Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the
NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submitted by: Marianne-Joan Flynn (NDIS Participant since 2017) Submitted on: My own behalf Date: Sunday 5 July 2026
Privacy note I am submitting this in my own name and on my own behalf. I have not included my address, NDIS participant number or other identifying account numbers in the body of this submission because I understand submissions may be published. I can provide contact details privately to the Committee secretariat if required
Important note about assistance preparing this submission This submission is made in my own name and on my own behalf. It is written from my perspective and reflects my lived experience, evidence and views.
It has been prepared with practical assistance from a concerned member of the public. I have needed that assistance because I am not able to independently prepare, organise, type, format, submit or manage a response of this kind.
I have cognitive, neurological, communication, physical and functional impairments that affect my ability to understand complex documents, organise evidence, use online systems, write formal responses, meet deadlines and advocate for myself.
The fact that this submission is clear and organised should not be interpreted as evidence that I can manage NDIS processes independently. It shows the opposite: with the right support, I can explain my experience. Without support, I would not have been able to make this submission.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 1 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
Executive summary
I am an NDIS participant with complex and overlapping disability support needs. My experience shows why the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 needs stronger safeguards before it proceeds.
I support the long-term sustainability of the NDIS. However, sustainability must not be achieved by refusing essential supports, shifting responsibility to other systems that are not actually available, or expecting participants with cognitive and communication impairments to navigate complex processes alone.
In my recent NDIS review, multiple supports were refused or reduced because my needs were separated into narrow categories - psychosocial, physical, health, continence, mobility or clinical
- instead of being assessed as one connected functional reality. I was also expected to seek alternative services, gather evidence, manage documents, use online systems and challenge decisions, despite my documented impairments making those tasks impossible without support.
I ask the Committee to recommend that the Bill be amended before it proceeds, so that participants with complex functional needs are not left without essential support.
The safeguards I seek are:
- whole-person functional capacity assessment
- no artificial separation of support needs
- direct consideration of OT, psychology, GP and specialist evidence
- no shifting responsibility to other systems unless support is actually available
- continuation of essential supports until a safe alternative exists
- funded support to use review and reassessment rights
- non-digital access pathways
- meaningful human review in complex cases
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 2 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
- Introduction I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to the inquiry into the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
I understand that the Committee is considering submissions that directly address the provisions of the Bill. I am not asking the Committee to review or overturn my individual NDIS decision. I am using my lived experience to show how the proposed changes may affect people with complex disability support needs if stronger safeguards are not included.
The Bill includes proposed changes relating to functional capacity, supports linked to eligible impairments, reassessments, reasonable and necessary supports, other service systems and automated administrative decision-making.
I am an NDIS participant with psychosocial disability, cognitive impairment, chronic pain, mobility limitations, continence needs, communication barriers, difficulty self-managing and limited informal support.
My main concern is that the Bill may make it easier for the NDIA to refuse or reduce supports by treating a participant’s needs too narrowly.
- My main concern The NDIS looked at my needs in separate pieces, instead of looking at how I function in real life.
My disability support needs do not fit neatly into one diagnosis or one category.
My anxiety affects whether I can leave the house. My cognition affects whether I can understand letters, organise documents, remember appointments or respond to decisions.
My pain affects whether I can walk, shower, prepare food or sleep.
My continence needs affect hygiene, dignity, health and whether I can safely manage alone.
My mobility affects whether I can shop, attend appointments or participate in the community. These things are connected.
When they are separated into administrative categories, essential supports can be refused even though they are necessary for safety, dignity and daily life.
That is why the Bill needs safeguards.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 3 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
- My functional support needs I need support with everyday life, not because I prefer assistance, but because I cannot safely and consistently manage without it.
I need support with:
- memory and concentration
- planning and decision-making
- emotional regulation
- communication
- understanding and responding to documents
- managing mail, bills, banking and appointments
- using email, online systems and internet-based processes
- personal care and hygiene
- continence management
- meal preparation and nutrition
- sleep and fatigue
- chronic pain and spasms
- mobility and transfers
- community access and transport
- provider communication and evidence gathering I may sometimes be able to do a task in a narrow sense. But that does not mean I can do it safely, consistently, without prompting, or without becoming overwhelmed, distressed, exhausted or physically worse afterwards.
Functional capacity must mean real-world capacity.
- Before and after the review outcome Before the latest review outcome, I had a broader support structure. I had specialist support coordination, support coordination, support carers and funded supports that helped me manage my plan, attend appointments, participate in the community and maintain some daily stability.
After the review outcome, Level 3 specialist support coordination was refused, support coordination was reduced, and many supports recommended for daily living, continence, mobility, therapy, equipment and community access were not funded.
I was left with limited support hours, recurring transport funding and generic directions to seek other services or provide more evidence.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 4 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
That sounds simple on paper. In real life, it has left me without the practical supports I need to remain safe and engaged.
- What happened in my latest NDIS review In my latest NDIS review, supports were refused, reduced or not adequately funded in areas including:
- physiotherapy
- occupational therapy
- psychology
- continence support
- care worker support
- social and community participation
- Level 2 support coordination
- Level 3 specialist support coordination
- consumables and low-cost assistive technology
- equipment and repairs relating to bed, recliner, transfers, pressure management and safety, including ramps, rails and door adjustments The recurring reasoning was that many of these supports were not directly related to my accepted psychosocial disabilities, or were considered the responsibility of mainstream health, mental health, advocacy, legal aid or community services. That reasoning does not reflect my real functional situation. The supports were not optional. They were identified by registered professionals as required supports. They were connected to safety, mobility, continence, communication, nutrition, pain management, pressure care, community access and my ability to remain at home.
- The practical impact The impact has been serious. I am in shock and despair.
Before the review outcome, I had some hope. I was trying to participate more in life. I was attending community activities such as choir and movement classes. I was beginning to speak with people in my residential community.
Since the outcome, I have become much more isolated. I rarely go out. I rely on very limited support carer hours. I do not have a practical way to replace the refused supports myself.
The support gaps have affected:
- appointments
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 5 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
- bills and paperwork
- meals and nutrition
- showering and grooming
- continence management
- pain and fatigue
- sleep
- community access
- falls risk
- pressure-area risk
- ability to respond to NDIS decisions
- ability to challenge the decision
- further decline in my mental health This is not just inconvenience. It affects my safety, autonomy, dignity, independence and health.
- Why “go and find other services” is not a real answer One of the most difficult parts of this process is being told, directly or indirectly, that I should seek other services or find alternative supports.
I cannot do that independently.
I cannot use the internet to search for providers. I cannot manage online systems, portals or forms. I cannot use email as a normal communication method. I rely on postal mail and practical support from others to understand documents and respond.
I cannot independently compare services, contact providers, arrange appointments, explain my needs, travel to services or follow through afterwards.
I also have severe anxiety, debilitating panic attacks and social anxiety. I cannot just ring around, meet strangers, attend new providers or advocate for myself. I do not drive. I cannot independently use public transport. My mobility, pain, cognition, communication barriers and anxiety all affect my ability to seek help. So, when the NDIA says another system or alternative service may be responsible, that does not mean I can access that support.
For an alternative service to be real, it must be:
- clearly identified
- available now
- funded
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 6 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
- suitable for my needs
- accessible to me
- able to communicate in a way I can manage
- able to provide practical support, not just advice
- willing to accept responsibility
- available without relying on me to navigate the system independently Without that, shifting responsibility is not a transition. It is leaving me without support.
- Review rights are not meaningful if I cannot use them I was told I could seek review or go to the Administrative Review Tribunal.
But a right to review is not meaningful if I cannot practically use it.
I do not have the cognitive, neurological, physical or communication capacity to prepare a tribunal application or review material on my own. I cannot independently gather evidence, write letters, organise documents, use online systems or meet review deadlines without support.
The physical effort of putting reports and papers together affects my pain, spasms and fatigue. The mental effort overwhelms me. The process itself is not accessible.
This submission itself demonstrates the problem. I have only been able to make this submission because a concerned member of the public helped me organise my evidence and words. Without that help, I would not have been able to participate in this inquiry in a meaningful way.
I have also been told that support coordinators are limited in helping with tribunal preparation because of conflict-of-interest concerns. If the people who understand my support needs cannot help me prepare for review, and I cannot do it myself, then the review pathway is not genuinely accessible.
This is a serious fairness and discrimination issue.
The Bill must not increase evidence burdens, tighten reassessment pathways or expand administrative decision-making without ensuring people with cognitive and communication impairments have funded support to respond.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 7 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
- Digital exclusion is a disability access issue Many NDIS processes direct participants to websites, online forms, portals, apps, email or internet searches.
I am unable to use those systems. I do not have the neurological capacity to use those systems.
I need hard-copy information, postal communication and support to understand and respond. Digital access is not a preference issue for me. It is a disability access issue.
When information, provider searches, review forms and guidance are only practically available online, the process excludes me. It gives me rights and responsibilities through systems I cannot use.
That is discriminatory in effect.
If the NDIS expects me to use online systems to find information, submit forms, understand rights, find providers or report concerns, I am excluded from processes that are supposed to protect me.
The Bill should require non-digital and supported pathways for participants who cannot use online systems because of disability.
- Why this matters for the Bill Functional capacity must be assessed in real life The Bill proposes to define and use functional capacity more centrally in NDIS access and planning.
Functional capacity should not mean asking whether I can technically do a task. It should ask whether I can do the task safely, regularly and without deterioration.
The Bill should require whole-person functional assessment that considers cognition, psychosocial disability, physical impairment, pain, continence, sleep, nutrition, medication effects, communication barriers, environment and informal support availability together.
Support needs should not be artificially separated The Bill strengthens the link between supports and the impairments for which a participant met access criteria.
My experience shows the risk.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 8 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
Supports for mobility, pain, continence, transfers, pressure care, assistive technology, personal care and daily living were treated as not directly related to my accepted psychosocial disability. But in real life, these supports are connected to how I function.
The Bill should not allow essential supports to be refused just because the need is labelled as physical, health, continence, mobility or clinical, where that need affects functional capacity and interacts with disability.
Other systems must not be assumed to be available The Bill allows consideration of other service systems.
That needs a strong safeguard.
A system should not be considered available just because it exists somewhere. It must actually be available to me, in my circumstances, with my impairments and access barriers.
Complex cases need human review The Bill permits automated administrative decision-making within the NDIS.
This is dangerous for complex participants.
My support needs cannot be understood by a template, automated process or generic category based reasoning. A person must look at the evidence, the risks and the practical consequences of refusing supports.
- Safeguards Parliament should require I ask the Committee to recommend that the Bill be amended before it proceeds, so participants with complex functional needs are not left without essential supports.
The Bill should include the following safeguards.
- Whole-person functional assessment Functional capacity must consider the combined impact of psychosocial, cognitive, physical, pain, mobility, continence, sleep, nutrition, medication, communication and environmental factors.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 9 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
-
No artificial separation of support needs Supports should not be refused simply because they are labelled physical, health, continence, mobility or clinical supports, where those needs interact with disability and affect functional capacity.
-
Direct engagement with evidence The NDIA should be required to directly address OT, psychology, GP and specialist evidence before refusing or reducing supports.
-
Safe alternative service test The NDIA should not shift responsibility to another system unless the alternative service is named, available, funded, suitable, accessible and able to provide the required practical support.
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Essential supports continue until safe transition exists Supports needed for safety, hygiene, continence, meals, mobility, medication, communication, administration, community access and daily living should continue until a safe alternative is confirmed.
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Funded support to use review rights Participants with cognitive, communication, mobility or administrative impairment should receive funded assistance to understand decisions, gather evidence, prepare responses and seek review.
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Non-digital access pathways Online systems must not be the only practical pathway. Hard-copy, postal, supported and accessible communication options must be available.
-
Human review in complex cases Complex participants should receive meaningful human review before supports are refused, reduced, suspended or shifted.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 10 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;
-
Support coordination as an enabling support Support coordination should not be reduced where it is needed for communication, provider engagement, evidence gathering, plan implementation, review access and self-advocacy.
-
Continued need should not be treated as failure If a person still requires full support to access the community or manage daily life, that should not automatically be treated as lack of progress. For complex participants, continued need may reflect the severity of disability and the need for ongoing support.
-
Closing statement I am not asking the Committee to decide my individual plan.
I am asking Parliament to make sure the law does not allow people like me to be left without essential supports because our needs are too complicated and complex for narrow categories.
The NDIS should be sustainable, but not by making people unsafe, isolated or unable to live with dignity.
The Bill should be amended so that participants with complex functional needs are assessed as whole people, given accessible review pathways, and not shifted to other systems unless those systems are actually available and able to help.
Signed:
Marianne-Joan Flynn (NDIS Participant since 2017) Date: Sunday 5 July 2026
Statement about assistance: This submission was prepared with practical assistance from a concerned member of the public. I would not have been able to prepare, organise, write or submit this response independently because of my disability-related cognitive, communication, physical and functional impairments.
TO: Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
Inquiry into the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for future generations) Bill 2026
From: Marianne-Joan Flynn Sunday 5 July 2026 11 of 11NB: My preferred method of Telephone contact. Prior to calling, please arrange for a SMS text message, to include: Your name and organisation you represent; Subject Ref;