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

Submission 148

I am the owner/director of a mobile physiotherapy and exercise physiology provider based in Sydney. Our organisation primarily supports NDS participants living with neurological, intellectual, psychosocial and physical disabilities across community, SIL and home-based settings.

I am writing this submission from the perspective of a frontline allied health provider working closely with participants, families, support workers and support coordinators on a daily basis.

Over recent months, I have observed increasing fear and uncertainty surrounding NDIS plan reviews and funding decisions. Participants, families and providers are becoming increasingly cautious about requesting reviews, even in situations where support needs have clearly increased. This appears to be driven by concern that existing supports may be reduced or removed during reassessment processes.

In my experience, inconsistent planning and review outcomes are creating significant anxiety within the disability sector. I have personally observed situations where participants with complex disabilities and clear functional limitations have experienced substantial funding reductions, including the removal of supports that appeared clinically reasonable and necessary. This unpredictability is beginning to influence participant behaviour, with some individuals avoiding reviews altogether despite deteriorating function or increasing risk.

I am concerned about any future direction that places too much emphasis on basic survival-level functioning alone, rather than broader participation, preventative care and long-term quality of life. Many of the participants we support are living with progressive neurological conditions, psychosocial disabilities, acquired brain injuries and complex behavioural or cognitive impairments. In these situations, allied health is often not simply restorative treatment. Instead, it plays an important role in slowing decline, maintaining function, reducing falls risk, supporting mental health, improving community access and preventing further escalation of support needs.

A key issue I believe requires greater recognition is that successful therapy outcomes are often dependent on implementation and consistency rather than assessment alone. In the disability sector, participants frequently require support workers, carers and families to assist with ongoing implementation of therapy recommendations. Even simple exercise programs or functional mobility strategies may fail if there is inadequate follow-through, communication or support team engagement.

For this reason, our organisation has begun developing systems focused on therapy implementation, adherence tracking and meaningful outcome monitoring. This includes tracking participation in physical activity, community engagement and therapy-based functional tasks to better demonstrate long-term outcomes and accountability. In my view, the future of the NDIS should encourage better implementation and measurable outcomes, rather than simply reducing supports in an attempt to control costs.

I also believe community participation should continue to be recognised as an important therapeutic and preventative support. For many participants, meaningful activities such as attending social outings, walking within the community, shopping, hydrotherapy, volunteering or engaging in recreational activities can significantly improve mobility, mental health,

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

Submission 148

confidence and independence. These activities are often clinically valuable and should not be viewed as separate from functional capacity building.

I respectfully ask the Committee to consider the following:

• Maintain flexibility within participant plans to respond to fluctuating or progressive conditions
• Preserve access to preventative allied health supports aimed at maintaining function and reducing long-term costs
• Improve consistency and transparency in planning and review decisions
• Recognise the importance of therapy implementation and support worker involvement in achieving outcomes
• Ensure community participation continues to be valued as a legitimate functional and therapeutic support
• Consider the unintended consequences that fear and uncertainty around reviews may have on participant wellbeing and willingness to seek appropriate support

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the future direction of the NDIS. I hope the lived experiences of participants, families and frontline providers are carefully considered throughout this process.