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

Submission 3722

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to you today, to beg you to reconsider the proposed NDIS changes in this bill. I speak not for myself (I am disabled, but not supported by the NDIS), but on behalf of the many disabled people in my life who will be negatively impacted by these changes, and disabled people in general.

Specifically, the Disability Minister being able to set the funding levels for specific disabilities sets a dangerous precedent that will have catastrophic consequences in the future, if enacted. This bill also proposes to make it more difficult for NDIS clients to set up reassessments, in the event of a change to their condition. This is both cruel and impractical, as many disabled people already struggle with executive functioning. This would also impact parents of disabled children, who are often already time poor and financially stressed, and would now be more so.

In particular, one of the changes proposed involves withdrawing support for those deemed uncontactable. There can be many valid reasons why a disabled person is difficult to contact, including but not limited to: receiving treatment in hospital, or psychiatric facility, housing stress, communicative difficulties related to their disability and/or requiring communicative support. Taking away support because of these reasons would defeat the entire purpose of the NDIA.

Many of these changes are being publicly justified as a means of cracking down on fraud and abuse within the system. The disabled community does not object to this in principle. It is vitally important that resources and services are going to where and whom they are needed. However, all available evidence suggests that fraud and abuse within the NDIA is extremely rare and frequently blown out of proportion. It is also important to remember that many disabled people are particularly vulnerable to institutional and interpersonal forms of abuse. These changes will leave many disabled people more vulnerable, not less.

Some of these changes involve automated decision making. This would be particularly harmful, as it would fail to account for individual circumstances, and force everyone into generic categories that may not be appropriate for their specific needs.

It was thirteen years ago that the Labor Party established the NDIS, to ensure that Disabled Australians could lead safe and fulfilling lives. It would be heartbreaking and ironic if the Labour Party were to take it away.