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

Submission 3717

Submission on NDIS Amendment Bill

I am an autistic/ADHD, transgender and Māori artist living and working in Melbourne. I am writing on behalf of myself to express my opposition to the NDIS Amendment Bill. My de-facto partner is a long time NDIS participant and is gravely concerned for their future and the future of our family and community.

My partner is physically disabled and uses a wheelchair full time. Additionally, they have recently been diagnosed with Autism Level 2 and ADHD. Their quality of life is largely dependent on being able to access the NDIS, as they are unable to work consistently due to their multiple disabilities and chronic illnesses. They are dependent on support workers in order to meet their everyday needs such as cooking meals, bathing, cleaning their sharehouse (which does not currently meet their most basic needs) and engaging in social and work-related activities. These support workers are paid through the NDIS. Additionally, as their partner, I also provide a high level of unwaged support daily to ensure that their needs are met, despite my ongoing struggles with my own disability.

I unequivocally oppose this bill and recommend that it be withdrawn immediately. The tabling of this bill is so disgraceful, so unempathetic and so ignorant that it beggars’ belief. Society’s most vulnerable population deserve to be treated with dignity. We request nothing more than respect for our own decision-making capacity and right to live life on our own terms – the same fundamental rights of any other person.

Further administrative requirements, compliance checks and limitations in the NDIS system serve only to make life all that much harder for current and future participants. From firsthand experience, I can say that the current system is broken, and that the proposed bill would make matters even worse. We need MORE flexibility not less. We need MORE unique and detailed approaches to support, not a cookie-cutter system bogged down in bureaucracy. Disabled people are tired of their ability to live being held hostage by politics that scapegoat them as lazy, unproductive people that burden the taxpayer. This bill is cowardly and cruel to the highest degree. Those who pedal it under the guise of operational optimisation know full well that its true intention is to squeeze every last cent out of a system that already grinds its participants down into apathy.

I am particularly concerned about the likely overall reduction of supports that will be accessible to NDIS participants. For my partner for example, this could look like less support work hours in any given week, less access to essential medical services and an even harder time accessing physical supports (wheelchairs, medical devices etc.). Already, they have been waiting YEARS for approval for a new motorised wheelchair, which has been declined to be funded once already by the NDIS. This outcome is outrageous, as they have been relying on the use of motorised wheelchairs since they were a child. Their application was supported by multiple occupational therapists and health professionals, and still, we are waiting for an outcome. Meanwhile, their quality of life is being negatively impacted on a daily basis. The passing of this bill into law would only make the already unacceptable wait time for approval worse, and claims would likely be given even less appropriate consideration, considering the lower level of human review.

Furthermore, the additional administrative burden placed on participants and their families serve as barriers to engagement with the system, especially for those that are neurodivergent. Stringent timeframes placed on participants for response and engagement will only result in worse health and wellbeing outcomes across the board.

For myself, I fear that despite receiving a recent diagnosis of Autism Level 2 and ADHD, which is a prohibitively expensive process for many, that I will no longer be able to access the supports that I need to be able to participate fully in society. All of the health professionals that I have spoken to, that

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

Submission 3717

is, my assessor, GP and multiple nurses, have very little faith that I will receive appropriate NDIS supports in the future, and this is highly distressing. How can a progressive, ‘first-world’ government claim to be such when they choose to hack away at one of the only safety nets we have? Governments are obligated to care for ALL of its peoples, and I would argue especially its ill, aged and oppressed. I believe that most Australians understand the necessity of welfare systems and their functions, and that most would agree that ‘having a fair go’ is one of this country’s guiding principles. This bill would make it even harder for disabled Australians to get by, let alone ‘have a go’ at anything.

I want it to be understood that the introduction of this bill should be an embarrassment to all Australians. Our disabled community should be the last to suffer due to budgetary concerns. This is a moral imperative that I would have hoped that those in power would share with those of us that have a heart. Apparently not. It is disingenuous to argue that this bill aims to optimise the NDIS system and its outcomes – where was the consultation with disabled community? Where is the expert testimony and statistical research that could guide parliament on making decisions that actually benefit our communities and improve our possible outcomes? For those of us who live under the thumb of this uncaring bureaucratic nightmare, this bill reminds us that governments do not care whether we live or die. We are tired of being a political tool during a time when so many other global and domestic issues affect all of our lives, whether we be disabled or not.

In closing, thank you for considering my submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill. I cannot state enough how strongly I oppose this bill, and fear the very real outcomes of such a piece of legislation.

Regards,