National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2034
To Whom It May Concern,
Please consider this my submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
I am distressed by the changes to the NDIS announced by Health Minister Mark Butler. Of particular concern is the ministerial powers to cut support funding. As it stands, funding is determined based on an individual’s needs, however this Bill proposes ministerial power to cut funding to everyone on the scheme without individual consideration. This is absurd, as everyone’s support needs are different, and often disabilities are dynamic.
Funding cuts such as these, particularly to social & community participation budgets, are cruel and unnecessary. It is unfair to punish participants for provider fraud. Also, if the truth behind the proposed cuts were sustainability concerns, the money to support the scheme could be found in other places; for example, taxing billionaires and fossil fuel companies, or backing out of AUKUS (which is a separate issue that I also have a lot to say about) and saving the nation $386 billion.
These cuts have the potential to severely impact the quality of life of people living with disabilities across Australia. I am a psychosocial participant, and personally, the days I have my support worker are often the only days I leave my house due to a diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia. This is but one of a laundry list of diagnoses I have accumulated over the years. As stated by my former general practitioner, “without NDIS supports, I am at risk of institutionalisation or death.”
The new laws the Labor government are trying to pass are inhumane and unjust, and will do unspeakable damage to the disabled community. Everybody deserves the support they need to live a good life, not just to survive. It is especially problematic that these changes are the direct result of decisions being made without including the disabled community.
Another change unanimously disagreed with is the intention to police who can provide support to NDIS participants. It is crucial for us to have agency over this, as we are trusting these people with our care needs. Also, the government has stated that people who will be removed from the scheme will have access to Foundational Supports - these have not yet been established, and it is dangerous and neglectful to take away existing supports without having a clear plan for future supports. The ability to challenge insufficient or unfair plan decisions via reviews must be maintained.
Yours Sincerely,