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

Submission 1457

28/05/2026

My son is 19 years old and has Level 2 and Level 3 Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with comorbid Major Depressive Disorder. He has a significant history of mental health struggles, including multiple suicide attempts.

The supports funded through the NDIS, particularly his social, community access, and capacity building supports, are not optional extras. They are essential protective factors that help reduce his isolation, improve emotional regulation, build connection, and support his ongoing safety and wellbeing.

If these supports were reduced or removed, it would significantly increase his social isolation and deterioration in mental health. I genuinely believe this would place him at far greater risk of another suicide attempt.

In addition, these supports provide vital relief for me in my role as his carer. Without them, the physical, emotional, and psychological pressure I carry becomes overwhelming and unsustainable. The NDIS helps prevent severe carer burnout and enables me to continue supporting my son safely and consistently.

To be completely honest, if my son had never had access to capacity building and community support services, I do not believe he would be alive today. These supports have been life preserving.

I am also extremely concerned about how the proposed changes to NDIS legislation may affect the way the NDIA defines “permanence” in relation to disability. If participants are required to exhaust every possible treatment option before being c onsidered eligible for support, this would create significant inequality and would effectively make access to the NDIS dependent on financial privilege. Many families simply cannot afford years of private therapies, assessments, and treatment pathways in order to “prove” permanence. This risks excluding vulnerable people from essential supports purely due to financial disadvantage, rather than actual level of need or disability.

From my lived experience as both a mother and full-time carer, I believe the NDIS in its current form provides essential, life-preserving support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community. I am deeply concerned that proposed legislative changes risk creating further barriers for participants with complex disabilities and mental health challenges. The NDIS must remain grounded in accessibility, equity, and genuine support for those in need, rather than becoming increasingly difficult to access for ordinary families already under immense strain.

South Australia