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

Submission 1619

Hello,

I am writing as the sole primary carer and parent of an autistic child living in Queensland. I am submitting this to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs in response to the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS) Bill 2026.

I am writing about the cumulative impact of the proposed changes in this Bill on autistic children and their families, particularly the proposed Thriving Kids program and the broader consequences for primary carers.

From 1 January 2028, the Thriving Kids program proposes to divert autistic children aged 8 and under assessed as having “low to moderate” support needs off the NDIS. The government has used the word “mild” to describe this group. Mild is not a clinical term. It does not appear in the DSM-5 or ICD-11 and has no diagnostic basis. It is a policy label being used to categorise children for the purpose of moving them off the scheme.

My child is autistic and does not communicate verbally. He relies heavily on visual and sensory supports to navigate daily life and participate in his environment. On paper, he may appear to have lower support needs, but in reality our family, and I as his sole care provider, provide intensive support every day to help him function and feel safe.

Analysis by Disability Support Consultants of the NDIA’s own consultation documents confirms that most autistic children will receive mid-range funding with only a small number expected to receive top-level support. This contradicts the foundational NDIS principle that every participant is assessed according to their individual need.

The Thriving Kids program has not been co-designed with autistic families. There is no published evidence base for its support model and no guaranteed transition pathways back to the NDIS if a child’s needs increase. No autistic child should be diverted into a separate system without evidence that it delivers equivalent individually assessed support.

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

Submission 1619 I am also deeply concerned about the broader impact these proposed changes will have on primary carers, particularly women.

The NDIA’s own quarterly data has shown that carer workforce participation improves with access to NDIS support. This is not accidental. Formal supports make employment possible. When support is reduced or removed, carers are forced to absorb that labour themselves.

Primary carers of autistic children and adults are disproportionately women, many of whom already experience reduced workforce participation, lower superannuation,εfinancial instabilityΨand long-term economic disadvantage as a result of caregiving responsibilities. This has been my own experience. I reduced my work hours and earlier this year I had to leave my job entirely because I am my child’s sole carer and the level of support required cannot be managed alongside full-time employment. I am not able to return to work full time while providing the care and support my child needs. As a result, I have lost income, career progression, and superannuation that I will not recover. The proposed changes in this Bill including pre-set funding tiers for autistic children, the requirement to demonstrate “appropriate treatment,”ퟴnd the diversion of children under nine away from the NDIS, ퟢill each increase the care burden on families.Together, these measures risk forcing more primary carers out of the workforce entirely.Iam particularly concerned by subsections 34(1G), 34(1H) and 34(1J)ퟩwhich create legal presumptionthat parentsare responsibleforproviding supervision personalcaretransportemotionalsupportbehaviouralsupportother day-to-day assistancetochildren with disabilitywhile directingthe NDIStodisregardthepressurethis placesonfamilies when determining supports.These provisions do notherefl ecttherelived realityof raisingachildwith complexdisability-relatedneeds.They refl ectapolicy decisiontotransfer costsand responsibilitiesfromthenNDISOnto familysandonto womenin particular.

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

Submission 1619

This is not only a disability issue but a gendered economic issue. Families are already carrying significant care burdens, often at great personal and financial cost. Policies that reduce support will not reduce need; they will simply shift that responsibility onto unpaid carers.

I ask the Committee not to divert autistic children into a separate system unless that system delivers equivalent individually assessed support, is fully co-designed with auti… tic families; includes clear funded pathways back to the NDIS.I also asktheCommitteeto remove subsections34(1G), subsection{34}(1H) and subse…ctions {34}{J} fro…mthBillrequireagenderimpactassessmentofallproposedchangesbeforethisBilpproceedsandcommissionmodellingontheadmin these reformswillhave oncarerworkforceparticipation.EveryautisticchilddeservestoBeassessedasanindividualnotsortedintoafundingtier,andeveryfamilydeservesa-systemtha…ognisestherealities ofdisabilitycareratherthanshiftingresponsibilityontothosealreadycarryingleargestburden.