Submission 2184

29th May 2026

To Whom it May Concern

Re: NDIS Future Generations Bill 2026

I am a Mother and primary care giver to my 10 year old Daughter who is autistic. We have been supported by the NDIS for several years and accessed mostly Occupational Therapy fortnightly which has been life changing for my Daughter and our family. We have also accessed Speech Pathology and Psychology at times when this was required. The individualised, flexible, goal focused and person centred nature of the support has given us the ability to work with the right professionals at the right time in the right place. Attending appointments is an extreme challenge for my child given her dislike of new environments and change. So having this level of flexibility has been imperative.

I strongly oppose the changes to the NDIS Bill.

I am a physiotherapist with 25 years experience in public health. I currently work as a Clinical Coordinator in a large public health organisation and a significant part of my job is assessing the function capacity, abilities, and goals of clients in the inpatient setting to determine their suitability for admission to our program or discharge home. I have significant knowledge in the area of health, disability and assessments. I hold grave concerns about the NDIS proposed ‘functional capacity’ test.

I am concerned it is not going to be led by professionals, it is not going use c临ical reasoning, and knowledge or experience of those who know what they are assessing. I fear they won’t listen to the professionals surrounding the disabled person who may have known them for years. It is not going to be evidence based, or individualised.

My child is a high masking autistic female. The lack of knowledge around the female autistic presentation by a significant proportion of the population provides significant issues for her. It is disappointing that the world is so far behind in its awareness of the challenges autistic females face. I do not believe the NDIS will be able to accurately ‘assess’ my child via a new

Submission 2184

‘functional capacity’ test. We would require an assessor to live within our house for 24 hours if they truly wanted to see the impact of her disability.

I have fought for years against systems who have continually told me my child was ‘fine’. Whilst my child slowly deteriorated, her anxiety grew, she could not attend school, she couldn’t participate in any extra curricular sports or activities that other children took for granted, she couldnt access public places, family outings were not an option and our family life was at crisis point. All whilst the world around us told us she was ‘fine’ because she looked like a normal person. She walked, she talked. What could be the problem?

When we were finally ‘seen and heard’ and a beautiful paediatrician knew exactly what was happening for my child our world slowly turned around. Occupational therapy was life changing. We learnt about the challenges for autistic people, we learnt how to over come these. We learnt skills to cope and to reintegrate into life. It took time but slowly my child could start to engage in life like other young kids. This should not be a luxury afforded to a small number of disabled children. I want every autistic child to be provided with the same level of support so they can start their lives with a chance. And whilst we still have many challenges and a long road ahead and I know there are going to be lifelong struggles, I cannot imagine the position my child would be in without that support. The cost to this government would be significant, the cost to our family huge. The cost to society is immeasurable. Everyone would suffer in the long run.

I am terrified by the prospect of this ‘functional assessment’ which sounds like it is prioritizing those with visible disabilities over those with hidden disabilities. We are moving backwards. It is both sad and scary. After years of progress for autistic females, they slide back into the shadows.

The apparent lack of knowledge of the autistic community, in particular autistic females, by the government is appaling. An hour scrolling Facebook and you would soon learn a significant amount about the challenges for this population.

To be autistic in Australia in 2026 is a permanent and significant disability in every sense of the word. The world was not designed for autistic people. Every aspect of life is difficult. All autistic people should have access and ongoing support provided by the NDIS. If not on grounds of compassion and humanitarianism, then simply think of the long term cost of not providing this population support. The cost that the government will wear, guaranteed, ten fold. The cost will be significant in money and in lives.

Please consult those who have knowledge in this area, I understand as a politician you cannot have knowledge in all issues that impact Australians. But as educated and intelligent people, please acknowledge the gaps in

Submission 2184

knowledge and seek the information from experts in the field and those who live this every day.

I would prefer my name not to be published for the privacy of my child. However I am happy for this content to be shared.

Sincerely,