National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1805
I am writing this submission today because I have grave concerns about the changes to the NDIS bill. I ask that the government withdraw this bill.
Any and all changes that are done to the NDIS should be done in direct consultation with disabled people. I understand that the system is not working, but I need you to understand that the changes that have been proposed will kill people. The burden of broken bureaucracy shouldn’t fall onto those who are in need of support.
I have particular concerns about the proposed “not contactable” and participant engagement rules. This proposed change creates dangerous conditions for disabled people who are in hospital, experiencing mental health crisis, unable to communicate due to disability, without support to manage communication or experiencing housing instability/domestic violence.
I also have concerns with the eligibility or assessment changes.
I have first hand experience of supporting loved ones through the ndis application process, witnessing the dignity stripping process of functional capacity screenings and de personalised clinical questions that don’t actually get a whole picture of how fluid and moving disability can be.
I have seen people apply and reapply, jump through all the uncomfortable bureaucratic hoops and still be denied the support they need. I think that the process of NDIS application process needs to look at the whole person, not just focusing on a single disability, that is unrealistic. Most disabled people have multi diagnosed ,co-morbid, multi system disabilities that effect them in a kaleidoscope of ways. There is already people who really need access to the ndis supports who aren’t getting them, decreasing the eligibility will do nothing but cut more people off the supports they need and place more stress upon the emergency room/public hospitals.
Another huge concern I have is the change to the NDIA definition of ‘permanence’, to move these goalposts will be devastating to people. Under these changes participants could be expected to try all available treatments before being considered eligible for the NDIS. What if those treatments are unaffordable? How are they expected to access any supports? These changes are short sighted and not taking into account the already huge financial burden that diagnosis takes. For many of us it takes many years and thousands of dollars just to get a diagnosis, let alone to seek and pay for all possible treatments before accessing support.
Section 34A will grant the Minister authority to issue rules that have the potential to reduce funding across specified categories of supports without individual assessment. I am extremely concerned that this does not adequately consider the individual participant’s safety, functional impact, or the risks associated with reducing supports.
Section 33(2EA) grants the Minister authority to cap the funding amounts for specific supports based on participant cohorts or categories, potentially without direct parliamentary approval. I believe decisions of this significance should absolutely be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and oversight.
Section 48A sets very rigid boundaries around the circumstances in which a participant’s plan can be reassessed. I am very concerned that this could leave participants without adequate funding when circumstances change or when current supports are no longer sufficiently meeting their needs.
Section 9B appears to define functional capacity against an artificial baseline rather than how a person is actually required to function in everyday life. Disability impacts people within real-world environments and responsibilities, not theoretical benchmarks.
The proposed changes are going to affect not only participants to the NDIS but also their families, friends and community.
Autonomy and dignity are two things that are consistently denied to disabled folk and I have concerns that the suggested amendments to the bill will make that even worse. Quality of life is more than your basic needs being met, it includes human connection, participation in the community, access to appointments, and the ability to engage in ordinary aspects of life with appropriate support. I am deeply concerned about how families will be expected to advocate for
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1805
Participants moving forward, and what the changes in quality of life may look like if supports are progressively reduced through budget measures and funding caps.
What I want the committee to understand is that these changes are guaranteed to ruin people’s lives, to put those at most risk at even more risk. It will increase the precarious nature of many disabled people’s lives and has the potential to kill people. Any and all changes that are made to the NDIS need to be made in direct consultation and co-designed with disabled people. Nothing about us, without us.
Thank you for considering my lived experiences and for taking the time to read my submission, sincerely,