NDIA Accountability Project

Lack of NDIS funding for essential supports and home modifications

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

7th July, 2026

Dear Committee Members,

I welcome the opportunity to make this submission regarding the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026. As a person with disability and an NDIS participant, I am deeply concerned about the proposed changes and their potential to cause significant harm to individuals, families, and the broader community.

The NDIS was established to provide people with disability the reasonable and ecessary supports needed to live ordinary lives, participate in the community, and exercise choice and control. The current Bill risks undermining these foundational principles through funding reductions, narrower eligibility criteria, expanded ministerial powers, and other structural changes that prioritise short-term budget savings over long-term human and economic outcomes.

My Personal Circumstances.

I live in a household experiencing ongoing family violence from a parent, on whom I rely for essential informal disability support due to insufficient formal NDIS funding. My personal funding pays for supports I need to participate, medical care, capacity building, and functional maintenance. The plan itself pays for reports specifically and only minimal disability supports that I need just to get by each day. I have even been forced to purchase a second-hand walking frame from my local op-shop because my funding was not permitted to be used on purchasing a new one that met my needs. Likewise, I have had to do the same for supportive foam wedges and a shower stool. I continue to be denied funding for handrails to use my shower or supports to access my bedroom and living space on the second floor of the house I live in.

I am ineligible for supported disability accommodation. Crisis support is inappropriate in my situation, and social or state housing has waiting times of around 2.5 years. There is no suitable “middle ground” housing or support option available. As a result, I remain in an unsafe environment. Without adequate NDIS funding for capacity building, community participation, and formal supports, my independence will erode, my condition will progress more rapidly, and I will place greater strain on the public health system—where people with disability frequently face additional barriers to timely care.

Broader Impacts of Proposed Funding Cuts and Scheme Changes.

People with disability already experience disproportionately high rates of social isolation, mental health challenges, abuse, neglect, and poor health outcomes. NDIS funding is essential because it enables participatory lives in a society that often excludes us or fails to account for our access needs. Cuts to supports—particularly the announced 50% reduction in social, civic, and community participation funding and 10% reduction in capacity building supports from October 2026—will deepen isolation, reduce safety, and limit opportunities for inclusion.

These Impacts Are Not Hypothetical

These impacts are not hypothetical. Cuts and administrative tightening have already made life significantly worse for many current participants and prevented many eligible people from accessing the scheme at all. Community connections, skill-building activities, and everyday independence supports are being eroded, leaving families and informal carers under greater pressure with fewer resources.

A major driver of NDIS cost pressures is not participant “overuse” but systemic inefficiencies. These include excessive bureaucratic processes, legal proceedings aimed at keeping eligible people off the scheme, a lack of rules preventing health and allied health services from charging NDIS participants significantly higher fees than non-NDIS clients for the same services, and participants being forced to purchase assistive technology and equipment from registered suppliers who charge vastly inflated prices compared to local chemists, retailers, or standard suppliers. Addressing these areas of waste and profiteering would achieve meaningful sustainability without harming participants.

There are more grants available to support informal carers in our communities than there are for people with disability themselves. Local councils and other community organisations often rely solely on the NDIS to support disabled people and deliver inclusion and capacity building programs. As such, there is little confidence in the disability community that foundational supports will adequately replace NDIS funding or meet people’s needs. Foundational supports should not be used as a catch-all solution before being properly designed, funded, and proven effective.

The value of people with disability extends far beyond financial calculations. Many NDIS participants, including myself where possible, volunteer and contribute valuable services to communities across Australia—through advocacy, peer support, arts, local organisations, and more. Our lives should not be measured solely by how much we “cost” the government or taxpayer, or by narrow economic contribution metrics. As Australians, we deserve to be equitably supported, included, accepted, and valued for who we are. A fair and functional NDIS reflects our shared commitment to dignity, human rights, and an inclusive society.

Concerns With Specific Measures In The Bill.

The Bill introduces broader ministerial powers to determine funding levels via legislative instruments, narrower eligibility based on functional capacity assessments focused on single impairments, requirements to exhaust treatment options before accessing the scheme, and reduced review rights for participants. These changes will make the system far less responsive to the real, individualised needs of people with disability. They shift away from a whole-of-person approach, ignore environmental and social barriers, and limit the ability to challenge unfair decisions—particularly problematic for those whose needs fluctuate or involve multiple impairments.

People with disability and families need more time for meaningful consultation. Decisions with such profound impacts on daily lives should not be left primarily to ministerial discretion without full parliamentary oversight. Peak bodies such as People with Disability Australia have highlighted the need for strong safeguards, including “no harm” protections for existing participants, preservation of review rights, and ensuring alternative supports are fully operational before any NDIS reductions occur.

Recommendations

I urge the Committee to recommend the following:

  • Delay or prevent cuts to community participation and capacity building supports until foundational and alternative supports are fully operational, adequately funded, and proven effective.
  • Implement robust “no harm” safeguards so no current participant loses essential supports without equivalent alternatives in place.
  • Ensure all major decisions on eligibility, funding levels, and plan rules are made through primary legislation with full parliamentary scrutiny, transparency, and advance notice to participants.
  • Retain whole-of-person assessments that consider environmental factors, family circumstances, and the full impact of disability.
  • Do not proceed with unvalidated assessment tools or requirements to exhaust treatments without strong protections against harm or inaccessibility.
  • Address systemic waste and overcharging: introduce rules to prevent excessive billing of NDIS participants by health providers, enable access to standard retail options for assistive technology where appropriate, reduce unnecessary bureaucratic reporting burdens, and curb legal efforts to deny eligible participants.
  • Prioritise adequate consultation periods and accessible processes for people with disability.
  • Recognise that underfunding the NDIS increases long-term costs to public health, welfare, and justice systems, while diminishing community contributions from people with disability.

The NDIS has transformed lives by fostering independence and participation. Weakening it through these measures would represent a significant step backwards for disability rights in Australia. I implore the Committee to listen to the lived experiences of participants and recommend amendments—or rejection of the Bill in its current form—that protect the scheme’s core purpose and the rights of people with disability.

Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important inquiry. I am happy to provide further information if required.