Submission 1534

Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill

My connection to this issue

I am the parent and primary carer of two children who both rely on NDIS supports in different ways.

My younger child is currently on the early intervention pathway and has joint hypermobility syndrome, along with developmental challenges that affect his emotional regulation, behaviour, eating and speech. These all impact his day-to-day functioning. He struggles with endurance, stability, and both gross and fine motor skills, and often finds it hard to keep up physically with other children. He relies on ongoing therapy supports and specialised orthotics to help him participate safely and comfortably in everyday activities.

My older child is autistic and also has ADHD. He has limited verbal communication and requires significant supports around communication, social interaction, daily living skills, school and community participation, safety awareness and emotional regulation and behaviour. As he has gotten older and the demands of school and social situations have increased, his support needs have increased rather than decreased.

Ongoing therapy plays a critical role in enabling him to remain engaged in the school environment. Without these supports, his ability to cope with classroom expectations, transitions, communication demands and social interaction would be significantly impacted and his participation at school would be at risk.

Managing appointments, therapies, reports, school communication, and day-to-day care for two children with different and complex needs is already a significant responsibility. I am concerned the proposed changes could make it harder for families like ours to access and maintain supports, especially where needs do not fit neatly into one category or can change over time.

Due to the level of support my children currently require and the frequency of therapies and appointments, I am not currently in paid employment. Any reduction or disruption to supports would not only impact my children’s development and wellbeing but would also

Submission 1534

affect my ability to consider returning to work in the future, as consistent supports are what make it possible to manage their day-to-day care and therapy needs.

I do understand the need for a sustainable NDIS, but early intervention and ongoing supports are critical. They help prevent bigger issues later and give children the best chance to participate fully in everyday life.

2. My overall view of this Bill

Overall, I have serious concerns about the impact this Bill could have on people with disability who rely on NDIS supports to function and participate in everyday life.

While I understand the intention to improve consistency and sustainability, I worry that some of the changes may reduce access to essential supports if assessments and eligibility processes become more standardised and less responsive to individual needs. Disability is complex and can vary significantly between individuals, environments and even day to day.

I also have concerns about a stronger shift toward community-based supports, including initiatives like Thriving Kids, especially where these are expected to replace specialist therapies. In reality, schools and community services are already under pressure and often do not have the specialist resources or capacity to meet complex, individualised needs.

3. My main concerns are:

• Administrative burden
• Loss or reduction of supports
• Children/families/early intervention
• Eligibility or assessment changes

Submission 1534

Administrative Burden

Families already spend huge amounts of time managing appointments, therapies, reports, school communication and NDIS paperwork. More reassessments and evidence requirements would add stress and take time, money and energy away from supporting their children.

I am also concerned that the time it takes to produce evidence does not match how therapy actually works. Assessments often take multiple sessions and reports then take additional time for therapists to complete alongside their clinical workload.

When children are seen weekly, this process can stretch over many weeks or even months. I worry that tighter evidence expectations or reassessment timeframes may not fully take this into account and could pressure families and therapists to produce documentation faster than is realistically possible without disrupting therapy.

Loss or Reduction of Supports

I am concerned the proposed changes could lead to loss or reduction of supports for families like mine.

If assessments and reassessments become more structured or standardised, there is a risk that less weight is given to how children actually function in their daily lives.

For my children this is not theoretical. My older child needs daily support with communication, emotional regulation, transitions and participation at school. My younger child needs ongoing therapy and orthotic support to manage mobility, development and functional participation. Any reduction in supports would directly affect their ability to access therapy, manage daily routines, regulate emotions, participate in school and social settings, and continue making progress.

Submission 1534

Children, Families and Early Intervention

I also have concerns about Thriving Kids and a broader shift toward community-based supports, including schools, being expected to meet needs currently supported through the NDIS.

While I understand the intention is inclusion and participation, schools and community services are already stretched and often do not have the specialist resources or staffing needed to support complex disability needs.

Teachers and schools do their best, but they are educators, not specialist clinicians. As a result, children like mine rely heavily on external supports such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy to participate meaningfully at school and in daily life.

I am concerned that relying more on already stretched community systems could mean children with additional needs do not receive the level of support they need to participate and progress.

Eligibility or Assessment Changes

With more structured assessments and reassessments being used to determine eligibility, I am concerned there will be less focus on how children actually function day to day. My children have different and complex needs and these are not always captured well in a standard assessment or a single point in time.

People with disability do not fit neatly into one “box” and their support needs can change depending on the environment and circumstances. Because of this, I believe assessments need to remain individualised and based on real-world functioning and lived experience, not overly standardised approaches.

While I understand functional capacity assessments are intended to reflect real need, I worry that in practice they may rely heavily on reports and structured tools that do not fully capture how children function across different settings and over time. This could lead to supports being reduced or removed based on incomplete or oversimplified information.

Submission 1534

My position on this Bill

I support a sustainable and well-managed NDIS, but I have serious concerns that the proposed changes could reduce access to timely and appropriate supports for children and families like mine.

The NDIS is essential for my children. They rely on consistent therapy and supports such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and orthotics to manage communication, regulation, mobility and participation in everyday life.

If administrative requirements increase or assessments become more rigid, there is a risk these supports could be delayed or reduced in ways that do not reflect real-world need. Disability is not one-size-fits-all and decisions based on limited snapshots can miss the reality of daily functioning.

Continuity of support is critical. Even small disruptions can affect progress, development and participation.

I also believe efforts to improve system integrity should focus on genuine fraud and misuse, without placing additional burden on families who are legitimately accessing supports.

Recommendations

Based on my experience, I recommend the Committee consider:

• Keeping assessment and eligibility processes flexible and focused on real-world functioning
• Avoiding increased administrative requirements that delay or disrupt therapy
• Ensuring evidence timeframes reflect the real workload of therapists and current wait times
• Protecting early intervention supports
• Ensuring community-based programs do not replace specialist therapies for children with complex needs
• Targeting genuine fraud and misuse without adding barriers for families using the scheme appropriately

Closing

Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission and for considering the lived experience of families affected by these changes.