National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3227
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
I am writing as the father of a woman in her early thirties who has severe disabilities and requires 24/7 support. My wife and I are deeply concerned about the proposed changes to the NDIS and the additional powers and restrictions that would be enabled through the legislation currently before Parliament.
Our daughter has a full, meaningful and rewarding life. She participates in her community, maintains relationships, and enjoys opportunities that many people take for granted. None of this would be possible without the support funded through the NDIS.
My wife and I are now in our late 60s. For more than 30 years, we have dedicated ourselves to ensuring our daughter has the best life possible despite her significant disabilities. My wife gave up her career to provide the care, advocacy and support that our daughter needed. We have worked hard, both personally and financially, to establish a framework that allows her to live with dignity, purpose and connection.
The NDIS has been essential in turning that vision into reality.
As we age, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to provide the physical support that we have been able to offer for decades. We are reaching a point where our own efforts will no longer be enough to sustain our daughter’s quality of life. We therefore depend on the NDIS to ensure continuity, stability and appropriate support into the future.
Our greatest concern is that reductions in funding or increased restrictions on supports will leave our daughter with no option but to move into group housing or a more institutional form of care that does not meet her needs or reflect the life she currently enjoys. We do not want to see decades of effort, sacrifice and successful support undermined by policy changes that prioritise cost savings over individual outcomes.
Families like ours have stepped up for many years to support loved ones with severe disabilities. We ask that the Committee carefully consider the impact these changes may have on people who rely on the NDIS not simply for services, but for the ability to live meaningful and dignified lives.
I urge the Committee to ensure that any reforms preserve the security, flexibility and individualised supports that have allowed people like our daughter to flourish and that provide ageing parents with confidence that their children will continue to be well supported when they can no longer provide that support themselves.
Thank you for considering my submission.