National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2785
To the Community Affairs Legislation Committee,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide this submission regarding the proposed NDIS changes.
I am writing as a mother, carer, person with disability, community worker and someone who has spent many years supporting people to navigate complex systems. I am deeply concerned about the potential impact these proposed changes may have on people with disability, carers and families, particularly those living in rural and regional communities.
The NDIS has been life-changing for my family. It has not provided luxury or excess. It has provided essential support that allows my family members to participate in community, access appointments, maintain wellbeing, build independence and reduce pressure on family carers.
I am a mother and carer to two young people who rely on NDIS supports, and I also provide support to m husband who experiences significant health challenges. My daughter, re uires support with transport, community access and daily living. My son, , relies on disability supports to participate in the community, develop skills an uild independence.
Living in regional New South Wales presents additional challenges. Transport, support workers and access to services are essential. Without them, access to appointments, education, employment and community participation becomes extremely difficult and, in some cases, impossible.
I already provide a substantial amount of unpaid care. If NDIS supports are reduced or removed, that responsibility falls back onto me. This would directly affect my wellbeing, my caring capacity and my ability to continue working. I currently contribute through community engagement, advisory work, mental health consultation and community development. Without appropriate supports for my family, I may have to significantly reduce or cease this work altogether.
One of my concerns is that the proposed changes appear to place greater emphasis on restricting eligibility, reducing supports and controlling costs rather than understanding the real-life impact disability has on individuals and families. Disability does not disappear because funding is reduced. The need remains. Instead, the burden is often shifted onto parents, carers, siblings, community organisations, emergency departments and already stretched health and social service systems.
I am particularly concerned about changes relating to support needs assessments, functional capacity measures, funding reductions, reassessments and increased barriers to accessing support. Many people with disability already struggle to navigate complicated systems. Additional layers of assessment, uncertainty and administrative burden may create significant distress and disadvantage.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2785
I am also concerned about the potential reduction of community participation supports. Social connection is not an optional extra. For many people with disability, community participation prevents isolation, supports mental health, builds confidence and contributes to independence. Removing these supports may lead to poorer long-term outcomes and greater reliance on crisis services.
The NDIS enables my family to function, participate and contribute. Reducing supports would increase social isolation, carer burnout and reliance on other services while reducing independence and opportunities for both of my children. We risk moving backwards rather than forwards.
The NDIS was created to support people with permanent and significant disability to live meaningful lives with dignity, inclusion and choice. While I understand the need to address fraud, improve accountability and ensure the sustainability of the scheme, reforms must not come at the expense of the people the NDIS was designed to support.
I encourage the Committee to carefully consider the voices of participants, carers, families and people with lived experience before progressing changes that may significantly impact daily life, independence, safety and wellbeing. Genuine co-design, transparency and meaningful consultation are essential.
Behind every funding decision is a real person, a real family and a real future. For my family, the NDIS is the difference between participation and isolation, independence and dependence, stability and crisis.
Thank you for considering this submission.
Kind regards,