National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3066
A dear friend of mine is an NDIS participant and I am writing this submission due to my concern for her mental wellbeing and overall quality of life if this bill was to be passed in its current form. I understand the need to consider how to make the NDIS more affordable, and to address when it is misused and abused, however the broad changes that this bill is suggesting, and how quickly it all seems to be happening, has me concerned not only for my friend but for all NDIS participants whose lives that are already hard, will be made harder.
I have watched as my friend’s life has shrunk over the years. What she is able to do, her connections to community, her independence, her energy to keep going and keep advocating and fighting for her rights, all seem to be getting harder to maintain. Thankfully she is strong-willed, resilient, and educated, as she has been able to advocate for herself extremely well which is the only reason she is still alive. It has taken so much time, and so much effort for her to secure the support that she needs, through providers she trusts, but it seems that she’s never able to rest for long as there always seems to be something that needs to be done to ensure that she can keep receiving the support that helps her live her life.
I’m a social worker and I know through the work that I do in supporting vulnerable people and communities how essential connection is to wellbeing. The thought of my friend having her social and community participation cut, as is being proposed in this bill, makes me very worried about the toll it would take on her mental health, as well as on the mental health of all of those on the NDIS who are vulnerable and whose connection to their communities is only possible thanks to NDIS support. My friend already has practically zero left in her emotional tank after everything that is required of her to live and work in a world that is not designed for people with disabilities. I fear that if she has to fight even harder against future funding cuts that are made against groups without consideration for individual cases, or the power to decide who provides her support is taken away, she will succumb to the difficulty and disappointment of it all, and will not be here for very long. I don’t say that lightly, nor is it a wild guess - my friend has struggled with feeling suicidal for a long time and a large factor of her struggle is just how difficult life is for her, as someone with several disabilities. She has shared with me before the pain of having to prove that one is disabled enough for support and the ever present fear that essential supports will be withdrawn.
The last point I want to make is regarding consultation and the development of any bill that affects NDIS participants. It seems obvious that NDIS participants and their families need to be involved in any evolutions of the NDIS, not only through consultation but also in the design and every other stage. I believe this Labour government to be one that cares about people, despite what is sometimes portrayed in the media. I know politics is hard to say the least, and so much of what we see online is an over simplification of complex and difficult issues. I am confident that the people involved in this NDIS bill don’t mean to harm people with the changes that are being proposed, but I do hope they/you are able to listen to people’s concerns. There is an opportunity here to signal to all Australians, to Australians with disabilities, and to the world, that here in Australia we unequivocally believe that people with disabilities are just as worthwhile as people without disabilities, and that their support needs are worthy and valid, and that we believe in trying to make life fairer for them.