National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2454
I am a lived experience support worker who works independently 1:1 with a high support needs client, I also work with a provider doing skills based group programs.
I am deeply concerned about how these changes will impact people with disabilities who have high support needs as the bill intends to move away from 1:1 support and towards 1:3 support. This would be detrimental to peoples physical and mental health as it is not possible to provide adequate support to this amount of people. It will greatly limit how people socially interact. Further 1:3 support does not give people with disabilities choice or control, every person deserves agency and to lead a dignified life. Supporting someone with high support needs is intimate work which is built and sustained on a foundation of trust. This work also requires cultural safety, therefore it is incredibly important that people have the ability to choose who provides them with support.
Working with a provider doing skills based programs with clients who have various mental health disabilities including but not limited to schizophrenia, BPD, CPTSD, autism and DID. I have seen clients thrive by being able to go on these programs not because of goal setting and upskilling but the main factor is social connection and community. People shouldn’t need to go on these programs and set infantilising goals and skills people with disabilities don’t need to constantly gain skills to fit into an ableist world they should just be able to go on programs and experience community, that’s where upskilling naturally happens as I have seen people gain confidence due to community, naturally this expands their sense of self belief and worth and they begin to try new things and branch out and believe in themselves. If clients were unable to access these programs due to changes in funding I can guarantee that their mental health would plummet which would not only put hospitals under immense pressure due to seriously amplified mental health issues they would also be at a very serious risk of suicide. People who attend these programs often don’t have enjoyable home lives and these programs provide community and reprieve, everyone deserves that.
Many of my clients have been in the disability system for a long time, this system is volatile and continues to substantially change greatly impacting peoples quality of life. How can people plan for the future if they have no idea what it will look like? People cannot feel safe if they are constantly vulnerable to funding changes. This lack of stability greatly impacts people’s mental health and wellbeing.
The government has said that the NDIS is not sustainable, people’s support needs are sustainable and worth investing in. What is the point in investing billions of dollars in defence if we cannot protect our most vulnerable, if we are going to let people with disabilities die. What are we defending?