National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2605
Personal Submission to the Senate Community Affairs
Committee
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment
(Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submitted by: K’s Grandfather | May 2026Who I Am
I am writing this submission as K’s grandfather. K is 13 years old and has Cri du Chat syndrome — a rare genetic condition that causes severe intellectual disability, significant communication delays, complex behaviours of concern, and high physical support needs. She is my granddaughter and I see her regularly.
I am not someone who normally writes to a government committee. But I am writing now because I believe the proposed amendments to the NDIS will cause real and lasting harm to K and to her family, and I want the Committee to understand what is at stake from the perspective of someone who has watched this family navigate an extraordinarily difficult journey.
What I Have Seen
I have watched K’s parents — particularly her mother — dedicate themselves to K’s care with a level of commitment I have rarely seen anywhere. They have fought for every support, attended every appointment, and advocated in every setting to ensure K is included, valued, and safe. The NDIS, at its best, has been a vital part of making that possible.
I have been at family events where K has a support worker, and I have seen the difference it makes. K can participate. Her parents can be present for their other children and for the rest of the family. It works. It works because the support is skilled, consistent, and provided by people who know K well.
What this Bill proposes to do — cut that support by half, remove the right to appeal, and hand a single Minister the unchecked power to reduce supports further at any time — is, in my view, a serious breach of the commitment this country made to people with disability and their families.
My Concerns
The aspects of this Bill that concern me most are straightforward:
-
A 50% blanket cut to K’s community participation funding from 1 October 2026, with no consideration of individual need and no right of appeal. This is not targeted reform. It is a blunt reduction applied equally to everyone, regardless of the consequences.
-
Unchecked ministerial power to further reduce any support, cap any service, or control any price — without independent oversight or any mechanism for
Personal Submission — NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 | Page 1
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2605
review. This is not responsible governance of a welfare scheme. It is an open door to harm.
-
The removal of appeal rights. I understand that the Government is frustrated with the cost of tribunal proceedings. The solution to poor decisions is better decisions, not removing the right of families to challenge decisions that harm them.
-
The implicit push toward group home living for adults with complex needs. My granddaughter deserves to live safely, close to her family, with the support she needs. The Royal Commission documented what happens when that option is not available. I do not want that for K.
My Request to the Committee
I ask the Committee to recommend significant amendments to this Bill before it proceeds any further. Specifically, I ask that the blanket funding cuts, the unchecked ministerial powers, and the removal of appeal rights all be removed.
I also ask that the Committee inquire seriously into the real drivers of NDIS cost
growth — which, from what I understand, are rooted in pricing errors andadministrative failures, not in the families who genuinely need this scheme. Fix the real problems. Do not punish the people who were always meant to be protected.
The NDIS Act promises people with disability that they will receive the care and support they need over their lifetime. I ask the Committee to make sure that promise is kept.
Note on Publication
The author of this submission requests that their name not be published. The submission may be published in de-identified form. Reference to ‘K’ is used throughout to protect the participant’s privacy.
Personal Submission — NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 | Page 2