received.

I made over 30 calls to the NDIS, the Commission, SA Police, and AFP before anyone listened. The provider received only a warning and continued working with him.

This is the reality of “registered providers.”

One-Sided Cancellation Policies: Punishing Participants for Being Disabled

Providers impose harsh cancellation rules — 24 hours, 48 hours, even seven days — and charge participants the full fee if they are sick or have an emergency.

But providers cancel:

• at the last minute
• late at night
• without notice And nothing happens.

I once had a psychologist cancel at 10pm the night before my appointment. I had already booked a support worker. My plan was still charged.

This is discriminatory and must be fixed.

The AAT Process: Trauma, Inequality, and Mental Harm

Submission 1429

My AAT experience was one of the most traumatic events of my life.

• The NDIA had a multi-million-dollar law firm.

• I had to fight just to get an advocate.

• The process was hostile, one-sided, and mentally damaging.

• I became depressed and suicidal.

Even when participants win, the NDIA can ignore or overturn decisions shortly after.

Removing or weakening appeal rights is dangerous and undemocratic.

9. NDIA Waste and Mismanagement: Billions Lost Internally

The government says the NDIS is too expensive. I agree it needs to be sustainable. But the cuts should come from within the agency, not from participants.

The NDIA spends billions on:

• external contractors

• LACs

• churches

• banks

• insurance companies

• consultants

• law firms

The CEO of the NDIS earns more than the Prime Minister.

There are billions in savings available without harming participants.

10. Denial of Common-Sense Supports

The NDIS routinely denies supports that are:

• cheaper

• safer

• more appropriate

Examples:

Meals on Wheels

NDIS refuses to fund meal preparation costs, even though it is cheaper than paying support workers to cook with me.

Short-Term Accommodation

Submission 1429

I used STA responsibly and cost-effectively. Now I am forced into facilities that are traumatic and more expensive, instead of being allowed to stay in a simple hotel for respite.

These decisions defy logic and harm participants.

11. The Human Cost: Fear, Stress, and the Risk of Death

I am scared. I am stressed. I am exhausted. I am afraid of being kicked off the NDS. I am afraid of losing the supports that keep me alive. I am afraid of becoming isolated and depressed. I am afraid of becoming another statistic.

If not for my main support worker, Ben, I do not believe I would still be here.

The government must understand that these reforms are not abstract. They will cost lives.

12. What I Am Asking the Committee To Do

I am asking the Senate Committee to:

• protect choice and control
• reject or amend the Bill to prevent harm
• ensure assessments are evidence-based
• regulate providers properly
• fix cancellation policies
• strengthen the Quality and Safeguards Commission
• cut waste within the NDIA, not participant supports
• consult directly with participants
• prioritise safety, dignity, and human rights

The NDIS must be sustainable — but not at the cost of our lives.

13. Closing Statement

The NDIS was created to give people with disabilities dignity, independence, and a fair chance at life. The proposed reforms threaten those foundations.

I am asking you to listen — truly listen — to the people who rely on this Scheme every day.We are not numbers. We are not budget lines. We are human beings whose lives depend on these supports.

Please do not let this legislation harm the very people the NDS was created to protect.