National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 270
Joanne Kitchell
Support Coordinator
Legislating Failure
A submission on the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future
Generations) Bill 2026
Personal Perspective
Working four days per week as an NDIS Support Coordinator for 35 participants is both a privilege and, at times, deeply distressing. I cannot sustain five days in this role due to burnout. The emotional and psychological toll of support coordination cannot be underestimated.
The NDIS is flawed, but it is also essential. Sustainability matters. Most people working within the sector agree there is waste within the scheme, instances of overfunding, and a lack of consistency in decision-making. However, the first target of reform should be fraud, exploitation, and systemic inefficiency — not the most vulnerable people in our society.
The fraudsters, opportunistic providers, and systemic loopholes are costing the scheme millions, yet participants and families are increasingly carrying the burden of reforms through funding cuts, increased scrutiny, and fear-based messaging.
The recent public commentary around reducing community access supports and broader cost cutting measures risks moving the scheme away from its original person-centred intent. Support cannot be effectively delivered through blanket reductions or generic policy settings. Disability is not generic. Human needs are not generic.
Too often, genuine person-centred responses only occur after escalation — when there are significant safeguarding concerns, mental health crises, hospitalisations, homelessness risks, or family breakdowns. Why must participants and carers reach crisis point before they are heard?
The impact on families is profound. Parents and nominees are living in a constant state of stress and uncertainty. Daily negative media coverage surrounding the NDIS has created fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, elevated stress responses, and emotional exhaustion for many families already carrying extraordinary caring responsibilities.
Families are terrified that:
essential supports will be removed,
functional plans that are working well will be reassessed,
they will lose trusted providers,
or they will be forced into endless reviews and appeals simply to maintain basic stability.
This is not reform. It is psychological harm.
At the same time, the sector remains dangerously under-regulated in critical areas. Every day I witness:
support workers entering the sector with little or no training,
providers hiring staff without adequate screening due to workforce shortages,
5A 329-347 Diamond Creek Rd, Diamond Creek 3089
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 270
Joanne Kitchell
Support Coordinator
workers lacking basic understanding of disability support,
people sitting on phones during shifts while participants remain unsupported,
lapsed screening checks and compliance failures,
overcharging and double billing,
and providers motivated more by profit than participant outcomes.
Professional and ethical providers are being unfairly tainted alongside unscrupulous operators. Registered providers invest enormous time, money, training, compliance, and governance into meeting regulatory obligations, while some unregistered providers charge identical hourly rates without equivalent oversight or accountability.
The imbalance is unsustainable.
Another critical concern is decision-making by planners who often do not possess sufficient understanding of the participant’s disability, functional impairments, or real-world support needs. How can a fair and informed decision be made when the decision-maker lacks disability-specific knowledge and does not have authority to approve what is clinically and functionally required?
Participants are frequently required to justify their existence repeatedly through reports, assessments, reviews, and appeals, while professionals and families spend countless unpaid hours trying to navigate an increasingly adversarial system.
The NDIS was created to improve lives, increase independence, and uphold dignity. For many participants it has absolutely done that. But increasingly, reforms appear focused on financial containment rather than human outcomes.
Sustainability should never come at the cost of safety, dignity, inclusion, and basic human rights.
The future of the NDIS depends not on reducing supports to vulnerable Australians, but on:
stronger regulation and oversight of providers,
investment in a skilled and accountable workforce,
better planner education and disability-specific training,
genuine person-centred decision making,
consistent and transparent funding processes,
and targeted action against fraud and exploitation.
People with disability are not a budget problem to solve. They are citizens entitled to safety, dignity, and meaningful participation in society.
Legislation that prioritises cost containment over human impact risks legislating failure.
5A 329-347 Diamond Creek Rd, Diamond Creek 3089