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

Submission 2126

I am writing as the parent and primary carer of & , both Autistic individuals living in QLD. I submit this document to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding Schedule 1 of the NDIS Amendment Act: Securing the NDIS). This schedule requires functional capacities be assessed “without assistance” using supports such as assistive technology, environmental adaptations etc., as far possible. The current reliance upon these supports includes: support workers, available schedules, vital sensory aids, to manage daily life routines without which they cannot complete their day-to-day tasks or access community settings including education facilities, making transitions smoothly accessible allied health services. These essential elements do NOT constitute optional extras but rather form a critical foundation enabling our children’s lives; even my own role as main caregiver would become impossible if these were removed. If NDIA assesses them based solely ON absence OF these vital support systems then it could determine low needs leading TO removal of funding that maintains stability - This is circular logic with dangerous implications. A person appears to have LOW NEEDS precisely because THE SUPPORT IS WORKING! Assessments should reflect how an individual functions IN REAL LIFE WITH THEIR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT AND EXISTING SUPPORT SYSTEMS according to OTSi recommendations from the NDIS Review allowing evidence FROM multiple sources INCLUDING TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS.

The Bill instead favours standardised snapshot assessments WHICH CANNOT CAPTURE FLUCTUATING NEEDS OR MASK VITAL FUNCTIONALITY THAT MAINTAINS AUTISTIC INDIVIDUAL STABILITY MY CHILDREN’S OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, SPEECH PATHOLOGISTS PSYCHOLOGISTS & TREATING TEAM UNDERSTAND THEIR FUNCTIONAL ABILITIES! BRIEF ADMINISTRATIVE ASSESSMENTS DO NOT REFLECT THIS PICTURE AT ALL. The Committee must remove requirement for functional capacity assessment WITHOUT ASSISTANCE and require real-life functioning in current supports be reflected, to protect allied health professionals’ roles within all NDIS access planning reassessment decisions ensuring no automated or administrative assessment can override clinical evidence provided by qualified practitioners. Families like mine are already at breaking point: a mother dealing with mental health issues alongside 2 daughters both autistic plus other conditions; especially as we three out of five on NDIS have complex needs. The deaths OF Autistic children in Perth January 2026 Campbelltown May 2026 demonstrate what happens when support is withdrawn from families who lack this essential stability. This bill should not exacerbate such situations! Yours sincerely,