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

Submission 3977

01/06/2026

to whom it may concern,

I am a concerned citizen who is writing to strongly encourage thought and care when considering changes to the NDIS.

The NDIS is a phenomenal program that is essential for a well running Australian society. People with disabilities are an integral part of what makes Australia a wonderful place to live. People with disabilities deserve agency, choice and control in the funding they receive and how they spend it.

The current proposal regarding cuts to the NDIS will isolate disabled people, contribute to existing stigma and shame around disability and stop people from living the lives they want to live. The idea that savings in a budget can come from slashing the resources that allow people to connect to community in meaningful ways is shameful. By enacting these cuts, the government is telling disabled people that they are not entitled to the lives they desire, and that they should be grateful to receive any kind of support at all. This is infantilising, controlling and dangerous for disabled people all over the country.

Support workers not only contribute to disabled people’s wellbeing and agency but are also a huge employer. It seems ridiculous to me that cutting this huge source of employment could do anything beneficial for the economy. In trying to make the NDIS affordable, these cuts would have a significant impact on employment rates and people’s ability to make a living; surely this negates any benefits of the cuts to begin with.

While I agree that something needs to be done in terms of managing the expenses of the NDIS, taking away legitimate supports from people who need it most is not the way forward. Additionally, a solely functional capacity-based assessment model is also not the way forward, as it does not account for the behavioural strategies peoples with disabilities have had to enact to function effectively in a world not built for them. I would counsel caution and patience when delivering cuts to the system, along with extensive consultation with community, to address budgetary concerns alongside quality of life.

The NDIS is essential for a well-functioning Australian society. Let’s not gut the program to the extent that disabled people do not have any quality of life. If that’s the case, the program may as well not exist, and that is something that should be accepted.

Kind regards,

Scarlett McGrouther