Submission 2506
SUBMISSION on the NDIS Amendment Bill
Inquiry: The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS
for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
Name:
My connection to this issue
- Mother to my 15 year old son with Down Syndrome
- Ex Partner to his Father who became Quadriplegic after an accident 7 years ago
- Lifelong Best friend to a woman with Cerebral Palsy who needs full time assistance
- Best friend to a Mother with 2 children needing additional assistance
- I have many people around me with disabilities
- I am an advocate for people with disabilities As you see above, I am closely tied to this sector and have many people around me with disability. I am submitting this document because I am scared for my son, his father, my friends, all carers and people with disabilities of what the world is becoming. I am frightened that one day I will not be here to protect my son against the world that this government is creating for people with disabilities.
- My overall position on this Bill I do not support this bill. People with disabilities would not jeopardise their funding to commit fraud or scam this system. They need these funds to survive.
The reason there are issues with the NDIS is because of the Governments failings to protect it by proper screening of providers and the qualifications of NDIS staff.
Everyone I listed above has experienced a form of being “scammed” by greedy providers. Whether that’s charging over $500 for 10 minutes work on a wheelchair, therapists upping their hourly rate to the NDIS rates, or exorbitant travel costs and unreasonable terms. Sure, small compared to others, but it happens and it’s then left to the person with the disability or carer to carry the burden of managing these NDIS budget blowouts against what they need to live.
The Government is focusing on the wrong people. It’s not those with disabilities; it’s the fraudulent providers that have not been screened sufficiently by the Government.
His father – a Quadriplegic has had his funding reduced because an immigrant who could not get an IT job ended up working for the NDIS could not calculate appropriately. A person with no understanding of what life is like with a disability, especially a high needs one. He is now fighting for more funding as the allocated 4 hours a week for meal prep is inhumane and clearly insufficient. Is he not valuable enough to have 3 fresh meals a day? He has had to stop Physiotherapy because he no longer has funds. He was working towards having some kind of mobility at home.
This Bill is incredibly myopic. It has been quoted many times that $1 spent on NDIS funding is $2.25 for the economy. So even if you want to purely look at the economics, this cutting of funds does not make sense.
Submission 2506
My key concerns My son is about to transition to the workforce, I’m worried we won’t have the funds he needs to succeed or to transition SAFELY. I’m worried he will lose his supports or won’t even have the opportunities. I want him to have a job that makes him happy and gives him the opportunity to make others smile.
I’m frightened that with this Bill he will end up in a job that has him hiding away in a group situation. He can do so much more with the right assistance to help him transition.
I’m worried about the implications of a world where people with disabilities can’t access the community. This is not the Australia I believed it to be. What happened to “a fair go”? is that only for people without disabilities?
My lived Experience
I helped my high school best friend navigate high school. I assisted her in classes and we grew up together. I saw what life was like for people with disabilities in the 80/90’s. If it weren’t for me, she had no one else to help her set up for each class.
My son was born unexpectedly with Down Syndrome. I have first-hand experience of what it’s like to be a parent to a child with additional needs. Of how lost you feel and how much you grieve the world you thought you’d have. Then the hypervigilance of being a parent to a child with additional needs. I have spent the majority on the last 15 years on high alert, constantly scanning for anything that could be unsafe or a trigger for my son. It’s through the work with the NDIS assistance that life is finally starting to relax a bit. Now it’s time to start our transition to the outside world in 2.5 years.
Without the assistance we’ve had, he would not have progressed so far as he has. He’s now in Year 10 and achieved his goal of becoming School Captain. He runs the Tuck Shop on Wednesdays. Not only has he progressed so well with out team of therapists around us, but when his Dad had an accident and for 2 years was in rehabilitation, these same therapists were there for a little 8 year old boy who saw his Dad, his everything (next to me, his Mum) hang on just for his son. He regressed greatly at that time and it took years of behavioural support at home and at school for him to not only get back on track, but to do so exceptionally well despite all of our challenges.
It’s been HARD, but the NDIS helped us access what we needed to now be back on track and preparing my son to enter the workforce and continue to contribute positively to the community. He still needs assistance to do this. He makes people smile and laugh.
The world is a better place when we embrace everyone exactly where they’re at, including disabled people. They encourage and teach patience, empathy, compassion, and they contribute greatly to society.
My son is here to bring joy to the world. He can attract a large crowd dancing to buskers in Pitt Street Mall, Sydney which creates a viral social media post. If he doesn’t have community access assistance, he cannot do this anymore, he cannot access social interactions like other boys, young men and men that will be his age. Why is he being considered as less than?
Submission 2506
I am scared for my son, I am 36 years older than him, people with Down Syndrome life to around 60 years. I need to live to 100 and be healthy myself to make sure my son (and only child) is safe.
What I believe this Bill gets wrong The implication of this Bill is incredibly dangerous for people with disabilities. It is their lives and quality of their lives. They are not the ones scamming the system, it is the providers, it makes no sense to penalise the vulnerable of our society because of criminals abusing the system.
What needs to change or be protected Please put in place tougher screening for providers and NDIS staff. Protect the NDIS. Protect the most vulnerable of our society. That is the Australia I want to live in, not this.
Final statement I know I should be sticking to a certain format and addressing certain topics, but this is not simply an administrative exercise to tick off a list. This is emotional because it affects MANY vulnerable people’s lives.
Everyone who I know that is a NDIS participant or carer is scared for the future. We are already at capacity and now we must fight against our own Government… a Labour one no less, who has always been the “Fair Go” party. The defender of the everyday Australian. What has happened to you?
I’m now in a situation where I hope my son dies before me, because I don’t trust the Government or society to do the right thing by him. That is a horrible place for a parent to be in. His Father and I are very concerned for his future, especially if both of us have passed away. One of my best friends has talked about a family suicide as a possibility for the future because they can’t bear the idea of their two children (NDIS recipients) being here without them to protect them in the future.
This bill is not only affecting the lives of those with disabilities, but also parents, families, friends, who are close to the person. You’re also affecting the livelihood of thousands of people who work in the sector, small business providers, the legitimate ones. This Bill is also setting a dangerous narrative around people with disabilities. I’ve heard stories of women in wheelchairs being threatened with sexual assault while grocery shopping.
We are all frightened for the future and it’s cruel to put so many vulnerable people through this because of a small minority of providers that scam the system. We are good people, our lives are hard enough, we simply want to live safely and with a level of quality we can rightly control.
I ask the committee to consider my lived experience when reviewing this Bill.