National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3973
Dear Senate Committee,
My daughter and I are writing to you today concerning the proposed changes to the NDIS. We have both been working in the sector as an owner of a registered disability company for nine years.
You are probably very aware of the distress created among people with disability concerning whether or not they will have sufficient supports to not only enjoy a quality life but be able to manage from day to day.
While we feel that people with disability should be the primary focus in the issue of NDIS budget cuts, we feel that light needs to be shone on the significant number of workers that are going to lose their jobs, the communities that will lose the injection of funds from these workers and the impact these lost jobs will have on Centrelink services. On average we see Support Workers working with approximately 4 NDIS participants per week through a variety of supports including participation in community and capacity building. In cutting the number of NDIS participants from the system and cutting various funding levels, naturally the industry is going to have to downscale its workforce. According to our numbers that may lead to a minimum of 40,000 support workers across Australia losing their jobs, and this at a time when the cost of living sees working families struggle to make ends meet. This only accounts for support worker jobs lost as a result of the removal from the NDIS of the 160000 participants. Add to this number, the risk to registered training bodies that tailored their training to provide courses to meet the previous rapid need for workers. The exact numbers involved with that is unknown, but when the demand for a product is no longer there, companies are required to shift and restructure their employment to remain financially viable. With the proposed budget cuts a large number of support coordinators and plan managers will also lose their positions, as the need for their services will not be there. We will also see administration staff in NDIS businesses be reduced as there will not be as many Support Workers to be managed. Businesses that have set up their sole support offering for capacity building and participation in community have the potential to face closure, due to these cuts and the changes in who can provide these supports.
While we understand that better management of funding is essential to the NDIS viability and sustainability, it is economically questionable to make such drastic and unnecessary cuts without proper solicitation of the industry, and consideration of the full impact on the Australian economy. The cut to employment levels in the country will be significant. Economists are warning that this degree of workforce reduction could rival the largest industry downturns in Australia’s recent history. With approximately 140000 jobs expected to be lost (Human Resources Director Magazine: James McIntyre, Bloomburg Economics), that will be approximately140000 people who will need to rely on Centrelink as their sole source of income. That will be approximately 140000 people
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 3973
relying on more rental assistance, and that is approximately 140000 people that will not be able to be taxed from the level of a support worker to as high as an administration worker. This would also mean that local economies will not receive the injection of those finances from these wages, which could lead to recession like situations in some communities.
As an Australians who voted Labour, we believed that you would be protecting our way of life and keeping us away from any economic recession. These NDIS cuts and the greater cuts in general within the budget are not what we mandated when we voted for your party.
We are happy to discuss this matter further.