Submission 1836
Submission to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Attention: Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs
Submitted by email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au
Date: 28/05/2026
I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
I am a family member and carer of two young adult NDIS participants with disability].
I want to outline the harm this Amendment Bill will case if it passes.
I absolutely agree changes must be made to ensure the survival of the scheme but many decisions reveal an ignorance of the day to day struggles and challenges of people with disability and their families.
Unreviewable ministerial power to cut funding across all support categories
Submission 1836
The Minister can reduce funding for any support or group of supports by a specified percentage through an instrument that cannot be challenged (Schedule 1 Part 4). This applies across all budget categories. Unspent funds will no longer carry over at plan renewal (Schedule 1 Part 5).
How this affects participants: A participant’s community participation, capacity building or assistive technology funding could be cut without warning and without any right to appeal. Participants who save unspent funds across plan periods for high-cost items will lose that ability entirely.
Reduction in community participation takes my family back to the dark ages where we were trapped inside our homes. My boys need to be part of the community. They need to be present in the community. Reduced community access equals reduced quality of life and takes away the respite effect- the break that family members get from each other when we can get out and about.
Taking away previously granted AT is dangerous and possibly fatal to my eldest son who depends on several pieces of AT. At times they need to be serviced or replaced. Not doing this endangers his life.
Submission 1836
Recommendation: Require that planners consult with families before cuts are made. Very often individuals have a clear idea of where cuts can be made without devastating impact. For example many find Behavioral Support fairly useless after a year or two where strategies have been established yet NDIS keeps funding this category regardless.
The issue: A person with disability will need to exhaust treatment options before they can be eligible for the Scheme (Schedule 1 Part 8). There will also be a removal of whole-of-person assessment, replaced by single eligible impairment consideration (Schedule 1 Part 3). The note that previously acknowledged environmental factors and other ineligible impairments could affect support needs will be removed (Schedule 1 Part 3).
How this affects participants: People with disability will need to prove their impairment cannot be treated before they access the NDIS. Once in the scheme, their supports will only be assessed against a single eligible impairment rather than their whole experience. A person’s individual circumstances will not be considered, including ability to pay for treatment, where they live or whether treatment is actually available to them.
Submission 1836
People with disabilities don’t live in a vacuum. The amount of informal support available must be taken into consideration. Supports must be put into place when those informal supports decrease.
Also young children with severe disabilities need access to quality interventions as early as possible to increase chances of independence later in life.
Recommendation: Do not proceed with a requirement to exhaust “appropriate” treatment options – there are no safeguarding measures around participant harm due to side effects or lack of early intervention.
Supports cut before replacement system is ready
The issue: From 1 October 2026, the government has announced funding for social, civic and community participation supports will be cut by 50 per cent and capacity building daily activities by 10 per cent for all participants, reductions that will be implemented through the ministerial instrument power in Schedule 1 Part 4. The Foundational Supports system intended to fill that gap has no confirmed implementation date and is not yet operational.
How this affects participants: Supports that help participants connect with their community, build skills and maintain independence may be cut before anything exists to replace them, leaving
Submission 1836
carers and families with greater responsibilities and no additional support. These supports are often what help people stay visible, connected and safe.
Recommendation: Require that no reductions to community participation or capacity building supports take effect until Foundational Supports are fully operational, adequately funded and demonstrably able to meet the needs of those who will lose NDIS supports.