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

Submission 3691

I am writing this submission to lend my voice to all who have been affected in small or large measure by this government’s ill-conceived major, sweeping changes to NDIS eligibility. I am a senior citizen suffering from debilitating chronic pain due to severe heumatoid arthritis which I developed at the very early age of fourteen, at a time when effective and proper treatment for the disease was non-existent. As a result of this, I have been left with dysfunctional hands, including fingers whose bones are effectively dislocated and detached from their sockets and are impossible to repair through surgery. God knows I’ve seen more than one surgeon hoping this would be possible, to no avail, having been operated on several times, each attempt being totally unsuccessful. My husband, who is 76 years old, is severely disabled due to a major (blameless) motor-car accident 26 years ago. The assistance I have been able to get through the NDIS has helped make life a little more bearable for us both in many ways, including help with household duties, personal hygiene in the form of regular hair- washing at a local hairdresser (my arthritis makes it very difficult for me to do what would be a simple task to an able bodied person), help with driving to medical appointments and, yes, even to shopping. I have been refused the purchase of a motorised wheelchair on the grounds that it would be too hard for me or my husband to get it in and out of our car. We have bought equipment designed to do that task. Equipment which will not see the light of day unless I purchase the wheelchair myself which at this time we cannot afford. Besides which, I was hoping to be able to use it to go out of the house regularly. I also had assistance getting to church. This has now been cut back to help only once a month. All these things are only part of the help that I have been eligible for under the now defunct social service that was the NDIS scheme.

Please add this submission to all and any others that you will by now have received from many many people who have been adversely disenfranchised and frankly belittled by what seems to be basically a money-saving exercise with little regard for its effect on the needy.

Faithfully yours,