National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3329
Dear Committee Members,
I am writing as a family member of an NDIS participant who lives with very significant disability support needs and requires 24/7 support to live safely.
My family member currently lives an active, meaningful life in the community because their supports are individualised and self-directed. Those supports allow them to communicate, participate, build relationships, take part in ordinary daily life, and remain safe.
I am deeply concerned that the proposed NDIS changes, particularly the proposed reduction to Social, Civic and Community Participation supports and changes to other capacity building supports, will make individualised 24/7 support impossible for some people.
For people who need support at all times, community participation is not a luxury or an optional extra. It is part of the support that allows a person to live a full and safe life, not merely survive inside their home.
If funding is cut, some people with high and complex support needs may be pushed into group homes or SIL arrangements because their individualised supports are no longer adequately funded. That would be a return to the old system the NDIS was meant to prevent.
This is especially concerning given the serious abuse, neglect and loss of choice documented in group homes and congregate settings. For people with complex physical, medical or communication needs, being placed in a group setting with changing staff and competing demands can create serious risks.
I ask the Committee to recommend that any NDIS changes:
protect individualised 24/7 support for people who need it; stop blanket cuts to Social, Civic and Community Participation supports; ensure no one is pushed into SIL or group living because self-directed supports are underfunded; protect self-management, direct employment and self-directed support; require individual assessment before any support is reduced; and provide genuine appeal rights before essential supports are lost.
The NDIS should fund full, safe and included lives in the community. It should not force people back into group living because individualised supports have been cut.
Yours sincerely,
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3329
Family member of an NDIS participant