National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

Submission 2634

Dear Submission Committee,

I have been a NDIS participant since 2021. I live in redacted with my elderly mother, who also has support needs. I self-manage my funding with support from a support coordinator and social worker, and I have built a trusted and patient team around me that assists with daily living, therapies, and social and community participation. My team is made up of qualified and trained professionals who are Unregistered NDIS Providers.

I have slow cognitive processing and become overwhelmed by cognitive demands, so it is difficult for me to find and formulate thoughts. I struggle with transitions, organising and can have decision paralysis. Even composing this submission has been long and extremely difficult and I have needed support getting my thoughts into succinct sentences.

Being able to access the NDIS has been life-changing for me. I have greater capacity to do so many things now, in comparison to what I could do before, such as more confidence in managing my team, communicating, and even running a micro business! All this helps me to have autonomy and independence and allows me to dream about other things I can do with support. For example, running a music group that gives back to the community and creates a safe space for people to belong. I oppose the rushed NDIS Future Generations Bill 2026 and find all the changes in this bill disturbing.

I am deeply concerned about the impact it may have on participant choice and control, funding security, and continuity of care. I am particularly concerned about the Minister’s proposed power under section 34A to reduce funding without meaningful appeal rights; decisions made by one person is an abuse of power and could be downright destructive. It would have life-changing consequences for participants, carers, families and providers.

One of my biggest concerns is the proposed 50% cut to social and community participation. My support workers actively assist me to attend important meetings, communicate with professionals, take notes, manage emails and bookings, and safely access the community, including support with long-distance driving when needed. It is crucial that I have consistent and familiar support workers to maintain regulation, communication, safety, and engagement.

If some or all of the proposed changes in this Bill pass, it will have a significant negative impact on my life. I have very little informal supports, so without adequate reasonable and necessary support from the NDIS my functional capacity will be significantly reduced. Leading to decreased ability to engage in daily activities, maintain stability, and participate in community and personal life. There will be greater strain on the relationship with my elderly mother. I would find it extremely hard to make decisions, organise tasks, attend appointments and communicate effectively. The risk of social withdrawal and isolation would increase.

Please do not pass the NDIS Amendment Bill in its current form. It removes rights, reduces choice and control, and will harm people with disability. There are many distressing elements about this Bill. Below are some of the few changes I recommend.

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

Submission 2634

I ask the Committee to recommend:

• Stronger safeguards
  • including advanced public release of proposed rule changes, meaningful engagement with people with disability and their representative organisations, and minimum notice periods to ensure participants are informed and able to prepare for any changes.
  • Amend Schedule 2 compliance and enforcement provisions (including amendments to sections 53, 54, 56 and Part 3C) to include explicit safeguards limiting information-gathering powers and requiring proportionality, necessity, and disability appropriate engagement.
  • Amend Schedule 1, Part 7 inserting section 40A and subsection 30(1A) to prohibit suspension or revocation based solely on inability to contact participant where disability-related barriers exist.
• Proper appeal rights
  • Amend section 50A to require participant consent, advance notice, and review rights, where plan renewal results in reduced funding or changes to supports.
  • Provide explicit legislative assurance that independent review through the ART will be retained and accessible with no erosion of procedural fairness or review rights.
  • Remove Schedule 1, Part 4, item 34 inserting section 34A (Ministerial power to reduce funding for groups of supports).
  • If section 34A is retained, amend it to require the Minister to be satisfied that any funding reduction will not create a material risk of harm, loss of independence, social isolation, institutionalisation, or reliance on informal care, and require publication of impact analysis and consultation outcomes prior to any determination.
• Protection of participant choice and control
  • Amend provisions relating to plan management commissioning (including amendments to sections 73C, 73E, 73F) to preserve participant choice by allowing access to non-panel providers where participants have an established relationship.
  • Require transparent selection criteria, ongoing review of panel performance, and mechanisms for participant-driven choice outside the panel.
• Consider the negative effect of radically reducing support categories and participants from the scheme, as I believe it will have a harmful economic outcome on the individual, community and country.
  • Amend Schedule 1, Part 9 inserting section 25B to ensure participants retain access to the NDIS where there is any delay, dispute, or gap in applicants prove ineligibility for other systems prior to access.
  • Require all rules that affect eligibility, funding, or supports to be subject to exposure draft consultation, impact analysis, and parliamentary disallowance for rules and instruments affecting eligibility, functional capacity, support reductions, funding methodology and alternative supports.
• Ensure the NDIS remains person-centred and does not place too much unchecked power into the hands of one decision-maker.
  • Amend Schedule 5 transitional rule-making powers to remove or significantly limit the ability to modify Act through rules.

Kind regards,

I do not consent to my name and contact information being published.

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