Submission 2561 - Supplementary Submission
Submission to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Attention: Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs
Date: 10/07/2026
My name is Max Bower. I am a multiply disabled young adult, living with chronic pain, Autism, ADHD and complex mental illness. I am a NDIS participant, and a carer for my partner who is also a NDIS participant. I work as a peer-facilitator for NeuroConnect, a neurodivergent social group run through Bridge Darebin (Preston Neighborhood House), through which I provide support and community connection to over 40 neurodivergent young adults. I am also an ensemble member of disability theatre group Rollercoaster Theatre and devise my own original theatrical work with queer and disabled creatives. I have recently completed an Honours thesis project, and plan to begin master’s level study next year, contributing to research on disability, burnout and the arts.
In my first submission to the NDIS bill, I wrote: I want to write more in this submission, but don’t have enough time, especially as this 2-week period has coincided with an intense period of pain flares and burnout for me.
I welcome the recent amendments to the bill and the opportunity to provide further input. I applaud the decision to take more time to deliberate over a bill that will have such wide reaching and potentially lethal impact.
Firstly, I would like to state that the comittee has a responsibility to ensure that the changes to the NDIS do not allow disabled people to slip through the cracks, that our rights are upheld and that we are not cut off from crucial supports and community.
Please take extra care, knowing that the proposed NDIS changes have the potential to critically impact the lives of people with disabilities, and that you have a duty to take any steps possible to mitigate the damage.
This submission will include reflections from both my lived experience of disability and caring, and my time working with the NeuroConnect cohort and Rollercoaster ensemble. It will respond to the changing disability landscape shaped by proposed NDIS reforms.
Submission 2561 - Supplementary Submission
Most importantly this submission will convey my strong feelings about the importance of supporting access to the arts for disabled people, as community connection, employment support and an avenue for self-expression. Disabled people deserve more opportunities to engage with the arts as creatives, performers and as audiences and consumers. The cuts to the NDIS will mean many disabled people in Victoria lose access to community connection through NDIS funded arts-based programs, lose support hours they need to attend arts events and will leave many unable to continue pursuing arts careers. It is crucial that planning engages proactively in ensuring people with disability don’t disappear from arts spaces.
Arts Access for NDIS Participants
With the proposed changes to the NDIS and community access funding, many creative arts initiatives aimed at people with disability will cease to exist or struggle to fund their work, while people with disabilities losing support worker hours will impact ability to attend community and arts events
My ability to make theatre with the Rollercoaster ensemble is reliant on NDIS funding that may be entirely stripped away from me if the NDIS reforms are implemented as currently proposed. The majority of our ensemble fit into demographics that the NDIS reforms have implied may be disproportionately denied access to the scheme in future. This means that (if the bill progresses as currently written) many of the Rollercoaster ensemble will completely lose all funding and support. Those that aren’t removed from the scheme entirely will still face cuts to their social and community participation funding; the specific funding category used to access Rollercoaster’s weekly sessions. These massive cuts will have a huge impact on Rollercoaster’s ability to continue as a company – a terrifying thought for an organisation that just celebrated its 20th anniversary!
Making theatre with Rollercoaster is the best part of my week, it’s given me lifelong friendships, supported me to develop a career in the arts and increased my confidence and capacity to engage in community in ways I could never have imagined! Losing access to Rollercoaster would strip me away from my friends, remove my most valued avenue for community connection, and irreparably harm my career and daily capacity.
This impact will also be felt by other similar companies that are currently reliant (or partially reliant) on NDIS funding – BAM Arts Inc., Back-to-Back, WEAVE, Rawcus, Loom Arts, City of Voices, Arts Access Victoria and many more.
Submission 2561 - Supplementary Submission
People with disability already face significant barriers to accesing arts and community, including:
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Inaccessible venues without funds to improve.
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Limited support worker hours needed to attend arts events and workshops. This issue will become intensely heightened with the proposed NDIS changes.
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Cost of ticketing, especially if required to also pay for support worker entry.
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Limited matinee and weekday options to see shows. This can make attending events impossible for disabled people relying on specific public transport options, and the cost for weekend and evening supports can be prohibitive.
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Limited disability-specific opportunities. This will be negatively impacted by the proposed NDIS changes as many organisations lose an essential funding stream and are no longer able to offer supports.
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Limited access to disability-specific opportunities that are also culturally or demographically safe – e.g. youth specific spaces, opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse disabled artists and LGBTQIA+ friendly spaces.
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Few online options.
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Few events promoting masking, making access impossible for immunocompromised and otherwise at-risk community members.
The proposed changes to the NDIS will cause widespread isolation, disengagement and lost potential for many disabled people with a love for or career in the arts.
What should be included in the NDIS Bill?
The comittee has an important role to play in ensuring that the proposed NDIS reforms do not disproportionately reduce access for disabled Australians participating in arts, culture and community based creative practice. Prioritising this as a focus area is crucial for maintaining existing community connections and supports for people with disability. The Australian Government is duty-bound to prevent the widespread isolation, disconnection, and disempowerment that will be caused when people with disability cannot participate in community and the arts.
The NDIS should recognise disability arts organisations and mentorship programs as essential community infrastructure that reduces isolation, supports social cohesion and prevents greater pressure on health, mental health and social care systems.
The NDIS should ensure disability-led arts organisations and disabled artists are directly involved in the co-design of future arts-participation frameworks and funding opportunities.
Submission 2561 - Supplementary Submission
I also encourage the NDIS to acknowledge the role disability arts participation plays in:
- Supporting employment and career development;
- Creative industry participation;
- Leadership development;
- Physical health and wellbeing;
- Skills and capacity development; and
- Long-term economic participation for disabled Australians.
Align Reforms with Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031
Proposed reforms must uphold the commitments outlined within Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031, particularly in relation to:
- inclusive communities;
- employment and financial security;
- personal and community support;
- health and wellbeing; and
- community participation.
Uphold Australia’s International Human Rights Obligations
Proposed reforms must remain consistent with:
- Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and
- UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which collectively recognise the right of all people to participate fully in cultural life and the arts.
Ecomomic and healthcare system impact
A proper analysis of the impact of cut NDIS supports on the economy and healthcare system has not been undertaken. The Per Capita report (https://afdo.org.au/wp content/uploads/2021/11/Per_Capita_Report_teamworks.pdf) suggested that each dollar invested in the NDIS returns over $2.25 of value.
Cuts to the NDIS mean many disabled people will be unable to continue working, participating in community activities and contributing to the economy.
Submission 2561 - Supplementary Submission
Removing NDIS participants from the scheme will also have a devastating impact on the already struggling public health system, with beds in hospitals being taken up unnecesarily by people without sufficiant support to go home.
Adressing fraud in the scheme
None of the proposed NDIS reforms are targeted primarily at reducing fraud, and the financial savings proposed do not come from fraud prevention but rather from removing crucial supports from current NDIS participants. This is abhorrent and indefensible.
Conclusion
Although this submission has focused primarily on the role of the NDIS in supporting participation in the arts for people with disability, I would like to acknowledge the devastating scope of the proposed NDIS reforms and the potentilly deadly impact they will have.
Removing participants from the NDIS will cause deaths.
Reducing social and community participation hours will cause isolation and irreperable harm.
For participants like me who work in peer support thanks to NDIS funding, losing access to the scheme will not only impact our lives but also the many lives we impact through our work. Losing my funding would have a devastating run on impact for NeuroConnect, leaving me unable to provide support and community connection.
It took me two years and significant financial investment in diagnosis and supporting documents to access the NDIS and receive lifesaving and neccesary supports. I have proven my need to access the scheme. The proposed changes will subject me to unnecesary, terrifying scrutiny and may lead to all my supports being removed.
Disabled people deserve to live.
Yours,
Max Bower.