Summary

I support NDIS reform, stronger fraud and integrity measures, and long-term sustainability. These goals are essential and widely supported by the disability community. But this bill does not achieve those goals. Instead, it threatens to devastate disabled Australians and their families, remove essential supports, and push people into crisis. The stress and fear this bill has already created is profound, and growing. Two families have already made national news after being pushed to the brink caring for their disabled loved ones. These stories are not isolated. They are warnings. If this bill passes, the government will bear responsibility for the harm that follows. For these reasons, I do not support this bill.

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Two families have already made national news after being pushed to breaking point caring for their disabled loved ones. These cases are tragic, but they are not anomalies, they are symptoms of a system under pressure. If essential supports are removed, more families will reach crisis. More carers will collapse under the weight of impossible responsibility. More disabled people will be left without the supports they need to survive. 3.3 “The Government Will Have Blood on Their Hands” If this bill passes, the consequences will be severe and predictable. People will lose supports. Families will break. Lives will be put at risk. The government will bear responsibility for the harm that follows.

4. Why This Bill Must Be Rejected

4.1 It Removes Essential Individual Supports

The bill narrows what is considered “reasonable and necessary,” removing supports that people rely on every day. This is not reform — it is abandonment.

4.2 It Strips Away Choice, Control, and Dignity

The NDIS was built on choice and control. This bill replaces those principles with rigid, centralised decision-making that denies people autonomy over their own lives.

4.3 It Reduces Community Access

The bill threatens supports that enable community participation, including:

Transport
Social and community access
Skill-building supports
Support workers who facilitate inclusion Removing these supports pushes people back into isolation.

4.4 It Increases Administrative Burden

More reviews, more documentation, more bureaucracy, all falling on people who are already overwhelmed.

5. We Need More Support and Inclusion, Not Less

Australia should be moving toward greater inclusion, more support, and stronger community participation, not stripping away the very supports that make inclusion possible. People with disability deserve:

Stability
Dignity
Independence
Community access
A system that supports them, not one that punishes them This bill moves us backwards.

6. Recommendations

Reject this bill in its current form.
Co-design reforms with people with disability, families, and disability organisations.
Strengthen integrity systems without restricting legitimate supports.
Protect choice and control as a core principle.
Maintain flexible funding that reflects individual needs.
Invest in workforce development to improve quality and sustainability.
Improve transparency in decision-making and plan variation processes.
Expand inclusion initiatives to strengthen community participation.

7. Conclusion

I support reform. I support integrity. I support sustainability. But I cannot support a bill that removes essential supports, devastates families, and undermines the dignity and independence of people with disability. The Senate must reject this bill and commit to reforms that strengthen — not weaken — the NDIS. People with disability deserve a system that empowers them, respects them, and supports their right to live full, independent, and connected lives.