National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 , Submission 223 , ,,, BRIGHT EYES SPEECH PATHOLOGY
Submission regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission from Bright Eyes Speech Pathology Shoalhaven Region, NSW
24th May 2026
I am writing as the owner and sole clinician of Bright Eyes Speech Pathology, a regional paediatric speech pathology service operating across the Shoalhaven region of New South Wales.
I have worked as a speech pathologist for 18 years, including the past 8 years operating a private paediatric practice supporting children with developmental delay, autism, disability and neurodivergent communication and learning needs across homes, schools, preschools and community settings from Bomaderry to Sanctuary Point.
My service works with children and families accessing supports through the NDIS, Medicare, private health and privately funded pathways. I also work closely with schools, preschools, paediatricians, allied health providers and community services throughout the region.
I strongly oppose the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
While I acknowledge the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NDIS, I am deeply concerned that this bill prioritises short-term budget containment over the lived reality, wellbeing, safety and human rights of disabled people and their families.
The proposed changes risk significantly reducing access to essential supports, destabilising the disability workforce and increasing long-term pressures across health, education, mental health and community systems.
Importantly, many of the clinicians with the greatest paediatric disability experience currently work within the private allied health sector. Across regional communities in particular, private providers are already carrying a substantial proportion of the developmental and disability support system. Small private practices have spent years building trusted relationships with families, schools, preschools and local communities. Many are already operating within significant workforce shortages, long waitlists and increasing financial pressure.
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National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 223
If these reforms result in reduced access to funding, increased administrative burden, restricted plan flexibility or reduced service viability, many experienced providers may reduce capacity or leave the sector entirely. This would not simply reduce business numbers. It would result in the loss of highly specialised paediatric disability knowledge, continuity of care and accessible local supports for families.
Regional communities would be disproportionately affected.
The bill repeatedly emphasises the “financial sustainability” of the scheme while introducing measures that narrow access, tighten eligibility, limit reassessment opportunities and expand powers to reduce funding supports.
There is significant concern that the proposed reforms fail to adequately consider the long-term social and economic consequences of reducing access to early intervention and developmental supports.
As a clinician, I regularly see the difference that timely support makes to: communication development emotional regulation school participation literacy and learning family functioning mental health and wellbeing independence and community participation Early intervention is not simply a short-term expense. It is preventative support that can reduce future reliance on more intensive systems.
When children do not receive appropriate developmental supports early: school disengagement increases family stress and burnout increase mental health concerns escalate behavioural distress often increases presentations to emergency departments and crisis systems may increase pressure on hospitals, mental health services, education systems and child protection systems may increase long-term support needs may become more complex and costly These downstream impacts are not adequately reflected in the framing of this bill.
I am also deeply concerned about provisions that appear to minimise the importance of environmental context, family circumstances and the realities of disability in everyday life.
For example, the proposed definition of “functional capacity” excludes, as far as possible, the impact of environmental and personal circumstances.
In practice, disability does not exist in isolation from a person’s environment. A child’s ability to communicate, regulate, participate or remain safe is directly influenced by factors such as: school supports family capacity trauma poverty 2
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 223
access to services communication accessibility transport housing stability community inclusion
Removing these realities from assessment frameworks risks producing decisions that are disconnected from lived experience.
I am also concerned by the increasing emphasis on parental responsibility and informal supports within the bill.
Many families are already experiencing significant exhaustion, financial strain and emotional burnout while navigating fragmented systems and caring for children with complex developmental needs. Informal supports cannot continue absorbing increasing levels of responsibility without significant consequences for family wellbeing, workforce participation and mental health.
The proposed changes also raise serious concerns regarding consultation and co-design.
Disabled people, families, clinicians and community providers hold essential lived and operational knowledge about how disability supports function in real life. Many within the sector feel these reforms have been developed with insufficient transparency, collaboration and meaningful engagement with the people most likely to be affected.
There is growing concern that disability is increasingly being framed primarily through the lens of economic burden and cost reduction rather than participation, dignity, inclusion and human rights.
Disabled people are not budget problems to be managed.
They are members of our families, schools, workplaces and communities who deserve access to the supports required to participate safely and meaningfully in daily life.
I urge the Australian Government to reconsider the proposed amendments and undertake broader consultation and co-design with disabled people, families, clinicians, advocacy organisations and community providers before progressing reforms of this scale.
Any future reforms should: protect access to early intervention and developmental supports preserve continuity of care and therapeutic relationships recognise the critical role of the private allied health sector account for regional workforce realities consider long-term social and economic impacts rather than short-term cost reduction alone meaningfully include disabled people and families in decision-making processes uphold the dignity, wellbeing and human rights of disabled Australians
Sustainable reform cannot occur by reducing support access without considering the broader human and societal consequences.
The long-term cost of failing children and families early is likely to be far greater than the short-term savings these amendments seek to achieve. 3
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 223
Thank you for the opportunity to provide this submission.
Susannah Easton Speech Pathologist, MSPA, CPSP Bright Eyes Speech Pathology Shoalhaven region, NSW
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