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

Submission 4053

To whoever may receive this email, I just want to thank you first and foremost for taking time to read my response regarding this bill. While this is my first time submitting feedback (so I apologise if I’ve accidently sent this email to the wrong department), I know it’s important that we make our voices heard during this crucial time in the bill’s development.

My name is and I work as a checkout operator at Foodland. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I do but I’ve been able to really engage with the community and make friends with so many different people from so many different walks of life.

It’s made me aware that at the grocery store, sometimes we’re the only people some of my customers talk to in a day. Sometimes even for a whole week. I’ve seen the power that something as small as a simple conversation with someone in a different environment can hold and it’s amazing. For a lot of people who are unable to leave the house, it can be a real highlight of the week.

I’m worried about how these proposed changes to the NDIS will affect people physically. A good friend of mine who deals with chronic pain has already had her physio sessions cut as well as expenses for crucial medical appointments. This is hitting her hard. But I’m especially worried about how limiting funding and support work sessions is going to affect people mentally.

A friend I’ve made through the checkout deals with a lot of pain and fatigue and is often bound to a wheelchair. It’s been a real blessing getting to know her, I’m very grateful for the friendship. Thanks to the services the NDIS provides, she is able to have someone assist her with her shopping, driving her to the store and handling the bags. Through this she has been able to keep some independence, be in control of seeing what’s available and what she buys, but most importantly, it’s a very important social outing in her week. For the sake of respecting her privacy, I’ve left out her name.

This friend is deeply knowledgeable about the bill and has shared with me how limiting the changes are going to be for her. With these proposed changes, her funding will be severely cut, it will essentially leave her housebound and it’s become a source of great fear and anxiety for a lot of the community. Without these crucial services, it will severely deteriorate her quality of life, leaving her isolated in a very scary way that she has no control over.

With these changes, people, my friends, are going to suffer, all because of the wrongdoing of others that they had nothing to do with. I know the scheme needs to be cut back in order to survive but this is not the way. I compel you to think about the very real people this is going to affect.

Thank you very much again for your time.