Submission 2446

Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs

PO Box 6100 Parliament House Canberra Australian Capital Territory 2600 31 May 2026

Dear Members of the Committee,

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

Thank you for the opportunity to provide a submission regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 (“the bill”).

My name is Dinesh Palipana. I am a doctor and lawyer. I work as a doctor in an public emergency department. I have the privilege of working in research and teaching at two universities, one in spinal cord injury research. I was grateful to be a senior advisor for the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (“the Disability Royal Commission”).

I write in my personal capacity as a person with a spinal cord injury, which I sustained at the age of twenty-five. The injury has affected the function of the fingers, half of the arms, and everything below the chest. Others in the community of people with disability will undoubtedly speak to their concerns about this bill. With that in mind, I hope to submit some select thoughts.

Submission 2446

Background

As a migrant from Sri Lanka arriving in Australia at the age of ten, I can attest to the National

Disability Insurance Scheme (“the NDIS”) being a beacon for our world. It is said that the

ture measure of any society is in how it treats its most vulnerable members, a quote often

attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The NDIS is a testament to the great heart of Australia, a

contrast to many other places on earth where my counterparts languish, passing away with a

life expectancy a fraction of mine due to a lack of support.

While carrying out its social objective, however, the NDS makes a positive economic impact. The report False Economy¹ by Per Capita noted that, “The economic impact of the scheme is likely very large, even compared to other types of government spending. A conservative estimate of the multiplier effect of the NDIS would be in the range of 2.25.” Not only does the NDIS stir the economy and create jobs; but it enables participants to work, pay taxes, and participate in the community.

The entwined social and economic impact of the NDIS has created a linchpin of Australia which transcends our political spectrum.

Mandatory registration

At the heart of the NDIS is choice and control. Mandatory registration challenges that notion. This is because disability care can be deeply personal, involving activities like bowel and bladder care; showering and dressing; and a presence in someone’s home. The presence of people providing disability support, in some instances, can be more than a spouse or parent. Therefore, a participant’s comfort with the person providing care is paramount.

I have experienced care from both controversial providers like FSG Australia and direct support from a dedicated, loving team. For me, the people have mattered more than registration. This begs the question, does mandatory registration equate to better care for people?

In experience both as a doctor and member of the community, I have repeatedly seen registered providers deliver poor care, at times leading to the death of participants.

Submission 2446

seen unregistered providers deliver care which enables someone to live an exceptional life,

including participation in work, family, and the community.

Many unregistered providers make fulfilling careers in disability care; become small business owners; and even support themselves while being students or athletes. These providers enjoy the choice and control in their own work, while enabling choice and control for their participants. This type of model is not unique to us. In the United Kingdom, it is estimated that about 131,000 jobs are created by participants directly employing people for similar work in a similar scheme. 2

There is merit to the idea of a “graduated risk-proportionate regulatory model”. However, we must ensure maximum autonomy for participants who can and want that autonomy, while protecting those who are the most vulnerable. These decisions must be made in collaboration with families, whose informal care contribution was valued at $77.9 billion in 2020 3, eclipsing the cost of the NDIS.

All appropriate treatment for an impairment

As of 2026, there is no cure for spinal cord injuries like mine. Similarly, there are no cures for many other conditions that NDIS participants have. If we are setting a bar for participation in the scheme to be having exhausted all appropriate treatment for an impairment, to reduce the future cost of the scheme, it is an imperative to invest in research to improve function in these conditions.

Not only is this beneficial to the future of the NDIS, but it is an economic necessity for Australia. In a Group of Eight report, it was noted that “R&D expenditure, along with its widespread adoption, is an integral factor contributing to Australia’s capacity for innovation and productivity, which are the longterm sources of growth and prosperity.“4 The report expands by saying that, “Australia’s R&D intensity has been in decline for over a decade, at a time when productivity growth has been patchy and advanced economies have been investing heavily in R&D to boost their long-term prospects. The result is a growing gap between our R&D performance and that of advanced OECD economies.”

2. Skills for Care, Individual Employers and Personal Assistants Survey 2026 (Report, Skills for Care, 2026).

3. Deloitte Access Economics, The Value of Informal Care in 2020 (Report prepared for Carers Australia, May 2020).

4. Group of Eight, Australia’s Research and Development (R&D) Intensity: A Decadal Roadmap to 3% of GDP (Report to the Australian Government, July 2024).

Submission 2446

The NDIS can become a vehicle that contributes to Australia’s economic prosperity by

investing more in research that, in time, raises the very bar that it sets, by generating more ’all

equivalent treatment’.

Australian manufacturing for assistive equipment

There is a high dependency on imported equipment for assistive technology, including

wheelchairs. The bill speaks to the cost of equipment, but it is useful to incentivise purchases

from Australian manufacturers.

This approach not only optimises the economic impact of the NDIS, contributing to the

revival of our manufacturing sector; but allows participants to access quicker support and

repairs, which at times can take weeks to months with foreign manufacturers.

Ministerial powers

My country of birth, Sri Lanka, has a distant history of arbitrary detention, extrajudicial

killings, and abuses of power. When I was a child, we lived in fear of the government, a fear

that is still experienced by many in this world - but not in Australia. And so, discussions of an

expansion of ministerial power is a reminder of the political maxim, “eternal vigilance is the

price of liberty“.

Steps to increase the concentration of power risks the erosion of individual rights and

institutional oversight. For the community of people with disability, to be at the whim of a

concentrated power is a risk. It is also contrary to the democratic values of Australia.

The way forward

There is no doubt that the NDIS requires a sustainable future. The bill, however, impacts an

important socioeconomic mechanism in our country. Therefore, it should not be rushed.

The future should be shaped by taking into account the views of the scheme’s stakeholders, providing transparency in the detail of proposed changes, and shaping it carefully. The bill should not be passed at this time, until those steps are taken.

Submission 2446

I thank you for your work in creating this beautiful nation for us all to live in. If I can be of service in this important issue, I met your disposal.

Yours faithfully,

Asst. Prof. Dinesh Palipana OAM, LLB, GradDipLP, CertEM, GAICD, MD, FACLM

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