National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2088
Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill
My name is , I am proudly auDHD and disabled. I am an NDIS participant and I work to support other participants as a Support Worker. I was diagnosed late in life after a period of burnout and deteriorating mental and physical health. I received an NDIS funding package after diagnosis and this support allowed me to recover and rebuild my life. I am now a proud and active member of the disabled community and I care deeply about disabled rights.
I have multiple concerns about this Bill, which I discuss below.
My main concern about this Bill is: The participants who rely on supports for a good quality life will suffer harm if this Bill goes ahead unammended, with the huge funding cuts as proposed, and with restricted access, as well as review of access to existing participants.
I am worried about those who rely on support to live a normal life if this Bill goes through. There are no other supports to fall back on if NDIS funding is limited and services can no longer be accessed, which for some means they will no longer be able to get out of bed, eat, or shower. They may die without NDIS supports.
I’m concerned if I am removed from the scheme my mental health, quality of life and ability to work and live independently will all drastically decrease. I know there are no other supports available in the state or the community so there will be nothing to fall back on. I am concerned my clients will lose their funding and so I will no longer be able to support them and I will lose my job. I know this will have profound effects on their mental wellbeing and physical health. I will lose income and be in uncertain employment and financial stress.
I am also very concerned about the powers that this Bill proposes to grant to the current Health Minister and all other Health Ministers from any government to follow. No one person should have the power to decide on a funding level for a group of people that they do not know or understand. Every decision made should be in consultation with the people whose lives it affects. There should always be accountability to those who make funding decisions that cause harm, and an opportunity to dispute and review such important decisions to avoid harm in the first place.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2088
This Bill will affect me and my quality of life
I am an NDIS participant for autism. I use my plan weekly for psychology to understand my brain and learn emotional regulation skills, for support workers to take me to the gym (strength training helps me manage chronic pain from fibromyalgia), support workers to help me in my home to manage house tasks, life admin, and meals, for occupational therapy which helps me maintain healthy routines and plan for my future, and speech therapy which helps me learn how to communicate with others, and advocate for my needs.
Without NDIS support I can not afford any of these services and I would lose access to each of them. These supports mean I can now work sustainably, something I could not manage before I received funding as I would just over commit and burn out, worsening my chronic health issues and impacting my personal relationships as well. I struggle to manage my energy and maintain employment and still have time for friendships. Occupational therapy is critical in helping me structure my life in a way that my health remains stable, I can keep working and earning income, and have energy to spend time with friends and loved ones, as well as pursue hobbies and connect with the community.
This Bill will affect people I care for
I work as a support worker with other autistic NDIS participants. If they also lose access to funding, they will no longer be able to pay me for support and I will lose my job. My clients all have co-occurring physical and mental illnesses that are also disabling, although many of these are not recognised as disabilities by the NDIS now, and won’t be under the new Bill either. They are socially isolated and risk becoming more so without supports. Social isolation and loneliness are risk factors for worsening mental health and even suicide. I am worried for my clients that they will be at significantly increased risk of harm if the Bill goes through unamended. Bad legislation can be reviewed and changed over time if mistakes are made. Bad life decisions and harm to individuals cannot be changed or undone. NDIS supports are critical for their wellbeing and quality of life.
NDIS Support Changed my Life
NDIS support has been life changing for me. In 3 years I have gone from socially isolated, burnt out, unemployed and with life limiting pain and fatigue, to someone who can work, support others in my community, exercise and manage my pain and engage with my community. I have healthy relationships with family and loved ones, which I could not maintain before. If I no longer have access to my supports, I risk going backwards again, risking further burnout, unemployment and dependence on my family, or other government payments to live my life.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2088
I want the committee to understand
I want the committee to understand that I, and disabled people like me, use my funds only for therapies and supports that allow me to live a normal, healthy life like every non-disabled person does. I did not choose to be born with a brain structure that makes it hard for me to survive in the society we have built. I would not choose to need supports, I crave a more autonomous and independent life. I want the committee to understand that as big as the risks are for me, I am one of the luckier ones who will still live if this Bill goes through. Others will not. Others depend on supports to help them eat. Get out of bed, shower etc. My life will become smaller, but I will still be here, and I will keep fighting for the rights of disabled people. But others will lose their lives. It is simply unconscionable to allow this Bill to go through.
My position on this Bill: I do not support this Bill because it will cause harm to the disabled community that cannot be undone. It will cause loss of life, and I cannot stand by and let that happen unchecked, unnoticed just because the current government wants to save a dollar.
I do not support this BIll because it is unethical, and it is bad for the economy. Money will not be saved, it will be spent in hospitals, in government financial supports, it will cause further unemployment, it will affect every allied health industry, every hospital, every GP, every psychologist, every social worker. The effects will be far further reaching than even the disabled community.
I do not support this Bill because I do not believe it is ethical or safe to grant the powers to the Health Minister that this Bill provides. I believe it is an incredibly dangerous precedent to allow one person the power to cut funding to specific supports or populations without notice, without oversight and without the opportunity to review the decision.
I do not support this Bill because it has been put together quickly and without adequate detail around how access to the NDIS will work, or how function will be measured. If access and funding eligibility is to be made more efficient, more uniform and more effective, disabled people and our organisations need to be consulted on what would work and what would not. It cannot be a one size fits all approach, as disability is so varied. We need to be involved in the design and testing to ensure eligibility measures are fit for purpose.
I do not support this Bill because there are no other support services available to disabled people if the NDIS is cut. If the government wants to decrease NDIS funding and supports, it must first fund and oversee the creation of state based and community supports that will stand in place of NDIS services. This should be in consultation with disabled community, and
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2088
be a coordinated effort to ensure there are adequate resources and access to the entire community regardless of location.
I ask the committee to consider my lived experience as a proud autistic person when reviewing this Bill. I further ask that the committee withdraw this Bill and instead consult with the disabled community on reforms that would meaningfully change the NDIS to better suit disabled people and those who care for us.