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

Submission 3901

Submission to the Community A0airs Legislation Committee of the Senate

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

I am extremely concerned about the current amendment legislation before parliament with regard to the NDIS and request that it be withdrawn. I have worked and lived with disability for over 40 years and have experienced many “systems” and how they work and don’t work.

The major concerns with the NDIS relate to the systems and not to the people with disabilities and their families.

The fraud and rorting “on a large scale” which has been highlighted by the government and media is not by people with disabilities, it is mostly people and providers taking advantage of people with disabilities and their families. This is a separate issue and is already the responsibility of the government and is I’m sure similar to investigation and processes already in place for other departments such as Medicare and Centrelink.

This rhetoric has introduced fear and negative concepts into the disability narrative in the community. This has destabilised the incredibly positive work that the NDIS has done in people’s lives, and it is obvious that fraud is not the issue the government wants to address – because there is nothing in the legislation about it.

However, what this type of conversation has introduced and encouraged is an incredibly ignorant and discriminatory conversation regarding people with disability. Conversation we have legislation to protect people from – Disability Discrimination Act 1992; Disability Services and Inclusion Act 2023 which has a key tenant to give e0ect to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and other international obligations; Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986

This Legislation returns us to an era when the government (and others) were able to act without review, without censor, with a “we know what is best for you” approach. This is extremely concerning.

I urge the government to reconsider the:

• Broad funding reduction – particularly in regard to social and community participation and therapeutic support. This shows a lack of knowledge about what support is required by many people with disability to simply leave their homes and complete tasks that everyone else takes for granted. And the therapy support required to live a life with less pain, more safety and generally better holistic wellbeing.

• The assessment and “one diagnosis” approach which creates limited understanding of the holistic picture of the person who has many interacting impairments.

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

Submission 3901

• The removal or limitation of people’s rights to request review and reassessment. I believe this pushes natural justice or procedural fairness, a little too far out of reach. There is warranted need to support the core principals of Natural Justice - The Hearing Rule and The Bias Rule.

• Plan suspension and revocation for non-response! Wow! Where did this come from? The NDIS is dealing with people who have incredibly significant communication challenges. Many are unable to communicate in the “usual” way – what an incredibly full-on response to something that may just mean the NDIA needs to try harder and know more about the participant and use their resources better to communicate. And yet the severe consequences are all with the disabled person.

This is how the whole legislation feels – disabled people and their families are taking all the consequences for systemic failure. Correction of a government system overspend is being taken from the support and well-being of disabled people.

I there a review of the system? The number of and wages earned by public servants? The way in which support sta0 are paid as individual providers and support sta0 working for an organisation?

I urge the Senate to send this Bill back and request that it be withdrawn and considered again with consultation with disabled people.

I urge the Senate to send this Bill back and request that it be withdrawn and a review of the NDIS government system be conducted to look at equity within the system

I urge the Senate to send this Bill back and request that it be withdrawn and alternate methods of fundraising to balance the budget be considered.

Any NDIS reform needs to consider the lessons of the past, return to the original intent of the scheme – genuine choice and control and be grounded in do-design and procedural fairness.

Kind regards,