National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment ( Securing the NDIS
for Future Generations) Bill 2026
I write from lived experience as a 70-year-old parent and unpaid carer of two adult children with disabilities.
My adult son currently lives with me and is working towards independent living with appropriate NDIS supports. My own health has significantly declined, and I now receive supports myself through the Aged Care Support at Home Program. As a result, I am deeply concerned about the impact the proposed amendments may have on participants with complex and psychosocial disabilities, and on ageing carers such as myself.
My family circumstances include:
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An adult daughter with a spinal cord injury, paraplegia, and associated long-term health conditions resulting from an accident.
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An adult son with psychosocial disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (a congenital neurological condition), and PTSD arising from harmful interactions with an NDIS provider several years ago.
I wish to address the following proposed amendments contained in the Bill:
- Resetting Participant Support Budgets
- Changes to “Reasonable and Necessary” Supports
- The proposed new Support Coordination and Connection Service
- Participant Support Budgets
- Resetting Participant Support Budgets I am extremely concerned about proposals which may result in the reduction or resetting of supports related to social participation, community access and daily living capacity building.
For participants with psychosocial and neurological disabilities, these supports are not optional extras. They are essential supports that enable safe participation in everyday life and gradual development of independence.
My son requires support workers to assist with activities including:
- grocery and clothing shopping
- attending medical and professional appointments
- administrative tasks such as banking and paperwork
- meal preparation and household tasks
- accessing community and recreational activities safely
- building confidence communicating with unfamiliar people and navigating unfamiliar environments.
These supports are particularly important because PTSD symptoms can fluctuate, and setbacks occur when trauma is triggered. Recovery and confidence building require repetition, consistency and long-term tailored support.
Over the past two years, my son has made gradual progress through individualised NDIS supports. Without these supports, he would become socially isolated and unable to continue building the skills necessary to live independently.
My son is 42 years old and working toward the goal of moving out of the family home. This transition is critically important because I am ageing and increasingly unable to provide the level of support he requires.
He also requires support to develop independent living skills, including:
- cooking and meal preparation
- cleaning and household organisation
- laundry and clothing care
- budgeting and paying bills
- caring for his companion support animal. Any reduction in these supports would place him at significant risk of crisis, loss of independence, and potential homelessness.
Importantly, there are currently no equivalent community-based alternative services available to meet these needs.
- Reasonable and Necessary Supports I am concerned about proposals that may result in “reasonable and necessary” supports being assessed through increasingly standardised approaches across groups of participants.
While consistency is important, disability is highly individualised. Each participant’s support needs, goals, functional capacity and circumstances are unique and should continue to be assessed individually.
Participants must retain genuine choice and control regarding supports that are necessary for their wellbeing, safety and participation in the community.
My experience within the aged care system has shown me that highly prescriptive and standardised service models often fail to meet individual needs and may result in inefficient use of funding.
For example, my daughter requires highly customised mobility equipment because of her orthopaedic and physical support needs. She has used a wheelchair throughout her life and possesses detailed knowledge about what equipment works effectively for her individual circumstances.
Due to the specialised nature of this equipment, even allied health professionals may not possess the same level of practical expertise regarding her day-to-day requirements as she herself does.
It is therefore essential that participants themselves remain central to decision-making processes concerning their supports and equipment.
The system should also avoid unnecessary administrative delays and repetitive report writing requirements where needs are already well established and documented. Funding is better directed toward providing the necessary supports and equipment themselves.
- Support Coordination and Connection Services I strongly believe that participants with cognitive, neurological or psychosocial disabilities must continue to have access to independent Support Coordination.
The NDIS is a highly complex system, and many participants require assistance to:
- understand their plans
- organise supports
- coordinate providers
- manage service agreements
- monitor whether supports are effective and appropriate
- navigate reviews and system changes. For participants such as my son, who experiences organisational and cognitive difficulties associated with autism and neurological impairment, independent Support Coordination is essential.
Removal or reduction of independent Support Coordination risks significantly reducing participant autonomy and their practical ability to exercise informed choice and control.
Support Coordinators play a critical role in understanding the whole person, including the interaction between formal supports, informal supports, family circumstances and long-term goals.
Any new system must preserve participant independence, autonomy and procedural fairness, consistent with Australia’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Conclusion
While I acknowledge the importance of maintaining the long-term sustainability and integrity of the NDIS, this must not come at the expense of the dignity, safety and human rights of people with disability.
As a parent and unpaid carer of over 40 years, I am deeply concerned that aspects of the proposed Bill risk reducing the individual voice of participants and moving the scheme away from its original principles of genuine choice and control.
Disability supports cannot be approached through a “one size fits all” model.
My specific concerns include:
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restrictive definitions of NDIS supports creating uncertainty and increasing the risk that participants may lose access to essential supports they currently rely upon
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increased reliance on delegated legislation and rules, reducing transparency and parliamentary scrutiny
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limitations on review and appeal rights, which may disproportionately disadvantage participants with psychosocial, cognitive or intellectual disabilities
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insufficient recognition that disability is often complex, fluctuating and highly individualised
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risks that participants with multiple and intersecting disabilities may not fit neatly within administrative categories
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inadequate safeguards for participants with high or complex support needs. Any reforms to the NDIS should remain grounded in:
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human rights principles
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procedural fairness
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co-design with people with disability
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dignity, inclusion and independence
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the original intent and foundational principles of the NDIS. Thank you for considering this submission.