Submission 1914

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

To the Committee,

I am writing this submission not as a politician, lawyer or organisation, but as a human being deeply affected by the direction the NDIS is heading.

The NDIS was created to give Australians with disability dignity, independence, safety and a chance at a better quality of life. For many people, it has been life-changing. But right now, many participants feel frightened, exhausted and abandoned by a system that was supposed to support them.

I understand the need to protect the sustainability of the NDIS and prevent fraud and misuse. Genuine participants want that too. We do not support rorting or exploitation of the scheme. But the answer cannot be making innocent participants suffer, lose supports, or live in fear that their essential care will disappear.

The reality is that people with disability are already fighting battles every single day that most Australians never see. Many are dealing with chronic pain, mental exhaustion, trauma, medical complications, isolation and the constant stress of trying to survive in a world that is not built for them.

The NDIS should reduce that burden — not add to it.

Instead, many participants are experiencing:

• sudden cuts to supports,
• increased scrutiny,
• endless reassessments,
• complicated systems,
• inconsistent decisions,
• and growing fear around what will be taken away next.

There is a deep emotional toll that is not being acknowledged enough.

Participants are being made to feel like they are a cost burden instead of human beings.

People are forced to repeatedly prove disabilities that are permanent and lifelong. Families and carers are burning out. Vulnerable Australians are spending months fighting for supports they previously had and clearly still need.

Many decisions appear to be made through policies, computer systems and rigid interpretations rather than genuine understanding of the individual person and their daily reality.

Disability is not black and white.

Submission 1914

A support that may look “non-essential” on paper can actually be the very thing preventing:

ehospital admissions, hmental health decline, social isolation, family breakdown, homlessness, or complete loss of independence.

When supports are reduced, the consequences are devastating. They do not disappear — they simply shift elsewhere: once onto unpaid carers, families, hospitals, emergency services and already overwhelmed community systems.

I am deeply concerned that reforms under this Bill could further narrow the interpretation of “reasonable and necessary supports” and create more barriers for genuine participants trying to access basic assistance that allows them to live safely and participate in society.

The language of “sustainability” cannot become an excuse for reducing humanity.

People with disability are not asking for luxury. The are asking for the ability to shower safely, leave the house, attend appointments, participate in the community, manage their health, maintain dignity and live with some level of independence and hope.

I ask the Committee to remember that behind every plan and budget is a real person.

A mother. A son. A daughter. A carer. A human being trying to live with dignity.

The NDIS was built on the idea that Australians with disability deserve opportunity, inclusion and support — not fear and constant uncertainty.

Please ensure these reforms do not punish the very people the Scheme was designed to protect.

I urge the Committee to:

• protect essential supports for genuine participants,
• ensure decisions remain person-centred and evidence-based,
• reduce unnecessary reassessments and administrative trauma,
• genuinely consult with people with disability,

Submission 1914

and ensure the future of the NDIS is built on compassion, fairness and humanity — not only financial savings.

The future of the NDIS should not be secured by making vulnerable Australians feel unsafe, unheard or disposable.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my submission.

Sincerely Natalie Nodari

Sent from my iPhone