Risk of losing long term therapeutic relationships (Family or carer experience)

Submission 327

Dear Milton Dick

My name is                            , and I live in               in your electorate. I am writing as

both a parent and a long term carer for my 16 year old daughter, who is an NDIS participant with a 36 month plan (2025-2028). I self manage all of her funding and have consistently been told by the NDIS that I manage her supports exceptionally well.

Before outlining my concerns, I want to make it clear that I support sensible and necessary reforms to the NDIS. Over the years, I have personally witnessed both participants and providers abusing the Scheme, often with no accountability. I agree that the NDIS must be sustainable and protected from misuse. However, reforms must not destabilise families who manage their plans responsibly, nor remove essential supports from vulnerable young people.

I am deeply concerned about several elements of the proposed NDIS Amendment Bill and the uncertainty it creates for families like mine. I am asking you to raise these concerns in Parliament and with the relevant Ministers and Committees before the Bill progresses further. I have CC’d the relevant parties because this Bill is urgent and, to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure where my concerns would be best heard.

1. Uncertainty Around Shorter Plans and Loss of Stability current plan is a 36 month plan. This stability is essential for her wellbeing, especially as she approaches Year 12. The Bill’s move toward shorter plans and more frequent reassessments creates enormous anxiety for us.

Every year, Term 1 is extremely difficult for She becomes overstimulated after the holidays, and the school frequently calls us to collect her because she is ‘sick’, often most days of the week. This is a predictable pattern, and it takes weeks for her to regulate and settle back into routine.

If her plan is shortened or reviewed during this period, she will be at her most vulnerable and least able to cope with change. The risk of losing supports at this time is significant and frightening.

2. Concern About the Bill Allowing Government to Change Rules Without

Consultation

One of the most alarming aspects of the Bill is the inclusion of provisions that allow the Minister or Agency to change rules, definitions, or eligibility criteria without parliamentary oversight or community consultation.

Families like mine rely on predictability and transparency. We plan years ahead. We cannot function under a system where major changes can be made overnight without

Submission 327

notice, especially when those changes could affect essential supports, eligibility, or access to therapy.

This level of uncertainty is incompatible with caring for a young autistic person with complex needs.

3. Whole of Person Assessment Must Consider All Conditions, Not Just One The Bill’s shift toward a ‘whole of person assessment’ sounds positive in theory, but the current drafting suggests assessors may only consider the primary condition, even when additional conditions are interconnected and inseparable.

In case, her autism, ADHD, anxiety, sensory regulation challenges, emotional regulation difficulties, and daily living impairments cannot be separated. They interact constantly. If only one condition is considered, her functional needs will be underestimated, and she risks losing essential supports.

4. Risk of Losing Long Term Therapeutic Relationships My greatest fear is that will lose access to her long term psychologist at the exact time she needs stability the most, during the transition out of school and into adulthood. The Bill’s proposed changes to therapy funding, caps, and ‘foundational supports’ risk disrupting therapeutic relationships that have taken years to build. has been seeing her psychologist regularly, and this relationship is critical to her emotional regulation, school attendance, and overall wellbeing.

If her therapy is reduced, capped, or moved outside the NDIS, she will not cope. The public system cannot absorb this demand, and waitlists are already unmanageable. Medicare provides insufficient support for quality therapists. I know this firsthand, after a significant workplace accident and multiple surgeries, when I was unable to access the psychological support I needed until it was too late, resulting in a lengthy hospital admission.

5. Self Management Must Be Protected I have self managed plan for years. I choose her providers carefully, maintain detailed records, and ensure every dollar is used responsibly. The NDIS has repeatedly acknowledged this. The Bill’s potential restrictions on self management, including limiting provider choice or requiring pre approval, would remove the flexibility that allows me to support my daughter effectively.

Families who self manage well should not be penalised.

Submission 327

What I Am Asking

I respectfully ask that you:

1. Raise these concerns with the Minister for the NDIS and in your party room

2. Advocate for amendments that protect long term plans, self management, and therapeutic continuity

3. Oppose any provisions that allow rule changes without parliamentary scrutiny

4. Ensure whole of person assessments genuinely consider all interacting conditions

5. Support a transition process that does not destabilise young people during critical schooling years

Families like mine want the NDIS to be sustainable, fair, and effective. We simply ask that reforms do not harm the very people the Scheme was created to support.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my concerns. I would appreciate a response outlining your position on the Bill and how you intend to represent families like mine as it progresses.

Kind regards

Parent and Carer of (NDIS Participant)