Submission

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 - Submission 1854

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

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

Submission 1854

exhaustion. Without timely OT intervention and home support implementation, The injury significantly deteriorated resulting in a higher-grade pressure injury The participant remains inhospital due insufficient funding available at home manage condition safely Earlier would likely prevented both admission costs Unfortunately this type scenario is uncommon even current systems place therefore will happen more people proposed changes Similarly we have supported participants spinal cord injuries were allocated adequate funding self-catheterisation needs This luxury requirement dignity infection prevention basic human functioning Situations demonstrate danger standardised frameworks tick-box approaches fail account real-world clinical needs I am deeply concerned about bill increasing reliance automation algorithms standardized assessment tools funding eligibility decisions Human judgement appropriately qualified allied health essential when working complex neurological disability Functional capacity cannot accurately understood through standardized scoring alone Clinical reasoning environmental context progression disease psychosocial impacts carer capacity safety risks must all be considered together There are also significant workforce sustainability concerns associated with reforms Disability sector already experiencing considerable strain following pricing travel changes Allied health providers delivering community-based services now performing same demands while receiving half previous travel funding placed substantial financial on particularly small medium multidisciplinary practices servicing regional based participants Without sustainable pricing structures risk clinician burnout difficulty retaining experienced occupational therapists neurologists clinicians reduced collaboration increased waitlists access to specialized services closure smaller community-based consolidation of into larger corporate models flexibility continuity care These may ultimately reduce skilled required keep safe independent living within the community Occupational therapy and supports not simply costs system They preventative functional enabling reduces hospital admissions prevent injury support maintain independence improve long-term outcomes

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

Submission 1854

I urge Parliament to carefully consider the real-world consequences of these proposed reforms and adopt the recommendations put forward by Occupational Therapy Australia, including:

• ensuring functional assessments are conducted by appropriately qualified equally as: OccupationalTherapyAustralia allied health professionals;
• prohibitinfullyautomatedfundingoreligibilitydecisions; tabular data. retainingflexiblereasessmentspathways; supports; protectingtherapysupportsfrombroadfuturefundingsupportsandensuringlevelsofsustainabilityoftheNDIScannotcomeatthecostofparticipantsafety,dignity,independence,andaccesstoessentialtherapysupporstheopportunitytoprovidethissubmission.Yoursincerely