NDIS Bill 2026 Submission

Thank you for considering my submission.

My name is Kylie Gregory, and I am:

a Paediatric OccupaGonal Therapist (OT) with a terGary degree, and 25+ years experience in working with individuals and families;
a single (divorced), neurodivergent mother of two adult children;
a home owner with a $254000 mortgage, and a super balance of the same.

I am an NDIS Provider.

Apparently, that makes me also, a fraud, a shonk and a griSer. I deeply reject these claims.

I run my own business, PEAK OccupaGonal Therapy. I am deeply commiVed to the tagline:

Par$cipa$on – being involved, thriving in challenge that is set up for success;
in Everyday Ac$vi$es – the ordinary, self-care, self-expression, social connecGon skills that enable us to engage with people, the community and the world around us;
for Kids – the beauGful, complex, Gny humans we support in the world.

I absolutely acknowledge that there needs to be changes in the NDIS to support a sustainable scheme. The Allied Health proporGon of total NDIS cost is 11%, the NDIS calls this a ‘signiﬁcant propor$on’ – would they similarly call the GST a signiﬁcant propor$on of the cost of any item? What Allied Health services do provide is regular, face to face therapeuGc sessions to support parGcipants and their families in skill development, community par4pipa4pon and goal achievement. This area needs nuanced, expert consideraGon of mulGple variables, not the data scraping, therapist blaming hetoric being put forward by those who are in charge of the NDIS.

The NDIS say they acknowledge parGcipant complexity. The 2025 PAPL report states on page 71 the ‘NDIS par$cipants may require longer or more specialised therapy sessions than those in general health care’. That is deﬁnitely true, and in actual fact, when we look at some of the deﬁniGons of say, ’rehabilitaGon’, which is the act of restoring something to its original state versus ‘therapy’ or treatment’ which is the care provided to improve a situa$on, the act of caring for someone or the method of caring. Therapy and rehabilitaGon are diﬀerent things. They can be performed by the same person; however, the scope is vastly diﬀerent.

I respecdully present my thoughts regarding the proposed changes to the NDIS Bill 2026.

Schedule 1 – Access and Planning Measures

Part 1 - Deﬁning func4onal capacity

FuncGonal capacity must be assessed by qualiﬁed, registered allied health professionals. FuncGonal Capacity Assessment reports must be read, acknowledged and clearly referenced in parGcipants planning meeGngs and resultants planning documents.

Part 3 - Strengthen link between an impairment and need for support

FuncGonal capacity for any human can ﬂuctuate, depending on life’s circumstances. The NDIS needs to holisGcally and respecdully consider the impact of addiGonal impairments that may inﬂuence a parGcipant’s funcGonal capacity.

Part 4 - Support determinations

All funding changes must not be connected to a political party in office, or unskilled workers that do ot have the necessary experience and knowledge about complex health conditions. Funding changes must be determined by an Advisory Group of peak bodies representing allied health professions that provide the therapeutic services for participants, in conjunction with NDIS.

Part 5 - Plan renewal

NDIS must respectfully advise, contact and schedule meetings for plan renewals. Unscheduled, covert phonecalls by NDIS should no longer be acceptable practice. A transcript of every NDIS phonecall should be forwarded to participants.

Part 6 - Reasonable and necessary supports

The NDIS must start by examining internally why the results of the ART are 80% in favour of participants. This indicates a mismatch between skilled planning and participant need. Submitted reports by allied health professionals must be read, acknowledged and explicitly referenced in the creation of a participants plan.

Part 8 - Tightening meaning of permanence to reduce access where an impairment can be treated

Treatments must be available in a timely fashion, in the intensity recommended by the treating professionals to ensure the best potential outcome. Properly trialling and funding the states delivered Foundational Supports must occur BEFORE removing any existing from their current NDIS plan, or blocking future participants until the support system is in place.

Schedule 2 – Fraud measures

Part 1 - Registration of NDIS providers

There needs to be registration for all NDIS providers. Registration needs not to duplicate existing registrations, such as those with Medicare Provider Numbers, and AHPRA registration numbers.

Schedule 3 – Governance arrangements

Part 1 - Decision-making on pricing

The NDIA has not demonstrated fiscal transparency in its responsibility for conducting independent analysis and stakeholder engagement to inform pricing advice to the Minister. Please see https://australian.physio/sites/default/files/APA-Report-Review-NDIA-202425-Annual-Pricing.pdf to understand the narrow and inadequate data sets used by the NDIA in the Annual Price Review. Through the Pricing Arrangement and Price Limits (PAPL) Guide, the NDIS has demonstrated repeated gender-based financial discrimination. Future PAPL discussions MUST work with the professional peak allied health bodies, and Professionals Australia, the union for NDIS Providers. Pricing MUST have input CPI increases as per every other workforce remuneration schedule.

Schedule 4 – New framework planning

Schedule 4 makes amendments to support the rollout of new framework planning from 1 April 2027. These amendments: Must consider participants physical location to enable budget to access the type of supports and level of need arising from a support needs assessment Must include professionals, tertiary trained and experienced in support needs assessment, assistive technology and home modifications.

Ensuring genuine co-design of the future NDIS with disabled people;

CreaGng an NDIS planning workforce that is skilled, appropriately qualiﬁed, accessible, and respecdul for an NDIS parGcipants’ engagement in the NDIS.

NDIS Success

A young boy I have worked with for the past 4 years, he is now 9 years of age. With support of his family and OccupaGonal Therapy, and a weekly collaboraGon with the local GymnasGcs Club and OT, his has just qualiﬁed for the NSW State Swimming Team in the Mixed Categories class.

A set of twins with high support needs auGsm, now 12 years of age, with intensive OccupaGonal Therapy (weekly during term, and daily for a two week period in school holidays) are now able to accompany their single mum to the supermarket, without running away or having traumaGc meltdowns.

Forty children with medium to high level support needs auGsm, together with their families and support workers, aVended a carefully curated live orchestral concert of Australian works performed by the Orange Symphony Orchestra, see www.thewowconcert.com.au A parent made the following comment: ‘Thank you all for an incredible performance! You created a space where our kids could enjoy beau$ful music and s$ll be 100% themselves. We could not be more grateful for this incredible experience! I could feel the joy in the room from other parents and carers as we watched our kids take it all in and experience each piece, each in their own way.’

The future is INCLUSIVE. Please let the NDIS embrace and celebrate that.

With kindest regards,

Kylie Gregory B.App.Sc.(OT), A.Mus.A.(Flute) Paediatric OccupaGonal Therapist PEAK OccupaGonal Therapy E: T:

E: A: Suite 3, 226-232 Summer Street, Orange, NSW 2800 M: