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

Submission 3764

Submission to the government’s NDIS Inquiry

The government has not made it clear what the “standardised test” to get on the NDIS will be nor who will be cut from its services but it seems they are targeting “higher functioning individuals” but are yet to define what this means. The NDIS will also require people with disabilities to explore “all possible avenues of treatment” before going onto the NDIS. This will force many disabled people to undergo invasive tests and surgeries without supports first before getting funding for things like physio. This does not take into account personal, religious or cultural preferences and is extremely concerning.

Individuals with rare or undiagnosed conditions will further fall through the cracks as the standardised test will likely not extend to them. Also the NDIS will no longer provide “early treatment funding” which is funding that may help an individual from worsening. An example is Parkinson’s disease. This means many people with disabilities will have to turn to the currently non-existent state supports and their community to receive care.

These changes and cuts don’t just affect the disabled community but wider communities as well. Firstly if you ever acquire a disability (as most people will) it will be significantly harder to access the NDIS. Secondly those cut from the NDIS will now need to seek care in other places, such as help from local community support. It is predicted that already overwhelmed hospitals and practitioners will not be ready to provide the help needed. More family members will have to take on caring roles and smaller communities will take the brunt of the impact.

The proposed cuts are being made in hopes to shift disability supports from national to state lead supports. State lead services however are not ready for this and the government is providing the states no time or help when setting up and helping people access these supports. So while the NDIS does need to be fixed and does need help, punishing people with disabilities and leaving both them and state governments without supports will be worse for the disabled community and Australians as a whole.