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

Submission 1759

Dear Senators,

I am very concerned for proposed changes to the NDIS in “Securing the NDIS for the future Generations Bill” and ask that the bill not be passed in its current form.

I am writing this submission as a carer for my adult 30-year-old son living in Perth, Western Australia. He is autistic, Level 2 (diagnosed at 3 years of age) and has mental illness, including a serious long term eating disorder. He also has several other significant health issues. He has been living in his own apartment (State Government housing) for the past 3 years after previously having 2 difficult experiences in Supported Independent Living (SIL). He does not work, and leads a very isolated life, apart from attending a Community Garden and social table tennis with one of his support workers each week. He also has several therapists who have worked tirelessly with him to build his skills.

I have had to drop my work days to manage all the NDIS support staff, his appointments, day to day issues and administrative tasks.

I am grateful for the NDIS as before the scheme was here in W.A., he had very minimal supports at all.

I also understand that the scheme needs to be sustainable to last into the future.

However, I am very concerned about aspects of the proposed NDIS future generations Bill.

One aspect that worries me is eligibility - that supports can only be considered for the condition that gave access to the scheme- and multiple disabilities cannot be considered in overall functioning. You cannot separate his autistic self from his mental illness- they are intertwined and give rise to multiple levels of challenges- which are ongoing and very difficult to manage.

I am worried that he may be assessed under new functional capacity tests as having capacity to perform tasks in theory- but in fact his capacity fluctuates daily, and if left alone for days on end he would not cope. I also worry that being autistic, he may be removed from the scheme altogether if entire categories are able to be removed by the minister, and that decisions are based on automated assessment tools and generated algorithms, with no avenue for appeal.

We have worked hard to try to give him an ordinary life that a 30-year-old man might be living in the community- we are not there yet, it is a work in progress. My husband and I also want to be able to approach retirement knowing our son is supported to live independently with the care he needs.

We are now fearful for what the future may bring in terms of these proposed changes to the NDIS. We wish to see amendments that give scope for holistic consideration of a person’s total needs when functional capacity is assessed- not automated tools on their own; that there is avenue for appeal of decisions; and that the minister is not granted wholesale powers to alter scheme components.

Yours faithfully,

28.5.2026