Attention: Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on
Community Affairs
Submitted by email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au
I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing
Committee on Community Affairs about the National Disability Insurance
Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
My name , I am a NDIS Participant. I have a complex disability that affects every part of my body, and impact my every day since I was a child, I became extremely ill in my early teens, I was fortunate to get on the NDIS when I was in my late teens, and extremely grateful for the supports I have gotten the NDIS helps me with seeing a physiotherapist, get custom AFO’s, a new wheelchair, my other one was over 10 years old and I was injuring myself using it. I am getting consistent support worker’s, which has also been life changing. I went from isolation just trying to survive, to actively living and participating more in the community around me. I was able to start modelling and now occasional work, which I love doing, all with the support of my support workers I am able to do it, which made me able to find the confidence and support to move out of my parents home, which was becoming too inaccessible for me. The NDIS and the support it gives has given me some more agency in my life for the first time just like any other young adult dreams of.
This is why I feel so passionately about saving the NDIS and wanting to add my voice alongside many incredible disabled folks by advocating to protect current and future NDIS participants, to do that I want to outline the harm this Amendment Bill will cause if it passes Parliament.
There are 5.5 million Australians with disability, only 761,442 are actively on the NDIS, and the harm caused by this Bill will affect everyone of us and our families. This bill without care, consideration and true representation of a large and diverse group of disabled peoples lived experiences, would be a disservice to all Australians and will cost the Australian people and the Government in other ways, more disabled people and their families will need Government Pensions, Supports and public housing. While also adding to hospital admissions, some being well enough to discharged but unwell enough to be discharged to an inaccessible home or supports. More young disabled adults being put into nursing homes, involuntary institutionalised and more disabled people will die preventable deaths. And we know this because it happened before.
Firstly, the consultation period for the Amendment Bill is two weeks, which is insufficient to allow for appropriate consultation, considering accessibility and communication needs. The Australian Government Guide to Policy Impact Analysis says consultation should occur for a minimum of 30 days where possible. Two weeks is not enough, disabled people are working with limited compacity, a lot of us need extra time and support to write these submissions while on top of that the high stakes of this bill, this is traumatising for NDIS participants. This limited time and rushed bill ISN’T truly accessible, especially with the lack of clear communication and clarity of this bill, making it harder to even submit this inquire, making it really hard to understand what is going on and know how to respond correctly.
The Bill changes the rules for existing NDIS participants and makes it harder to challenge some decisions about supports and funding. It also restricts when you can request a reassessment, removes review rights for automatic plan renewals, and makes funding reductions unreviewable.
This new bill does not protect participants already on the NDIS, who could be reassessed under stricter rules. If someone’s funding is reduced or their plan renewed automatically, they may have limited or no ability to challenge that decision. This could make it harder for people to get extra support when their circumstances or disability change, this is dangerous especially if the Minister can reduce funding for any support or group of supports by a specified percentage through an instrument that cannot be challenged, and unspent funds will no longer carry over at plan renewal, this causes such a negative impact on our lives.
It is already hard enough to get a re-assessments, putting in a change of circumstance, getting appointments and testing done by medical professionals and paying for reports. It took almost over 6 months waiting for me to get my change of circumstance and new plan because I moved, this process was inaccessible for me to do myself, I relied heavily on my Support Coordinator and during this process, my Support Coordinator funding was cut, to next to nothing, while we were actively working to get all the reports needed to submit. We submitted a complaint. I was told my LAC would reach out, she did, then she quite 2 weeks after admitting to me on the phone that now her case load has increased so much that she would be struggling to stay up to date and in contact with everyone. The next LAC didn’t get reach out to me for 3 months, by then the change of circumstances was already sent, but on New Years Eve the LAC called and informed me that the NDIS denied my reports with no real reasons for the decision, months ago, no one told me or my Support Coordinator. LAC
suspected that whoever saw the complaint submitting about a Support Coordinator hours, denied that then denied everything at once. The new LAC told me that this is serious and that they would do all they can to help me through this. They never reached back out, even after I tried to arrange a meeting with them and my Support Coordinator which they asked me to do. My Support Coordinator had no idea what was happening, so they spent months working with me pro-bono until the new plan was approved and they got paid. If it wasn’t for my incredible Support Coordinator, I would have been lost in the NDIS limbo with no support or care. This ordeal left me sicker, in fear of losing the life I tired to build and completely unsure of my future. This process should be accessible for the disabled people and their support team, not actively harder and not at the risk of their health and life. By cutting Support Worker funding and putting everything then on the LAC’s is dangerous many of us will fall through the cracks and there is no known system that will catch us.
Living with disability doesn’t follow a schedule, it can fluctuate or sometimes things are just worse than others and need some extra support. Sometimes I need more support than other days, due to the supports I have been getting I have been able to move out of my parents place, it would not have been possible without my supports, they also made it possible that I can work occasionally, but those jobs are inconsistent, with tight restrictions of funding or no roll over, every time I get an opportunity I have to weigh up the cost, do I lose a few days of support work to do this job? Even though, if I work I get really sick with pain and fatigue, I need time recover, I actually need more supports, so that I am able to function. It is already really hard to get the bare minimum of supports; we must fight really hard to get it as it is. These cuts are not protecting participants from NDIS Scammers, for fraud it is leaving disabled people at risk of their health detreating, being unable to get the supports needed quickly if their needs have suddenly changed or decline. This is detrimental to every person’s physical and mental health, it also will leave many disabled people in inaccessible, toxic, abusive environments.
The new bill will requirement to exhaust treatment options before eligibility, a person with disability will need to exhaust treatment options before they can be eligible for the Scheme. There will also be a removal of whole-of person assessment, replaced by single eligible impairment consideration. The note that previously acknowledged environmental factors and other ineligible impairments could affect support needs will be removed, this is again so
dangerous. A person’s individual circumstances will not be considered, including ability to pay for treatment, where they live or whether treatment is actually available to them. This will be detrimental to many disabled people’s wellbeing, it can delay proper care or for disabled people go through traumatising treatments that they didn’t want, or it caused serious side effects which could lead to increase possible co-morbidities, this change takes away disabled people’s bodily autonomy.
This will also cause for longer waiting periods which the NDIS and its participants have seen and experienced how delayed care can be life or death. All while putting on extreme pressure, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially on the families, carers who do not have the proper recourses, creating harmful environments. I saw my mum get sicker trying to take care of me. When I was older and well enough, I was able to ask to be planned managed, and support from a Support Coordinator which changed my life and care drastically.
The usage of the assessment tool I-CAN requires validation to ensure it will sufficiently identify the needs of all people with disability, including those whose needs may be fluctuating or episodic and may not be captured through a point-in-time assessment, and to ensure it is culturally appropriate and aware. The assessment tool does not accurately capture the full extent of a person’s disability, including needs that fluctuate or vary over time, a participant may be found ineligible or have their supports undercounted, with no guarantee the result reflects their actual experience. This system already makes it easy for people to fall through the cracks.
From 1 October 2026, the government has announced funding for social, civic and community participation supports will be cut by 50% and capacity building daily activities by 10% for all participants, reductions that will be implemented through the ministerial instrument power in Schedule 1 Part 4. The Foundational Supports system intended to fill that gap has no confirmed implementation date and is not yet operational. Supports that help participants connect with their community, build skills and maintain independence may be cut before anything exists to replace them, leaving carers and families with greater responsibilities and no additional support. These supports are often what help people stay visible, connected and safe. I have no idea how I would be able to get the support I need outside the NDIS, before the NDIS I rarely left my
parents home, for a long time I forgot that there was a world outside that I could be a part of.
This cuts honestly terrify me, and it terrifying for many disabled people in Australia. I feel like this is going against what the NDIS was original goal was for. This funding is vital for many disabled people and their families, without this disabled people will be limited to have choice who is going to be able to help them with basic care, getting in and out of bed, help with personal hygiene care, to leave their houses, go shopping, get to appointments, study, work and being an active part in the community.
There should be no reductions to community participation or capacity building supports. And if there has to be then it will have to wait until Foundational Supports are fully operational, adequately funded and demonstrably able to meet the needs of those who will lose NDIS supports.
Thank you for listening, I ask that those who are reading this and are making these decisions to please remember, disabled Australians are more than just statistics, ID numbers and lives you can pick apart to calculate what it’s worth. You are not saving money; you are taking a disabled person bodily autonomy away.