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

Submission 3829

Dear Committee Members,

I am writing as a private Occupational Therapist and small business owner who provides services to NDIS participants across Australia. I am deeply concerned about several aspects of the NDIS Future Generations Bill and the potential impact these changes will have on participants, their families, and the sustainability of the occupational therapy workforce.

My concerns relate particularly to the proposed reductions to capacity building supports, the expanded powers to reduce categories of supports in the future, the increasing reliance on standardised assessments and automated decision-making, restrictions on reassessments, and the potential impacts of pricing and funding reforms on access to qualified allied health professionals.

As an Occupational Therapist, I see every day how capacity building supports help participants develop independence, improve functional skills, engage in education and employment, maintain routines, and participate meaningfully in their communities. These supports are not optional extras; they are fundamental to achieving the objectives of the NDIS.

The proposed 10% reduction to capacity building daily activity supports and 50% reduction to social, civic and community participation supports are particularly concerning. In my clinical experience, these supports often work together with occupational therapy interventions to achieve long-term outcomes. Reducing them is likely to result in increased isolation, reduced independence, poorer mental health outcomes, and greater long-term reliance on funded supports.

I am also concerned that the Bill creates mechanisms that may allow future reductions across broader categories of supports, including therapy services. Occupational therapy recommendations are based on comprehensive assessment of an individual’s functional capacity, goals, environmental barriers, and support needs. Funding decisions should remain individualised and clinically informed rather than being determined by broad system-wide funding rules.

The Bill’s increased reliance on assessment frameworks, standardised tools, and automated processes also raises significant concerns. Occupational therapists use professional judgement alongside standardised assessments to understand the complexity of a person’s real-world functioning. Many participants have fluctuating, psychosocial, neurological, developmental, or complex disabilities that cannot be accurately captured through a tick-box process or algorithm. Human clinical oversight must remain central to all eligibility, planning, and funding decisions.

I am further concerned about restrictions on unscheduled reassessments. Disability-related needs can change rapidly due to deterioration, life transitions, mental health

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

Submission 3829

challenges, housing changes, hospital admissions, family circumstances, or emerging risks. Participants need practical pathways to have plans reviewed when circumstances change. Delays in reassessment can result in unsafe situations, increased crisis presentations, and poorer outcomes.

As a private practice owner, I am also concerned about the cumulative impact of these reforms on the sustainability of the occupational therapy workforce. NDIS participants already face workforce shortages and lengthy wait times in many regions. Funding reductions and pricing pressures may make it increasingly difficult for providers to maintain clinically safe, high-quality services. If occupational therapy services become financially unsustainable, participants will experience reduced access to appropriately qualified professionals.

I respectfully ask Parliament to:

- Reverse the proposed reductions to capacity building and community
    participation supports.

- Ensure that occupational therapy and other allied health supports cannot be
   subject to broad category-wide funding reductions.

- Require that functional capacity and support needs assessments are conducted
   by appropriately qualified allied health professionals, including occupational
    therapists.

- Prohibit fully automated eligibility, planning, or funding decisions and require
   meaningful human oversight.

- Retain practical pathways for reassessment and review when participant
   circumstances change.

- Ensure that pricing and integrity reforms support a sustainable allied health
   workforce and ongoing participant access to quality services.

- Adopt Occupational Therapy Australia's recommendations regarding
  assessment design, transparency, clinical governance, and workforce
    sustainability.

The NDIS has enabled many of my clients to achieve greater independence, participation, safety, and quality of life. I urge the Committee to ensure that any reforms strengthen these outcomes rather than limiting access to the supports that make them possible.

Thank you for considering my submission.