National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3386
My name is Kerry-Jo Hunter, I live in Kalgoorlie and I work as a Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner.
I am not just a professional in this space, I also live with a disability myself. I understand, both personally and professionally, what it means to rely on support to live with dignity. I can say this clearly, people with a disability in this country are being forced to fight for their most basic human rights!
I strongly oppose the new NDIS Bill.
Every day, I support people whose lives have been transformed by the NDIS. I see individuals build independence, learn to regulate their emotions, reconnect with their families, and safely engage in the community. These are not luxuries, these are fundamental parts of a meaningful and better quality of life. I also see, every single day, a system that is pushing people to breaking point:
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Families are burnt out
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Carers are burnt out
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Teachers are burnt out
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Health professionals are burnt out People are exhausted from having to constantly prove their needs, justify their supports, and fight to access what should never have been taken away in the first place. When supports are reduced or removed, the consequences are not minor, they are serious and dangerous:
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People become unsafe
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Mental health declines
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Behaviours escalate
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Families collapse under pressure
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People become isolated from their communities and their lives shrink This is the reality!!
I am deeply concerned about participants losing access to trusted support workers and practitioners. These relationships are not easily replaced, they are built over time, grounded in trust, and often essential for people with trauma and complex needs. When you take that away, you do not just disrupt support, you undo progress, and in some cases, you cause real harm.
I see the wrong issues being targeted, instead of cutting essential supports, we should be addressing the providers who are exploiting the system, those engaging in fraudulent or unethical practices, and those who are not in this industry for the right reasons. What are NDIS doing about these providers!!
Participants should not be punished for the failures of others. We should be protecting vulnerable people, not making their lives harder.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3386
It is also deeply concerning that disability support continues to be undervalued. This is highly skilled, emotionally demanding, and critical work. We support some of the most vulnerable people in our community, from young children to older Australians, yet the profession is still not recognised for the skill and responsibility it requires.
In regional areas like Kalgoorlie, the situation is even worse. This is a mining town where there is money, but it does not translate into services. There are extremely limited trustworthy, reliable, and skilled providers, limited resources, and long wait times. People already struggle to access the supports they need their options are scarce, and choice is often not a reality, it’s an illusion!!
There are still facilities that are not even wheelchair accessible, You would think by now (2026) this is not something we should be fighting for, instead we are over here still fighting for basic accessibility, inclusion, and equality for people who are already facing significant barriers.
How is that inclusive? How is that equality? When you tighten access to the NDIS in a place like this, you are not improving the system, you are cutting people off completely.
If these changes continue, there is a very real risk of more harm, more crisis, and more families reaching breaking point. I see how close people already are. This system was meant to protect and empower vulnerable people. Right now, it is failing them!!
The Bill in its current form is harmful and should not be passed by Parliament!!
If this Bill passes, it will not just change a system, it will change lives, and not for the better. It will leave people behind who are already fighting just to be seen, heard, and supported. You are not cutting costs, you are cutting lives, futures, and the safety of the most vulnerable people in this country.
As both a professional and a person with a disability, I am telling you, this is not reform, this is harm, and the people who will carry that harm are the ones least able to fight it!!
Regards,
Kerry-Jo
Kerry-Jo Hunter
Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner
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