National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3349
Megan Rochelle
21 May 2026
To Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs:
Submission to the Inquiry into National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment
(Securing the NDIS for future Generations Bill)
Summary
- I call upon the committee to recommend this bill be rejected this bill entirely.
- Provide better incentives to work in support work
- My most important concerns is the 50% cut in social and community participation. About me:
I am a 32 year old support work with disabilities. I have 8 years experience as a support worker, and I am particularly experienced in social and community participation and persons with psychosocial disabilities, both of which are being targeted for cuts. I also have both ADHD and Cerebral palsy.
My concerns about the bill:
I am deeply concerned that the cuts to social nad community participation will have a devastating effect on whole families. The Bill tries to expand the area of “parental responsibility” to cover things previously provided by the NDIS. In my experience as a support worker, the support I provide is necessary to give parents the mental health and time to parent effectively. Without it there is likely to be carer burnout and family breakdown. Parents who are not supported cannot provide any care to their disabled child at all. Moreover, social and community participation enables young people to spend time with their peers away from the family and parental environment. This is necessary to develop and exercise your human autonomy.
I believe that there is a likelihood of increased abuse and neglect. FIrst of all, as families burn out and lose their mental health, and support budgets are cut, disabled people will be placed in residential care. It is well documented that these settings carry extreme risk of abuse and neglect. In addition, independent support workers provide a monitoring mechanism. I see my clients regularly, but less often than their families, and I am an outside voice that can observe changes and raise concerns. This will be less available with the cuts.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3349
The NDIS system of independent support workers has also been highly beneficial to me as a disabled person. Prior to working in my current career, my disability limited my access to employment. Something as simple as being unable to drive was a real limitation. On the other hand, as a support worker, my disability has become an asset. Not driving helps me to teach public transport skills. I used my lived experience to advise management on matters, and this led them to offer me new career opportunities. Losses of NDIS support worker jobs will reduce the labour force participation of persons like me, and mean that our potential to add value to the economy wil turn into a barrier to employment instead.
THe NDIS provides early access to the interventiosn that help us become more productive members of society and contribute. Growing up as a young person with cerebral palsy and ADHD, I only received access to a special tutor, occupational therapist, and physiotherapist because my family was high income. Without those things, I could not function in the world today. Childhood is a crucial time for these things to develop. Cutting funding to educate children, will lead to greater long term tdisability. Moreover, social and community participatoin also helps develop important skills early. I have been able to teach participants to independently use public transport, to organise outings nad to emotionally regulate.
My Recommendations:
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I believe the most important targets for NDIS reforms are service providers.
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Good service providers like mine, train support workers well, harness our abilities, draw on lived experience, and ensure we provide quality care.
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I have, however, seen, bad service providers who do not provide training, or monitor the quality of their workers, and who overcharge when they know something is the NDIS.