NDIA Accountability Project

Mother expresses concerns over NDIS changes impacting son with autism, cerebral palsy, and global developmental delay

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

Submission 2242

deep concerns regarding the proposed changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

I am a mother of a 27 year old boy directly impacted by the NDIS. Specifically, I see the daily realities of my son, and my family’s lives dealing with challenges that come with autism, cerebral palsy and global developmental delay. Our daily challenges are profound, and navigating life with limited support is incredibly difficult.

I love my son dearly and I routinely go above and beyond to ensure his safety, well-being, and dignity. Over the last 27 years, I have cared for my with the sole wish that he can enjoy a normal quality of life—the kind of standard health, safety, and community participation that those of us without a disability often take for granted.

Due to the intensive level of care required, my elderly mother has helped over the years. Since my mother broke her hip, she is very challenged and is almost 80 years of age. Therefore caring for while I’m at work is a great challenge for her now and I can’t juggle work and caring for full time. This has become extremely overwhelming and I am now suffering mentally and physically from the stress. It’s simply not sustainable. I also carry the heavy psychological burden of worrying about what will happen to even when I am no longer around, and whether this care will become an unfair burden on my eldest son.

The NDIS is a vital lifeline for my family. It provides the essential support structures that allows me to catch my breath, reset, and sustain my long-term caregiving role. I am deeply concerned by the following aspects of the proposed legislation:

  • Unilateral Ministerial Powers: Giving the Minister the power to overrule the NDIA and cut participants’ plans arbitrarily undermines trust and strips stability away from vulnerable families.
  • Shifting the Burden of Care: The proposed 30% cuts to social and community supports will inevitably shift the unpaid care burden back onto families—disproportionately impacting women who are already stretched to breaking point.
  • Threat to Local Service Provider Viability: Reducing community participation budgets will cause essential, specialized local providers—such as FitnAble, Australian Institute for Human Wellness, Mates4U and Stellar Experiences—to lose clientele, threatening their financial viability and reducing choice for participants.
  • Social Isolation: These cuts will reduce participants’ worlds, making their lives smaller and more isolated. Eliminating community access cuts out the very activities that foster joy, friendships, and independence.
  • Lack of Meaningful Consultation: This framework is being advanced without genuine co-design or thorough consultation with the very participants, carers, and frontline service providers who will bear the consequences.
  • Undermining Early Intervention: Reducing early intervention supports is a short-sighted approach that will drastically increase long-term costs. Unmet needs do not disappear; they simply manifest later as crises in health, mental health, emergency departments, and the justice system.

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

Submission 2242

Furthermore, state governments have explicitly indicated they cannot replicate individualised NDIS services.

  • Automated and AI Decision-Making: The implementation of automated algorithms to assess and monitor plans is highly alarming. Human functional needs cannot be calculated by a computer program. We saw the devastating psychological and systemic harm caused by Robodebt when automated government systems lack human empathy and oversight.
  • Shift Towards a Welfare Model: These changes signal a reggressive shift in how the government views the NDIS—treating it like a capped income-support or welfare scheme rather than an entitlement-based support system designed to foster community inclusion and independent living.

The NDIS was designed to ensure equity and dignity for Australians with a disability. I urge the Committee to reject changes that compromise these fundamental values and place undue hardship on participants and their families.

Thank you for considering my submission.

Yours faithfully