National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2706
Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill
Name: Age: 27 years Contact: Submission requested to be treated as anonymous I am a: Family member of an NDIS participant
This submission outlines my concerns regarding proposed NDIS reforms, particularly changes relating to standardised assessments, review and appeal rights, person-centred decision making, and the increasing expectation that families absorb disability-related support responsibilities.
My main concern My younger brother, , has significant and complex disabilities and requires highly specialised support. Any reduction in support, flexibility, or review rights would affect not only him but our entire family.
My lived experience I have spent most of my life watching the impact that disability support gaps have on my family. During my adolescence our family lived in a constant state of crisis management, advocacy, appointments, behavioural incidents, medical emergencies, and safety concerns.
While completing high school, I made the decision to move away from the family home because the environment had become so disruptive and unpredictable that it was affecting my education and ability to prepare for my future. This was not because I did not love my family or my brother. It was because the reality of living alongside such significant unmet support needs had become overwhelming.
I have watched my mother spend years living in survival mode, largely focused on keeping my brother safe and filling gaps left by service systems. As her son, there have been times when I have needed her and she simply has not had the emotional or physical capacity available. I do not blame her, but the impact has been significant.
What I want the committee to understand I want to have a normal relationship with my brother. I want to spend time with him as his brother, not as his carer. I want to spend time with my mother as her son, not as another person carrying responsibilities that should sit within a funded disability support system.
My brother’s needs involve safety risks, behavioural support requirements, medical needs, communication challenges, and levels of supervision requiring highly trained staff. I do not have those skills. Most family members do not.
Even visiting my family home can be challenging. I worry about my brother’s safety, my mother’s wellbeing, and sometimes my own safety due to the complexity of the situations being managed.
When supports are adequately funded, my brother is safer, my mother is safer, and our family functions better. When supports are inadequate, everyone in the household pays the price.
Concerns about proposed reforms I am concerned about increased reliance on standardised assessments. My brother’s needs are complex and cannot be accurately captured through a checklist or standardised process alone.
I am also concerned about any weakening of review and appeal rights. Review pathways and access to the Administrative Review Tribunal are essential safeguards when decisions do not accurately reflect a person’s disability-related support needs.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2706
Recommendations
-
Maintain adequate disability funding for people with complex needs.
-
Ensure disability-related supports remain the responsibility of trained professionals, not informalfamily networks.
-
Protect community participation supports and supports that prevent family breakdown.
-
Maintain person-centred decision making.
-
Avoid over-reliance on standardised assessments.
-
Preserve internal review, external review, and ART appeal rights.
-
Improve decision-making quality rather than reducing review opportunities.
-
Recognise the impact disability support systems have on siblings and families. Closing statement The NDIS should strengthen families, not increase their burden. My brother deserves specialised support, and families deserve the opportunity to be family members rather than unpaid support workers.