Submission Regarding Proposed NDIS Changes
From an NDIS Participant and Occupational Therapist
As both a participant of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and an Occupational Therapist, I am deeply concerned by the recently proposed changes to participant plans, particularly the suggested reductions to funding for social and community participation, assistive technology, and therapy supports.
I live with a significant physical disability and rely heavily on my NDIS support workers to participate in everyday life outside my home. This support is not a luxury — it is essential.
Whether I am attending a medical appointment, going to work, shopping, exercising, attending social events, or simply participating in my community, I require support to do so safely and effectively. Without this assistance, I would become increasingly isolated and effectively housebound.
The proposed cuts to social and community participation funding concern me enormously because they fundamentally undermine the purpose of the NDIS: to promote independence, inclusion, autonomy, and participation.
Participation is not an “extra.” It is central to health and wellbeing.
Through my current supports, I am able to:
- engage with colleagues at work,
- attend my local yoga class,
- swim alongside other members of my community at my local pool,
- visit local shops and cafes,
- maintain friendships and social connection,
- and contribute meaningfully to society.
These are not extravagant activities. They are ordinary aspects of life that many Australians take for granted. Yet for people with physical disabilities, access to these activities often depends entirely on funded supports.
There is currently enormous public focus — much of it fuelled by media narratives — on reducing fraud within the NDIS and ensuring the “sustainability” of the scheme. While addressing fraud and misuse is absolutely important, what is often missing from public discussion is the devastating impact these broad funding cuts will have on the lives of legitimate participants.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2562
Yes, tighter systems may reduce fraudulent spending. But they will also reduce independence, autonomy, dignity, and overall wellbeing for many genuine participants who rely on these supports simply to live ordinary lives.
Society hears the language of “cost cutting,” “budget repair,” and “sustainability,” but too often does not see the human consequences:
- the participant who can no longer leave their home,
- the person forced to give up work because they cannot access support,
- the individual whose physical and mental health deteriorates through isolation,
- or the families and carers pushed beyond capacity.
These proposed changes risk undoing much of what the NDIS was originally designed to achieve.
The scheme was created to move people with disabilities away from isolation and dependence and towards inclusion, participation, and choice. Reducing access to essential supports risks reversing that progress.
I am also concerned by proposals to reduce or limit assistive technology budgets. While lower-cost alternatives may appear financially attractive in the short term, assistive technology must be individually prescribed and fit for purpose. As both a clinician and assistive technology user, I know firsthand that inappropriate or inadequate equipment often results in poorer outcomes, reduced independence, increased injury risk, and ultimately greater long-term costs to the healthcare system.
Effective assistive technology enables people to function safely, efficiently, and independently. Poorly matched equipment does the opposite.
Additionally, the proposed caps on therapy supports — particularly physiotherapy — are deeply troubling.
To manage my physical disability, I currently require weekly physiotherapy. There are also periods where my condition fluctuates or injuries occur, requiring increased therapy input. This is common for many people living with complex physical disabilities.
Capping therapy hours fails to recognise the changing and lifelong nature of disability.
Without adequate therapy:
- physical function deteriorates,
- secondary complications increase,
- pain and fatigue worsen,
- hospital admissions become more likely,
- and participants lose capacity to engage in work, community, and daily activities.
In practice, these caps may simply force participants to either self-fund essential therapy — which many cannot afford — or wait until their condition deteriorates further before receiving intervention. Preventative and maintenance therapy is not wasteful spending; it is what keeps people functional, engaged, and out of hospital.
As an Occupational Therapist, I also worry deeply about the broader impact these changes will have on participants who cannot advocate for themselves. I am fortunate to have the cognitive and communication capacity to articulate my concerns and navigate systems. Many participants do not.
The ripple effect of these changes will extend far beyond participants themselves. Families, carers, allied health professionals, support workers, providers, workplaces, and communities will all feel the consequences.
Most importantly, these proposed changes risk sending a harmful message to people with disabilities: that participation in society is optional.
It is not.
People with disabilities already face significant barriers every day. The NDIS was designed to reduce those barriers — not create new ones.
I urge decision-makers to reconsider any changes that reduce access to social and community participation, therapy supports, and appropriate assistive technology. These supports are not simply budget items; they are the foundation that allows people with disabilities to live connected, meaningful, and independent lives.
A sustainable NDIS should not come at the expense of the very people the scheme was created to support.
Please do not isolate people with disabilities further. Inclusion matters. Connection matters. Independence matters.