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

Submission 1758

Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill

Name:

I am a disabled person

My main concern about this Bill is: This Bill does not reflect the reality of disability and complex support needs. Many disabled people live with multiple disabilities that interact with each other and affect every part of daily life. It is impossible and harmful to narrow someone down to one “primary disability.” Disability is often multi-systemic, overlapping, and constantly changing. The proposed changes appear to move toward a more standardised, one-size-fits-all system. That approach does not work for disabled people whose needs are complex, individual, and deeply connected to their environment, trauma, culture, health, and support systems. I am also deeply concerned about increased administrative and compliance requirements, stricter communication rules, and increased reliance on automated or system-driven decision making. Many disabled people cannot consistently respond within strict timeframes because of hospitalisation, burnout, mental health crises, communication barriers, housing instability, or lack of support. Punishing people for being “not contactable” ignores the reality of disability and crisis.

One example from my experience: I am a 22-year-old Aboriginal woman who has experienced homelessness on and off throughout my life, especially over the past five years. I do not have strong informal supports and I rely heavily on the NDIS to survive and access essential care. I live with multiple disabilities affecting my psychosocial wellbeing, neurodivergence, and physical health. I have complex multi-systemic illnesses including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), ME/CFS, and fibromyalgia. These conditions affect every part of my body and impact me every single day in different and unpredictable ways. I have also experienced significant trauma, and my support needs are not simple. I require care that understands disability, trauma, culture, housing instability, and complex chronic illness together. My needs cannot be separated into neat categories or reduced to a single diagnosis. A one-size-fits-all system will fail people like me. Standardised plans and automated systems cannot properly understand the reality of living with multiple intersecting disabilities and complex life circumstances.

What I want the committee to understand is: Disabled people’s lives cannot be streamlined into rigid systems that prioritise efficiency over care. Every disabled person has unique circumstances and many require attentive, flexible,

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

Submission 1758

wraparound support.

I am especially concerned about:

• The proposal to only fund one approved “primary disability,” which ignores the reality of complex and overlapping disabilities.
• The increased use of administrative or automated systems in decision making, which risks removing human understanding and flexibility.
• The possibility of supports being paused or affected if someone is considered “not contactable,” even during periods of crisis, hospitalisation, burnout, homelessness, or communication difficulty.
• The extension of application processing times from 21 days to 90 days, which is an excessive delay for people who urgently need support.
• Reduced flexibility around reassessments and plan reviews, especially during crisis or changing circumstances.
• Requirements to exhaust all treatments before accessing support, which may unfairly disadvantage disabled people with conditions that are poorly understood, difficult to treat, or lifelong.

There must continue to be accessible pathways for plan reviews, reassessments, and disputes when participants feel decisions are unfair or unsafe. Human oversight and individualised care must remain central to the NDIS.

Disabled people deserve dignity, safety, flexibility, and support that reflects our actual lives.

My position on this Bill

☒ I do not support it and I have serious concerns. Because: Even the current system is already struggling to adequately support disabled people. Cutting or restricting supports further will not improve quality of care. It is difficult to understand how these changes can reduce funding, increase barriers, and introduce more rigid systems while still claiming to support disabled Australians effectively. It is deeply upsetting that disabled people are being asked to carry the burden of budget cuts while large industries continue to avoid fair contributions. Disabled people should not be treated as an easy target for cost reduction. The NDIS should stand with disabled people and advocate strongly for our right to live safely, independently, and with dignity. These proposed changes make many participants feel unheard, unsupported, and afraid for the future.

I ask the committee to consider my lived experience when reviewing this Bill