National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3218
Senate Enquiry Submission: “Securing The NDIS for Future Generations” Bill 2026
Dear Senators,
I am a registered NDIS provider and have been since 2019. My role is to assist NDIS participants in coordinating their supports and to provide psychosocial recovery coaching.
I wish to make a submission about the proposed Bill and some of my concerns, my own and those reflected by my clients and or their families.
The narrative around the changes have been confusing and demeaning for people with disability. Many of the people I support have been distressed and made anxious but most of all some have felt belittled, disempowered and that they are somehow a burden upon their community. They feel that they have little value; as the narrative from the politicians and media, manufactured by well-paid ‘spin doctors’ and consultants paints a picture of a Scheme riddled with rorts, scams and misuse. You know, or better still, you should know, this is factually incorrect.
The environment created by the government and supported by the media is all about blame. Blame towards participants and service providers. This in turn creates a public backlash and finger-pointing towards a vulnerable section of our community and their families. The old derision of “dole bludger” is now being repackaged and directed towards any person on the NDIS or employed in a supporting capacity. Costs are spoken about, but never the costs that come from mismanagement, incompetence and bureaucratic foolishness that fall at the feet of successive governments. Operation failures of the Scheme must cost millions of dollars each day.
As a provider I experience it every day; as an example, I may need to reach out to a decision maker at the NDIA for the benefit of a client, either to impart information or to seek clarification of information. Just getting through to the call centre is laughable and something Kafkaesque to say the least. A two-minute recorded preamble about being respectful is followed by a series of identification requests; my name, my phone number, my email, my provider number, sometimes my physical address, date of birth or postal address (I have not been asked what I had for breakfast but if that did happen, I would not be surprised!). This is followed by a text or email sent code to me which must be recited back. All this takes up to an additional three or four minutes on a good day. Finally, when the details of the participant for whom I am making the call are given, there is a wait of several minutes (3 to 10) so that their consent for me to speak on their behalf is verified. I am put on hold when I could be doing other work. Sometimes the consent is found and the call can go through; sometimes it can’t be found as some information is currently being “transitioned” from one client management system to the new “PACE” client management system. I have had been told recent consent documents cannot be found – one would wonder how that could happen – so I then have to ask for the operator to call the participant or their nominee to verify that I have their permission. If all goes well, I can actually discuss the reason for the call. More often than not the person at the call centre (all Serco employees) has minimal training and so they simply make comments such as “look at the NDIS website” or sometimes they admit they cannot answer my query. If one needs to speak to a decision maker regarding a participant’s plan or situation, such as a Planner or Delegate, one cannot be put through to the person, but rather one must make a request, preferably to the generic enquires email to have that person call you back. This is done because there is a NDIS policy that no work number, direct
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National Disability Coordination
PO Box 4062 Winmalee NSW 2777
Ph 13000 DISABILITY (1300 034 722) or 0491 139 694
admin@nationaldisabilitycoordination.com.au www.nationaldisabilitycoordination.com.au ABN 9374134741 NDIS Provider 4050059467
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3218
email addresses or names can be given out. Sometimes a response can take days or even weeks. This is incredibly frustrating for me and the participant and it all just slows the process down. All enquiries are centralised. It is like it was devised by someone from the old Soviet Union.
This process takes time. Lots of time. Of course, this time costs money and that money comes from the participant’s funding, which comes from the government and ultimately from the taxpayers. A simple direct communication, multiplied by the thousands of times per day across the country these types of communications are necessary, could literally save millions.
Is this operational, systemic incompetence ever mentioned in all the talk of ‘necessary changes’ or ‘saving the NDIS for future generations’? No, it is never mentioned. Maybe as Senators, it might be worth looking into.
In my experience I have witnessed this Scheme changes lives. Many of the people I have supported have gained confidence, independence and a greater sense of belonging in their community. Yet, at the moment most are fearful that all the gains and the promise of support and equality will stop and they will be relegated to being forgotten.
One of my clients, a man with severe trauma related anxiety and a generalised intellectual impairment said to me recently that he was afraid that the NDIS support would stop and he would end up in a mental hospital. The reality is, sadly, if his supports did stop and he was put off the Scheme he would probably be correct.
My clients are not just people with disability; they are people first, people who deserve the support of a society that can help them reach their full capacity and for many that is to work and build a life towards liberty and independence. Curtailing access to the community or holding the threat of expulsion from the Scheme or allowing an algorithm to determine their funding or placing barriers to service access or reducing funding so that needs are not addressed is a sign that the government is failing in their own capacity to protect and enhance the lives of people who’s ‘crime’ is to have a permanent disability. We all need to remember that each of us is a mishap, accident or health issue away from being in the same boat.
I would urge you all to have the courage and compassion to reject the proposed Bill or better yet, propose an amended piece of legislation that will address the systemic incompetencies of the Scheme; to make a more viable and workable NDIS for every person with a disability.
Yours respectfully,
Mark Ptolemy
June 1st 2026 2/2
National Disability Coordination
PO Box 4062 Winmalee NSW 2777
Ph 13000 DISABILITY (1300 034 722) or 0491 139 694
admin@nationaldisabilitycoordination.com.au www.nationaldisabilitycoordination.com.au ABN 9374134741 NDIS Provider 4050059467