Submission 2353
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Re: National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 and the proposed reduction of Social, Civic and Community Participation Supports under the Delivering Genuine Social and Community Participation reforms
I am an NDIS participant who lives independently in my own home. I am writing to express my strong concerns regarding the proposed reduction of Social, Civic and Community Participation supports under the Delivering Genuine Social and Community Participation reforms associated with the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
In particular, I am deeply concerned by the proposal to reduce participant budgets for Social, Civic and Community Participation supports by up to 50 per cent. While these supports are often described as social or community participation supports, for many participants they are fundamental supports that maintain independence, health, wellbeing, safety, community connection and quality of life.
I believe these proposed reductions risk undermining the purpose and intent of the NDIS by increasing isolation, reducing independence, worsening health outcomes and creating greater long-term reliance on government-funded care and support systems.
I currently live independently in my own home and rely on NDIS-funded support workers to help me maintain that independence.
I receive support worker assistance five days per week for household tasks and daily living activities. I also receive support to attend hospital appointments, doctor appointments, allied health appointments, community activities and volunteering commitments. In addition, I receive support in the evenings and on weekends to participate in daily life activities and maintain community involvement.
My NDIS goals focus on maintaining my health, wellbeing, independence and functional capacity. The purpose of my supports is not to eliminate my disability or achieve complete independence from support. Rather, the purpose is to maintain my current level of functioning, prevent deterioration and allow me to continue living safely and independently in my own home.
Even with my current support allocation, there are often not enough hours available to complete both essential household tasks and community participation activities within the same day. The supports I currently receive are not excessive. They are the minimum required for me to manage my home, maintain my health and participate in my community.
I am particularly concerned about the proposal to reduce Social, Civic and Community Participation funding by up to 50 per cent.
Submission 2353
For me, this funding is not discretionary or recreational spending. It is the support that allows me to leave my home, attend appointments, maintain friendships, participate in volunteering, remain physically active and continue living independently.
A reduction of this size would remove much of the flexibility that currently allows me to manage the realities of everyday life.
It would mean being forced to choose between maintaining my household and participating in the community.
It would mean reduced capacity to attend appointments, complete grocery shopping during emergencies, or take my pets to veterinary appointments when urgent situations arise.
It would mean going without activities and supports that are essential to maintaining my quality of life, mental wellbeing and physical health.
It would mean losing opportunities to remain connected to my community and maintain relationships that help prevent social isolation.
One of the most significant impacts would be my ability to continue volunteering.
I currently volunteer in a role that I care deeply about and that allows me to help people and animals experiencing hardship during the current housing and cost-of-living crisis. Volunteering gives me purpose, routine, connection and a sense of contribution to society. It allows me to give back to my community rather than simply receive support from it.
Without the supports that enable me to participate, I may no longer be able to continue in this role.
The loss of these supports would affect not only my wellbeing but also my ability to contribute positively to others.
The proposed reduction would also have a significant impact on my social relationships and peer connections.
Community participation funding allows me to maintain friendships and spend time with peers who live with the same disability. These relationships provide understanding, support and connection that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere.
Without these opportunities I would face increased social isolation and reduced community inclusion.
The impacts extend beyond social participation alone.
My physical wellbeing depends on remaining active and engaged in the community.
Submission 2353
I currently work with an exercise physiologist, physiotherapist and occupational therapist to maintain my strength, mobility, physical function and independence. These supports are designed to prevent deterioration and allow me to continue living safely in my own home.
However, therapy appointments alone are not enough.
The practical ability to leave my home, engage in activities, attend appointments and remain physically active in the community is what allows those therapies to be effective.
If my community participation is significantly reduced, I am likely to lose strength, physical function and independence over time.
This decline would increase my reliance on others for everyday activities and could eventually place me at risk of requiring more intensive disability supports, supported accommodation or other forms of government-funded care.
This would represent a significant personal loss of independence and autonomy.
It would also be contrary to the objectives of the NDIS.
I am also concerned by assumptions that family members can replace supports currently funded through the NDIS.
My mother is elderly and has physical disabilities of her own.
My sister works within the disability sector while also maintaining full-time employment and caring for her own family.
Neither is reasonably able to replace the supports that currently allow me to live independently.
The NDIS was created to support people with disability to live independently and reduce reliance on unpaid family care.
Legislative changes should not be based on assumptions that family members can absorb responsibilities currently provided through funded disability supports.
Transport is another major concern.
Although I have access to a Taxi Subsidy Scheme card, accessible transport remains extremely unreliable.
Taxi services frequently take far longer to arrive than they once did, if they arrive at all. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles can be difficult to secure and standard taxis often do not want to pick up wheelchair users.
Submission 2353
Alternative services such as Uber are significantly more expensive, particularly during surge pricing periods, and accessible transport options often require additional costs.
As a result, support workers are often the only practical and reliable way for me to attend appointments, complete essential tasks and participate in community life.
From a policy perspective, I believe these proposed reductions risk creating greater long-term costs across government systems.
The proposed reforms appear to treat Social, Civic and Community Participation supports as less essential than other forms of support.
However, for many participants these supports are preventative supports that maintain health, independence, physical function, social connection and community participation.
Reducing these supports may generate short-term budget savings, but it is likely to increase costs elsewhere.
The likely consequences include greater social isolation, poorer mental health, declining physical capacity, reduced community participation, increased support needs and greater reliance on disability, health, hospital and aged care systems.
In my own circumstances, reducing these supports would increase the likelihood of losing independence and requiring more intensive supports in the future.
Maintaining independence is significantly less costly than responding to the consequences of losing it.
I respectfully urge the Committee to reconsider the proposed reduction of Social, Civic and Community Participation funding under the Delivering Genuine Social and Community Participation reforms associated with the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
These supports are not optional extras. They are essential supports that enable people with disability to maintain health, wellbeing, independence, community connection and quality of life.
The NDIS should continue to support participants to live meaningful, connected and independent lives within their communities. Reducing Social, Civic and Community Participation supports by up to 50 per cent risks achieving the opposite outcome by increasing isolation, reducing independence and creating greater long-term demand on government-funded care and support services.
Thank you for considering my submission.