National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2103
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for
Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submitted by a person supporting a person (brother) with lived experience of disability
I am extremely worried about government plans to cut funds under the NDIS - a scheme that has enabled my brother to overcome barriers, reduce risk and harm and improve his functionality.
My brother has an intellectual disability. He is at the age where half of his life was spent without support and the other half of his life with NDIS support.
Without doubt, the NDIS is the reason my son has built his functionality, been able to overcome barriers and achieve life and NDIS goals.
My brother is disabled and of Sudanese background. His mother (and mine) is a single mum who does not speak English, write English or communicate with anyone who does not speak dinka. Her capacity to look after a disabled son with intellectual disability was zero. So I did the right thing and allowed my brother to live with me and my daughter.
Then life changed for me….I had a second child and my fiancé and I bought a property in regional Victoria. This meant transitioning my brother back to live with his mother. We put in a change of circumstance application to give my brother the support he needs now that he is in the care of a single mother (working long hours), who can’t communicate, does not drive etc. He had begun really picking up and I was hopeful that the NDIS would see this upon change of circumstance review.
In the meantime my brother (who is Sudanese) started being exploited by Sudanese gangs in the area where he now lived. Because my brother has an intellectual disability he was extremely vulnerable and naïve. For example, he believed it when the gang members told him that they were his friend. These people introduced my brother to petty crime including shoplifting.
Now I need to add that this story is not a new one for our family as I have another brother who is currently incarcerated due to gangs. So we went to the NDIS explaining that my brother could avoid going down the same track as the other brother with extra supports.
Instead of approving extra supports, my brother lost ALL core funding…..ALL! So we are now even worse off with a brother who has no core support and cut capacity supports. And this is BEFORE the legislation is passed!
It is my experience that the NDIS is already implementing the cuts in community participation and daily living and capacity building…….even before the legislation goes through parliament! What is it going to be like after it goes through parliament?
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2103
I have been depressed ever since to the point of struggling to get out of bed. I just feel so isolated that no one is helping me with my disabled brother. I know I have the right to live my own life with my family (including 2 children) but the NDIS clearly doesn’t agree. The decisions made show that the NDIS thinks I should still be responsible for my brother. And yet I am living in regional Victoria while he is in Melbourne!
I live in total fear that he is going to end up in jail as well. If this happens then it will end up costing the taxpayer even more! But the NDIA delegate didn’t care about that – so long as he saved money on the NDIS’ bottom line, there was no care or support for my disabled brother!
I am very concerned about the lack of safeguards in the new look NDIS. I am very concerned about the iCAN assessment tool which is extremely inadequate in painting an accurate picture into my brother’s disability support needs. He is the type of person who thinks he can do things when he can’t.
I am also very concerned about the electronic element to the changes – to put our lives in the hands of a electronically produced plan instils intense fear. My brother is a real person with a story and there is no way I can such an electronic system especially after what has happened in the past with centrelink.
I lodge our concerns on behalf of my brother and hope that some of the features of the NDIS are not cut because we have seen improvement and support for my brother and the investment the NDIS has made in my brother is exactly that…..an investment. Spend money now and save more later is a wise philosophy and I fear such wisdom has been thrown to the side via this legislation.
We do not support this new legislation in its current form. We understand that changes need to occur but such changes should be well thought out and considered carefully, not rushed through parliament.
Regards