National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

Submission 3665

Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Inquiry into

the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

To whom it may concern,

My name is , and I am the mother of two adult sons who both live with autism, level 3, and profound disability. They have been participants in the NDIS since the scheme began. Both of my sons are non-verbal. The NDIS funds the support workers who help them attend their day programs, and the therapies that have allowed them to learn to communicate in the limited ways they can. These supports are not optional extras for them. They are essential to their safety, their wellbeing, and their ability to have any quality of life.

I am deeply concerned that the proposed changes in this Bill will put their supports at risk. If my sons lose access to their support workers or their therapies, they will lose the progress they have made over many years. Their daily routines, their communication, and their stability all depend on consistent, skilled support. Without it, their lives would become smaller and harder. As their mother, I would have no choice but to leave my job to care for them full-time. This would be a major setback for our family, and it would place an even greater burden on informal care, which the NDIS was designed to relieve.

My sons currently live in Supported Independent Living under an NDIS provider. This arrangement gives them structure, safety, and dignity. It also gives them something every adult deserves: choice and control over their own lives. I want them to continue living in a home where they are supported by trained workers who understand their needs. I want them to keep having access to the programs and therapies that help them stay connected to the world around them.

As a mother, I worry about their future every day. The NDIS has been the one system that has allowed me to plan for their long-term care with some confidence. These proposed changes take that certainty away. I ask the Committee to consider the real impact on people like my sons, who cannot speak for themselves, and on families like mine, who rely on the NDIS to give our children a life that is safe, stable, and meaningful.

I urge you to ensure that any reforms protect the essential supports that people with profound disability depend on. My sons deserve a future where they can continue to live with dignity, not one where their progress and independence are taken backwards.

Thank you for considering my submission.