National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2958
28th May 2026
Submission regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for
Future Generations) Bill 2026
I am a paediatric occupational therapist with more than 15 years’ experience working with children and families across the Central Coast of New South Wales. My experience includes NSW Health, non government organisations and private practice. I currently work with children aged 0 to 8 years, many of whom are autistic, neurodivergent, have developmental delay, sensory processing differences, intellectual disability, anxiety or physical disabilities.
I understand the need for a sustainable and safe NDIS system. Fraud prevention, clearer planning processes and better consistency are important goals. However, there are several aspects of the proposed Bill that may create unintended consequences for children, families and frontline services if implemented without sufficient flexibility, workforce capacity and practical safeguards.
Many families already experience significant difficulty accessing timely supports. Waitlists for paediatric allied health services are long across many areas, including regional communities such as the Central Coast. I see this in my practice every day. Early intervention is most effective when children can access support early and consistently. Increased barriers to reassessments, tighter eligibility interpretations and reduced flexibility may result in children missing critical developmental windows.
The proposed restrictions around reassessments are concerning for young children whose needs can change rapidly as developmental expectations increase across home, preschool and school environments. Development in early childhood is not always linear. Children may appear to cope at one stage and later experience significant challenges as social, communication, sensory or learning demands increase. In my experience, families overwhelmingly seek reassessment because current supports are no longer meeting functional needs, not because they are attempting to misuse the system.
The proposed focus on assessing functional capacity outside of environmental and personal circumstances may also create difficulties for neurodivergent children and families. A child’s functioning is often highly dependent on their environment, supports, sensory demands and relationships. Assessing function without considering these factors risks oversimplifying the realities families experience every day.
There are also likely impacts on workforce sustainability and service accessibility. Small private practices and sole clinicians such as I provide a large proportion of paediatric supports across Australia, particularly in regional and outer metropolitan communities. Additional administrative complexity, delayed decisions, uncertainty around funding and increasing compliance requirements may make it harder for smaller providers to remain financially viable. This may contribute to clinician burnout, workforce shortages and provider closures, further increasing waitlists for families. And this is if private practices and sole traders such as me are even eligible to provide services under schemes such as the Thriving Kids program.
Schools, early childhood services and families are already carrying increasing levels of unmet need. If children lose access to timely supports, there is likely to be increased pressure on education systems, carers and mainstream health services. Delayed support in early childhood can also have long-term impacts on participation, emotional wellbeing, school engagement and future employment outcomes.
The proposed Thriving Kids and Foundational Supports reforms may help address some gaps for children with lower support needs. However, there remains significant uncertainty about implementation, eligibility, workforce capacity and service availability. Families and providers need clear transition planning to avoid children falling between systems.
Practical recommendations:
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 2958
Maintain flexibility for reassessments in early childhood where developmental needs can change rapidly. Ensure functional assessments consider real-world environments and participation demands and fluctuating capacity. Avoid creating additional barriers for neurodivergent children whose support needs may fluctuate across settings. Provide clear transition arrangements between NDIS and Foundational Supports systems. Reduce unnecessary administrative burden on small and regional providers. Invest in workforce development and retention for paediatric allied health services, including those in the private sector. Ensure reforms do not unintentionally increase waitlists or reduce access to early intervention supports.
Sustainable reform is important, but sustainability should not come at the cost of timely developmental support for children and families who rely on these services to participate meaningfully in everyday life.