National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2042
What I want the committee to understand:
The NDIS can be life-changing — and removing it can be devastating.
I am a person with a disability
Before the NDIS, I was homebound and entirely reliant on a violent and abusive partner for support. I was not prioritised for state- based assistance and had no other eligible pathway. Losing NDIS supports does not mean my needs disappear. It means I would be forced back into unsafe, informal arrangements. This is not just a funding issue — it is a safeguarding issue.
I do not have the financial means to pay for supports out of pocket. The alternative to NDIS funding is not reduced support — it is no support at all.
I am not asking the NDIS to fund everyday expenses. I understand that haircuts, gym memberships, and similar costs are my own responsibility, and I pay for those myself. I also make every effort to ensure my funding goes as far as possible. I have never exhausted my funds early. I use independent providers who charge well under the price caps, and I avoid weekend and public holiday support unless it is completely unavoidable. I am not a participant who misuses the system — I am one who actively works to keep costs low while maintaining my independence.
What I need is targeted, low-cost support that makes independent life possible:
• Safe transport to appointments, activities, and work • Assistance with tasks such as signing documents and grocery shopping • Cleaning and household support — including tasks that are completely unfeasible for me to do safely, such as mowing a lawn • Low-cost equipment that supports my everyday functioning • Occasional employment support, such as navigating new spaces and transport
Without these supports, my access to medical care would be cut or severely limited. My choices would be stripped back in basic ways — including something as fundamental as where I can grocery shop. I would be significantly worse off financially overall.
Loss of household supports also puts my housing at risk. I rely on NDIS-funded cleaning and home maintenance to meet the basic conditions of my tenancy. Without that support, I would be at risk of losing my long-term, stable accommodation. For someone with my history, housing stability is not a luxury — it is the foundation everything else is built on. Losing it would be catastrophic.
The NDIS enables me to work and contribute. I am a taxpayer because of this scheme. Cutting my supports is not a saving — it is
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2042
economically counterproductive. My ability to maintain employment depends directly on support with transport and navigating new environments. Without it, I would likely be forced out of work entirely.
This Bill also threatens jobs across the broader economy. If participants like me are exited from the scheme, two things happen: disabled Australians are pushed out of the workforce, and the support workers who assist them lose their jobs too. The downstream effect on Australia’s unemployment rate would be real and measurable — and it is not being accounted for in this debate.
State-based systems failed me before the NDIS and would fail me again. There is no credible alternative safety net. Whilst I am aware that foundational supports are proposed under this Bill, there is no concrete plan as to who would be eligible, what those supports would look like, or how they would be delivered. Promises of future supports are not a substitute for the existing, functioning system that people like me depend on today.
The NDIS gave me my life back. This Bill risks taking it away — not just from me, but from thousands of Australians who have no other option.
Sent from my iPhone