National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2332
Submission Regarding the Proposed NDIS Reform Bill
My name is .
I am writing this submission as:
a mother of two young adult sons aged 17 and 21 who are both on the autism spectrum, one of whom lives with profound intellectual disability; a disability advocate; and a student support professional in tertiary education who works alongside learners and families navigating disability, education and access to support.
The reason for this submission is to respectfully but firmly oppose the proposed NDIS reform bill in its current form and to request slower consultation, stronger safeguards and meaningful co-design with the disability community before reforms of this scale proceed.
I support a sustainable National Disability Insurance Scheme.
I understand the importance of ensuring public systems remain financially sustainable and accountable into the future.
However, sustainability must not come at the expense of dignity, inclusion, independence, safety, procedural fairness, family stability and the ability of Australians with disability to live good and ordinary lives.
Since 22 April, I have spent considerable time reviewing discussion from disability organisations, advocates, legal commentators and people with lived experience in an effort to understand the implications of the proposed reforms.
While I recognise there are differing interpretations and that legislation requires careful scrutiny, I believe the concerns being raised justify a slower and more consultative process before changes of this scale proceed.
For my family, this discussion is not theoretical.
My husband and I have spent the last seven years deliberately building a future for our sons.
That future has never been based on dependency.
It has been based on inclusion, participation, growth, safety, community connection, dignity and long-term sustainability.
Like many parents of disabled young adults, we have worked toward creating conditions that allow our sons to live lives that are meaningful and ordinary — not isolated lives defined by reduced opportunity.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2332
The supports available through the NDIS have not simply created convenience.
They have created capacity.
Capacity to participate.
Capacity to build independence.
Capacity to access community.
Capacity to prepare for adulthood.
Capacity for our family to continue functioning.
The proposed reforms raise concerns that these gains may become significantly more difficult to maintain.
Of particular concern to me are proposals and commentary suggesting future reductions or constraints on community and social participation supports.
For my sons, community participation is not discretionary spending.
It is not entertainment.
It is not optional.
It is how they:
engage with the community; build social capability; maintain routine; develop life skills; strengthen independence; reduce isolation; and participate in ordinary life.
A reduction in access to these supports would have immediate and lifelong consequences.
It would mean:
more time spent at home; fewer opportunities for growth; increased dependence on family; reduced access to community; and reduced opportunities to develop independence into adulthood.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2332
The impact of these reforms would not stop with my sons.
They would directly affect my own ability to remain in paid employment.
Over recent years, I have invested substantial time and effort into education and professional development to continue progressing my career and contributing meaningfully — financially and socially — to my community through my work in tertiary education.
If supports are reduced and caring responsibilities increase, my ability to participate in the workforce will also reduce.
That creates consequences extending well beyond disability policy.
It affects:
household income; long-term financial stability; retirement planning; economic participation; and broader community contribution.
My husband and I are increasingly aware that significant support reductions may fundamentally alter whether and when we are able to retire.
Many families already absorb extraordinary levels of unpaid care.
When formal supports reduce, the responsibility does not disappear.
It transfers.
For our family, this may mean extending our working lives substantially beyond what was planned.
It may mean delaying retirement.
It may place pressure on our ability to maintain our mortgage.
Ultimately, this may result in decisions that no family should have to make — including whether we are able to remain in our family home or whether financial pressure forces downsizing.
I respectfully ask Parliament to carefully consider concerns raised regarding:
reduced transparency in future support decision-making; increased reliance on delegated decision-making powers; potential movement away from individualised supports; reduced certainty for participants and families; narrowing of review and appeal pathways;
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 2332
transfer of care burden to informal carers; regional disadvantage where service availability is already limited; and implementation before replacement systems are fully established.
I respectfully recommend that Parliament:
Recommendation 1
Pause progression of the bill to allow extended consultation and public scrutiny.
Recommendation 2
Undertake genuine co-design with disabled people, families, advocates and regional communities.
Recommendation 3
Commit that no participant loses support before equivalent alternatives are operational and accessible.
Recommendation 4
Protect participant choice, control and individualised support principles.
Recommendation 5
Maintain robust review and appeal rights.
Recommendation 6
Publish transparent modelling of long-term social and economic impacts.
Disability reform will shape lives for decades.
I ask Parliament to consider not only fiscal sustainability but also family sustainability.
Please consider the lived reality for families like mine.
Please consider that support reductions do not eliminate need — they simply move responsibility elsewhere.
And please ensure that any reform preserves the ability of Australians with disability to live good, ordinary and meaningful lives.
Respectfully submitted,