NDIA Accountability Project

Occupational therapy workforce sustainability and capacity building supports

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

Submission 1598

Re: Submission on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

I am writing to formally voice my deep concerns regarding the proposed changes in the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026). I am submitting this as a deeply concerned citizen and the parent of a practicing Occupational Therapist (OT) who works directly with NDIS participants every day.

Through my daughter’s work, I see firsthand how vital occupational therapy is. OTs do not just provide a service; they give participants the vital skills, modifications, and capacity-building supports they need to live independent, safe, and meaningful lives.

I am incredibly alarmed by the following aspects of the proposed legislation and recent budget decisions:

    1. The Proposed 10% Cut to Capacity Building Supports: Reducing funding for

daily activity supports by 10% will directly restrict participants’ access to essential occupational therapy. Cutting the very resource that teaches people how to be independent will only create a higher, more expensive reliance on long-term, passive care settings.

    2. Threats to Workforce Sustainability: Occupational therapists are already

operating under rigid pricing structures and inadequate travel reimbursements that do not reflect the reality of delivering care, particularly in regional or community settings. Failing to support the allied health workforce means OTs will be forced out of the sector, leaving vulnerable participants without the professionals they rely on.

I fully support Occupational Therapy Australia’s (OTA) “No OTs, No NDIS” campaign. Without a properly supported, fairly funded OT workforce, the NDIS cannot achieve its core legislative goal of fostering participant independence and choice.

I urge the Committee to reject the proposed 10% cuts to capacity building supports and instead focus on establishing a national allied health pricing strategy that secures the workforce for future generations.

Thank you for considering my submission. I consent to this submission being published publicly.

Yours sincerely