Submission to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the

NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

CONFIDENTIAL

ATTN: Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs

Submitted via email

Date: 31 May 2026

I welcome the opportunity to make this submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.

I am the parent and primary carer of my son, , an NDIS participant who lives with cerebral palsy (GMFCS 5). has high physical support needs, and is non- t verbal with complex communication and behavioural challenges. I am also a long- - standing disability and accessibility advocate, as the founder of the - online community and co-founder/current editor of (Australia’s first, and only, disability-specific travel magazine). Along with and his network of support workers and allied health professionals, we have created a pre– school program that educates young children about life with a disability and the importance of inclusion.

These experiences inform my concerns about the proposed Amendment Bill, and the short- and long-term ramifications of the proposed changes to NDIS funding, functions, and capacity should the legislation pass Parliament.

Impact of changes to criteria and right to challenge decisions

The Bill as it currently stands does not protect current NDIS participants who rely upon the scheme’s funding and support to participate in our community. With these proposed amendments, current participants would face restrictions on reassessment requests, lose their right of review for automatic plan renewals, and lose their right of review for funding reductions. Current NDIS participants would have fewer avenues available to challenge decisions about the support they receive, and little recourse to request additional support when their circumstances or support needs change.

This is particularly concerning to me as a parent and primary caregiver to my son, . By way of example, NDIS funding and support has enabled to develop augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) skills, with a trained communication partner to assist him in the fundamental human expression of thoughts- - and feelings, making choices about his environment, and sharing information. This support, funded through the NDIS, is crucial in Braeden’s life, and in the functioning of

our family.

Under the proposed amendments, this essential support could be reduced or removed, and with little-to-no opportunity for us to appeal or challenge that decision.

Imagine that a government agency could take away your ability to speak, in a situation where legally you had no recourse to challenge or appeal that decision, and you may begin to understand the potential consequences of these proposed amendments.

Impact of changes to expand ministerial powers

As per the proposed amendments, the relevant Minister of the day would have the unmediated power to reduce funding for any support or group of supports by a specified percentage, across all budget categories (Schedule 1 Part 4).

This would mean that an NDIS participant’s community participation, capacity-building, or assistive technology funding could be cut without warning, without the right to appeal, at the discretion of a single Minister.

The absence of independent review is particularly concerning to me, as an advocate for people who live with disabilities and community accessibility. The rights of people with disabilities are already vulnerable to change with prevailing political winds, with significant impacts on the stability and safety of participants’ lives. This proposed amendment exacerbates this problem with no tangible benefit to this vulnerable community.

Impact of changes to unspent funds allocation

As per Schedule 1 Part 5, unspent funds in NDIS plans will no longer carry over at plan renewal. This is a significant change that will dramatically impact the freedom and independence of plan participants when it comes to self-determination and community participation.

By way of example, as editor of , I speak to and hear from many NDIS participants who go to great lengths to reserve funds in the hope of achieving long-term goals (e.g., acquiring high-cost equipment that will enable them to participate in activities that would otherwise not be accessible to them). Denying them this opportunity by removing the option to roll funds over at the end of plan periods will have devastating consequences for these NDIS participants, restricting their ability to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Impact of new treatment requirements and functional capacity assessment tools

The proposed amendments in this bill will require people with disabilities to “exhaust treatment options” before becoming eligible for the scheme (Schedule 1 Part 8), replace a whole-of-person assessment with a single eligible impairment consideration (Part 3), and remove consideration of environmental factors and other factors affecting support needs (Part 3) in determining eligibility and funding.

This reductive approach will have significant detrimental impacts on NDIS participants, creating major barriers to accessing the right type of support. Not only does the requirement to “exhaust treatment options” lack consideration of financial and geographic limitations, the amendments also don’t account for the multifaceted nature of disability and impairment. Reducing a person with a disability’s experience to that of a single impairment all but ensures they will not receive adequate support. The amendments, as they currently stand, provide no safeguards for participants or future participants to ensure they are treated safely and with dignity.

By way of example, my son needs are significant and complex, and his abilities change over time with therapies, experience, and other external factors. A single ‘snapshot’ of his abilities, such as that provided by the proposed use of the - Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN) tool, would be insufficient to determine the true scope of his support needs over time. There is no guarantee that the outcome of such an assessment would reflect his actual lived experience, and no alternative mechanism in the proposed amendments to account for this.

Conclusion and recommendation

In conclusion, the amendments as they are currently proposed pose significant risk to Australians living with disabilities if they were to pass in their current form. NDIS participants and their families - both in the present and in the future - deserve better. To implement these changes would cause irreparable harm to a vulnerable community, and undo more than a decade of progress that has been made in improving the lives of people with disabilities, including my own son.

I recommend that these amendments be withdrawn from consideration, and a comprehensive review be undertaken in consultation with peak disability representative bodies (e.g., People with Disabilities Australia) to ensure that any amendments to the NDIS are of net benefit to our community.