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

Submission 2842

I am a disabled person, a carer and an occupational therapist. I’m submitting this because I have severe concerns about the impact that this bill will have on the lives of many Australians, including the fact that this bill is going to be counterproductive- reducing supports will end up increasing costs on the government in the long term.

I have serious issues with the requirements around administrative and compliance requirements. As a Deaf person, given the frequent demands that I or my mother make phone calls, this is likely to cut off NDIS access for many with no reason.

In terms of being contactable, the potential changes to the NDIS alone are already causing severe distress among many. Should I be unwell, my mother would be unable to independently respond to requests from the NDIS for her to respond- wasting our and the NDIS’ time and money in the process of possibly requiring her to reapply, simply due to her not being able to respond without my assistance due to Deafness, mental health, and executive functioning issues- the latter two which are not supported for her under the NDIS, and the former of which, she keeps getting phone calls despite this being registered as her primary disability. Adding punishments for not responding to phone calls which she cannot reply to is deeply ableist.

I have extremely significant concerns around introductions around more automated systems for making decisions. When similar things were put in place for centrelink (robodebt), the outcome was a significant number of deaths due to the impact on mental health of those involved. Disability is not one size fits all, and the effectiveness, value for money and suitability for purpose of the NDIS will be deeply harmed by attempting to automate it.

I’m currently experiencing fear and reluctance around getting new hearing aids under the NDIS- my old ones are dying, I can’t afford new ones independently, and I’m struggling to go out in public and socialise. I’m scared, though, because I’ve heard that people are being denied the level of hearing aids they need when it’s time for new ones, and I’ve been asked to prove I need the hearing aids I currently have. My hearing loss is a degenerative one, and I will be completely deaf with no hearing at all by about the age of 40- the same as my other family members for the three generations before me. It’s a waste of time and money to try to get me to use weaker hearing aids that won’t help me when my hearing is getting worse, not better, with every year that passes.

As I find that I’m struggling more with my hearing in everyday life, the chances that I can continue working independently reduces. My mental health, fatigue, and ability to just cope and do all my day-to-day things depend on the supports I have with my hearing. If I can’t cope with that at the same time as being able to be employed full-time, or at all, I’ll end up having to stop working and apply for disability or unemployment supports. I’d hate to do that, especially as I know that my role as a Deaf-aware OT is a highly-sought-after one and I like being able to help others.

I ask the committee to consider my lived experience when reviewing this Bill.