Submission: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1871 - Supplementary Submission
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee Re: Proposed NDIS Reform Legislation and Integrity Measures Submitted by:
redacted Partner of an NDIS Participant and Carpenter My name is redactedandIworkasacarpenter. I build housesforaliving.MostdaysImthinkingaboutwork,payingthemortgage, keepingupwithbillsandyetryingtobuildagoodfuturewithmywife.I’mnotapolitician,a classifierorapolicyexpert.Imjustsomeonetryingtodothethingbyhisfamily.The reason Im writing this submissionisbecauseIfeellikethereissomethingmissingfromtheconversationaroundtheseforms.A lotofwhatIhearaboutcostsbudgetsand sustainability.Idothingovernments havetothinkabouthosethings.WhatIdonthearenoughabooutishappento familieswhendisabilitysupportsisreduced.My wife relies on NDIsupportseveryday.Thoses supportshelpherstaysafe,manages herhealthandleaveasilypossible.Theyalsomakeittofmegoto workeach dayknowingthatsheneedswhileImgone.Ifthosesupportsare reduced,hersdisabilitysuddenlybecomeslesssignificant.She willstillneedthesamehelpsheneedstoday.Thedifferenceisthatmuchoft hatresponsibilitywilllikelyfallbackonto me. Ican’tbeatworkathomeatsametime.If mywifenotsafetobeleftalone,I havetomakachoiceworkandworrywhether shesokayoreducemyhoursandoctakeonnmorecaring responsibilities myself.Neitheroptionisa goodone. Ilovemypowiedidowehavetodo to supporther,butherealityisto thatif Ihastepaway fromtofillgapssupportedcutsaffectseverypart of ourlives.Like most familiesswe’realreadydealingwithrising costs.Wehavemortgage, surance,fuel,groceriesandalusual expensesthateekeepingupevery year.ThethoughtoflosingincomebecauseIneedtoredusmyworkissomething thats genuinely worriesme.It’snotjustaboutgettingbyweek towkIt’sabouteour futurelookslike.My wife andIhave talkedforyearsofhavingchildren.Thatisanormal conversation for a married couple to havewhat isn’tnormalishavequestion whetherthat’s
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1871 - Supplementary Submission
something we’ll ever realistically be able to do because we’re constantly worried about whether the supports she relies on will still be there in the future. When we talk about having a family, we also have to talk about whether I would be able to keep working, whether we could afford to raise children and whether we couldprovide the stable future that every parent wants for their kids. Those aren’tconversations I ever expected disability supports to become part of, but here we are.One of the hardest things about all of this is the uncertainty.I’ve watched my wife spend years gathering reports, attending appointments, goingthrough reviews and trying to explain the same things over and over again. From myperspective, her disability doesn’t disappear between planning meetings.Her needsdon’t change because somebody in an office decides to look at her file differently.Watching someone you love go through that is frustrating because there is very littleyou can do to protect them from the stress of it.You want to fix it, but you can’t.All you candoit watch as they spend months or years fighting for things that seem obvious tothe people who know them best.Over time that uncertainty starts to wear people down.It becomes harder to plan for thefuturebecause you’re never quite sure what comes next.Even when thingsaregoingwellthere’s alwaysthat feelingin the backof your mindthata another revieworanotherdecisioncould changethingseveryagain. Ialso think theris a bigger issuehere thatis n’t getting enough attention.Everday Igoto work building houses becaus e Australia needsmore housing.We’renconstantly hearingabout housingshortagesand workforce shortages.That’s whyit seemsstrange tome thatwe ar havingconversationsaboutreducing supportstha helppeoplestayiwork.Iknow I’m not only partnercarerswhose abilityto worksdepends ondisabilitysupportsbeingavailable.Across thenationther arepeoplegoingtoworkevery daybecausesomeonetheylovehassupport workershelpingt fillgaps familymemberscan’tfill one own.If those supportsa re reducedsome o fthose peopl ewill cutbacktheir hours.Somewillleaveworkaltogether.Somefamilieswill endupunderenormousfinancialpressure.The costsdon t disappear.They justend upsomewhereelse.I understand that governmentsneedtomanage budgets and make difficult decisions.What Ihope decision-makers under stand is that disabilitysupportsonnotjustnumbersonaspreadsheet.For my wife,thesupporthave safety independence dignity.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 1871 - Supplementary Submission
For me, they provide the reassurance that I can go to work and earn a living without contstantly worring abotu whethr shi i okay.
Fro uas acouple, they prvidethe possiblityof builidng afuturetogether. When peopletalkabout reducinddisabilitysuppors,I dontthinktheyrejusttalkingaboutfunding.Theyretalkingaboutealpeoples’lives,realfamiliesandrealfurures.AllIaskisthatthosemakingthesedeceisons taketime tihkabouthefamilesbehindthenumbers.Thankyouforconsideringmysubmission. PartnerofoanNDISParticipantCarpenter