National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3442
To whom it may concern, I am writing in regards to the proposed NDIS amendments. As has been stated by organisations such as People with Disability Australian and Inclusion Australia, the bill as it currently stands has the potential to cut disabled Australians off from supports that are necessary for them to have full and equal access to healthcare and participation in their community. As a member of the disabled community, with many friends on the NDIS, I have seen first-hand how difficult many are finding it to stretch their current funding to cover the bare necessities of life with complex medical needs. Further cuts risk making this not just difficult, but impossible.
I am concerned by the bill’s requirement that NDIS applicants exhaust “all appropriate treatments” before being accepted onto the scheme, without taking into account financial or location-based limitations to accessing treatment. For a disabled person who cannot afford the recommended treatment, or who lives in a rural area and does not have support to travel to a city where the treatment is offered, this creates an awful catch-22: they require NDIS supports to access necessary medical treatment, but are not able to be accepted onto the NDIS until they have already completed said treatment. This requirement will impact some of the disability community’s most vulnerable members - those who are facing financial difficulty, and those who live in rural or regional areas without adequate support - most severely.
The 50 per cent reduction in funding for social, civic and community participation supports, and 10 per cent reduction in funding for capacity building activities, risks cutting NDIS participants off from their local community. Disabled Australians deserve equitable access to social and community participation, as well as support in building skills and increasing their independence. Such large funding reductions in vital areas leave NDIS participants vulnerable to social isolation, negative mental health outcomes, and decreased autonomy. While the bill names Foundational Supports as a planned replacement, it is inappropriate to reduce pre-existing NDIS supports in these areas until the Foundational Supports are in full effect and have demonstrated their suitability as a replacement.
The Per Capita think tank estimates that for every $1 billion that the NDIS is underfunded, there is a decline in total economic activity of $2.25 billion, and a 0.14% reduction in total GDP. As the Per Capita report states, “the consequences of underinvesting in the NDIS would be disproportionately borne by women, carers, and people living with a disability”. For many friends and family members of disabled Australians, a reduction in NDIS supports will mean an increase in caring responsibilities, often requiring them to either reduce their work hours or step back from paid employment altogether.
In conclusion, unless the proposed bill undergoes considerable amendments, it risks causing serious harm to disabled Australians and their loved ones. The NDIS must remain committed to the ethos of “nothing about us without us”, and listen to the concerns raised by disabled Australians, their carers, and advocacy organisations.
Thank you,