PWDA Template: Submission to the

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

Attention: Committee Secretary, Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs

Submitted by email: community.affairs.sen@aph.gov.au

Date: 1/6/2026

I welcome the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs about the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.

I am a NDS participant, carer, family member of multiple participants and a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

I want to outline the harm this Amendment Bill will cause if it passes Parliament. This Bill is too far-reaching to pass as it stands. I believe the Bill requires further scrutiny and amendment before it proceeds.

Parliamentary Scrutiny and Transparency

The consultation period for the Amendment Bill is two weeks, which is insufficient to allow for appropriate consultation, considering accessibility and communication needs. The Australian Government Guide to Policy Impact Analysis says consultation should occur for a minimum of 30 days where possible.

The short timeline impacts me by preventing me from fully understanding and discussing the Bill and its devasting impacts on myself, my family, our communities and our nation. There is no opportunity for those impacted by the changes to seek support or understanding from the general public given all the current distractions around other changes (eg negative gearing and aged care). This is not just what the general public believe – a way to prevent the guilty from taking advantage of the scheme, but it also has wide ranging consequences for the whole community and loss of essential support services. There has not been time to explain and organise a new system to support those who will be removed from NDIS but still require supports, the State governments and Federal government have not presented a clear pathway for the transition under Thriving Kids let alone this new legislation.

It appears that people with disabilities will be treated like criminals under this new da draconian system – which removes their rights and emphases responsibilities which at times are unreasonable and unnecessary.

Everyone wants to see a sustainable NDIS and to stop fraud – this is something that all are united on – however this new system being rushed through has not been given adequate time to ensure that this is done in a just and appropriate way.

Recommendation: Amend the consultation period for a best practice minimum of 30 days.

Key decisions left to ministerial instruments, not law

The issue: The Bill allows Ministers to change who gets NDIS support (Schedule 1 Parts 8 and 9) and how much funding people receive (Schedule 1 Part 4; Schedule 3) by signing an instrument, without going back to Parliament. The rules that will determine critical eligibility thresholds (Schedule 1 Parts 1, 8 and 9) have not yet been written.

How this affects participants: The decisions that shape the lives of participants, whether they qualify for the NDIS and what supports they can access, could be changed without parliamentary debate or public scrutiny. Participants may not know supports or eligibility rules have changed until their plan is affected.

These changes for me personally have left me considering suicide. As a mother of 3 young people with disabilities I worry about them being left without the essential supports that they need to enable them to work and have a “normal life”. Removing their access to NDIS could result in them becoming unemployed long term and not being able to cope in mainstream society due to their disabilities.

At each life stage people with a disability, like anyone face new challenges and require support to navigate these. For people with a disability these challenges are usually more intense as there are so many more aspects of life they struggle with. In our family we have 1 University Student – almost 22 years old. She struggles with daily life in many ways and requires constant prompting. She receives supports to help her with activities of daily living and to help her navigate university and the community so that she can grow into a successful future teacher. Without adequate support she will not shower, will be unable to complete basic activities of daily living and will struggle to get through her Uni Course and to interact with people in her daily life particularly as she enters the workforce.

As her mother I am unable to replace the support she receives due to the skill set of those working with her and the capacity and time involved to adequately support her.

My almost 20-year-old son has been attending a SLES program since leaving
school, where he was a support unit student, recently he has become increasingly
depressed and disillusioned about his future. Without his SLEs program he would be
home alone all day without adequate support to help him become part of the
community and look for work. For him SLES has given him skills and the opportunity
to connect with other young adults in similar circumstances and feel a sense of
purpose and hope about the future.
Recently he has been engaging with a psychologist and an Occupational Therapist
and this has helped him to reconnect with his goals and continue to search for work
into the future. Without access to NDIS to support him on an ongoing basis my son
will lack the opportunity to receive reasonable and necessary supports that enable
him to be part of society now and into the future.
For kids like him and his friends with similar disability – without supports young
people leaving school risk:
- Becoming long term unemployed
- Committing crimes (including violence) or being misunderstood and charged with offences
- Increased risk of suicide or long term serious mental health issues
- Not understanding societal and workplace expectations and struggling to survive
- Being taken advantage of and abused
- Being unable to contribute in a positive way to society and feeling a sense of disconnection from it

My youngest, like many participants, has learnt to manage his challenging behaviours over the years. When he leaves school at the end of the year, he will face a massive adjustment after being in a School Support Unit and receiving NDIS support. For him to succeed as an adult he will need help to adjust to the changing world around him

and to complete the tasks necessary for adult life. On his own he lacks insight into

how the world works and is at increased risk of exploitation and being unable to

adjust to adult life. He will require adequate supports from the NDIS to navigate adult life and without these supports will fail to transition into a emotionally regulated and independent adult.

For each of my children they are greatly impacted by the provision of supports to other family members. Without the NDIS support that we receive our family would fall apart due to the additional stress it would be under.

As a carer, family member and participant of the scheme, I struggle to juggle my load already in providing adequate support (including meal prep, arranging appointments, organising and attending meetings etc).

In addition to the usual expectations of a parent:

I have to provide a higher level of support to my children in daily life then would be typical for their age
I need to coordinate their schedules and monitor things like their correspondence with Centrelink to ensure that they are meeting their obligations etc etc

As someone with multiple chronic illnesses who lives with physical and psychosocial disability I require assistance with activities of daily living and attending medical appointments, doing shopping, cooking etc. I also live on a restricted and low income but need to manage ever increasing costs of medication, specialists, and allied health visits etc not covered by NDIS.

If NDIS is removed I will be unable to access the community due to my need for a wheelchair and the restriction this causes in doing daily activities such as getting groceries etc which I need help to complete. I would be unable to participate in therapy that I currently receive which provides me with assistance in increasing my skills for managing my disability and enables me to increase my capacity to survive 5

In everyday life. Without access to support workers and therapists I would be unable

to adequately care for myself and my family.

I would love to be able to return to work in the future, however if NDIS supports are

cut I will be unable to access the help I need to seek and remain in employment. I

would also struggle to leave my home without the formal supports that NDIS

provides.

Unfortunately, I am in a position where due to Domestic Violence, I am isolated from ?family support. This means that I am unable to seek support outside of NDIS. My kids are also unable to support me adequately due to their disabilities.

With the proposed future of NDS I feel that I will be unable to provide adequate support to my family and that most likely I will ultimately end up suiciding due to the enormous pressures that would be placed on me as a carer in addition to having no support myself.

The impact of proposed changes to legislation would be catastrophic for myself, my family and so many others – I ask that you take the time to carefully consider the ramifications of these changes to individuals, families and communities as well as the economic impact of changes in the longer term.

I would like to add that the disability sector employs so many people that the impact financially on them and their families and businesses should also be considered.

There maybe more job openings in Aged Care – however not everyone in disability is suited or would want to work in aged care.

This Bill to me brings more problems than solutions and needs to be adequately planned with all stakeholders considered not just the cost of NDIS. Why not start with the unnecessary costs such as lawyers bills to contest reasonable and necessary supports that cost far more than the support itself originally.

NDIS provides jobs for our communities as well as providing a better future for people with disabilities and better economic outcome for all if correctly managed.

Recommendation

Require that all decisions affecting NDIS eligibility and funding levels be made through primary legislation subject to full parliamentary scrutiny, with mandatory advance notice to affected participants before any changes take effect.

Existing participants face narrower criteria and fewer rights to challenge decisions

The issue: The Bill changes the rules for existing NDIS participants and makes it harder to challenge some decisions about supports and funding. It also restricts when you can request a reassessment, removes review rights for automatic plan renewals, and makes funding reductions unreviewable (Schedule 1 Parts 1 and 8).

Combined with restrictions on reassessment requests (Part 2), automatic plan renewals without review rights (Part 5), and unreviewable funding reductions (Part 4), existing participants face narrower criteria with significantly fewer avenues to challenge decisions about their supports.

How this affects participants: This does not protect participants already on the NDIS, who could be reassessed under stricter rules. If someone’s funding is reduced or their plan renewed automatically, they may have limited or no ability to challenge that decision. This could make it harder for people to get extra support when their circumstances or disability change.

As a family we have struggled to have our supports reviewed where required under the current scheme. People in the community around me are horrified that a wheelchair user such as myself is categorised as not having a physical disability by NDIS. Unfortunately participants already struggle to meet the NDIA criteria which often change overtime and are kept secret from them. Imposing further restrictions on PWD will further disadvantage them and prevent them from accessing the “reasonable and necessary” supports that the scheme was created to provide.

It appears that everyone on the scheme currently will be “on the chopping block” we

will be expected to provide proof from medical professionals which they will not

always provide and often costs far more than what people can afford. For many

people they have received multiple types of treatment over the years and providing

proof of these treatments in retrospect is close to impossible.

Taking away the right to reviews removes the opportunity for a fair hearing and for

autonomy.

For our family it would be incredibly difficult if not impossible to respond to the NDIA

in the time frames provided given the complexity of information and responses

required.

I would also like to understand how this system will now treat people who are at an

appointment and cannot answer their phone and whose support coordinator may not

have appropriate identification in their voicemail service for the NDIA to leave a

message.

Each person with a disability is different, their needs are different, their combination

of diagnoses is different and their support needs are different. You cannot fairly

administer the scheme without the right of appeal or with the use of a AI generated

csystem.

Recommendation: Require a “no harm” safeguard ensuring no current participant loses access to supports unless equivalent supports are in place, with independent review rights before any exit decision and access to unscheduled reassessments preserved.

Unreviewable ministerial power to cut funding across all support categories

The Minister can reduce funding for any support or group of supports by a specified percentage through an instrument that cannot be challenged (Schedule 1 Part 4).

This applies across all budget categories. Unspent funds will no longer carry over at plan renewal (Schedule 1 Part 5).

How this affects participants: A participant’s community participation, capacity building or assistive technology funding could be cut without warning and without any right to appeal. Participants who save unspent funds across plan periods for high- cost items will lose that ability entirely.

The proposed changes leave us as participants in an unfair position – it is incredibly difficult to access funds and as someone who has spent long periods of time in hospital this may prevent essential equipment being provided – often there is a delay in receiving equipment between NDIA, therapist and supplier requirements – often a OT is required to check AT or assist with training after it is received.

Recommendation: Require that unspent funds carry over at plan renewal for participants saving for high-cost items and require independent review rights before any funding reduction takes effect.

Requirement to exhaust treatment options before eligibility

The issue: A person with disability will need to exhaust treatment options before they can be eligible for the Scheme (Schedule 1 Part 8). There will also be a removal of whole-of-person assessment, replaced by single eligible impairment consideration (Schedule 1 Part 3). The note that previously acknowledged environmental factors and other ineligible impairments could affect support needs will be removed (Schedule 1 Part 3).

How this affects participants: People with disability will need to prove their impairment cannot be treated before they access the NDIS. Once in the scheme, their supports will only be assessed against a single eligible impairment rather than their whole experience. A person’s individual circumstances will not be considered, including ability to pay for treatment, where they live or whether treatment is actually available to them.

As previously mentioned – this requirement is unattainable when the NDIA hide the

information, or let the reports expire before they are reviewed and people cannot

afford to do this from a practical and financial perspective.

There should be clear guidelines that are appropriate – unfortunately the NDIA have

a history of not providing these – in addition everyone is an individual and has

unique treatment needs and requirements depending on specifics.

Recommendation: Do not proceed with a requirement to exhaust “appropriate

treatment” options – there are no safeguarding measures around participant harm

due to side effects or complications, a participant’s financial ability to pay, or their

geographic capacity to access treatments.

Unvalidated functional capacity assessment tool risks misidentifying need

The issue: The Bill shifts assessment from whole-of-person consideration to a single eligible impairment (Schedule 1 Part 3). Read together with the eligibility thresholds in Parts 8 and 9, the tool used to conduct functional capacity assessments must be .capable of sufficiently identifying whether a person meets the threshold for that single impairment.

The named assessment tool is the Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN). I-CAN requires validation to ensure it will sufficiently identify the needs of all people with disability, including those whose needs may be fluctuating or episodic and may not be captured through a point-in-time assessment, and to ensure it is culturally appropriate for First Peoples with disability.

How this affects participants: If the assessment tool does not accurately capture the full extent of a person’s disability, including needs that fluctuate or vary over time, a participant may be found ineligible or have their supports undercounted, with no guarantee the result reflects their actual experience.

Each participant is unique despite having 3 of 4 family members with similar

disabilities they each have unique needs and the history of successful and

unsuccessful interventions and unique needs should always be considered.

Recommendation: Do not proceed with I-CAN as the functional capacity assessment tool unless it has been demonstrably validated to identify the needs of all people with disability, including those with episodic or fluctuating disability, and demonstrated to be culturally appropriate for First Peoples with disability.

Supports cut before replacement system is ready

The issue: From 1 October 2026, the government has announced funding for social, civic and community participation supports will be cut by 50 per cent and capacity building daily activities by 10 per cent for all participants, reductions that will be implemented through the ministerial instrument power in Schedule 1 Part 4. The Foundational Supports system intended to fill that gap has no confirmed implementation date and is not yet operational.

How this affects participants: Supports that help participants connect with their community, build skills and maintain independence may be cut before anything exists to replace them, leaving carers and families with greater responsibilities and no additional support. These supports are often what help people stay visible, connected and safe.

When NDIS was first introduced so many people were left without support due to changes in funding arrangements and the lack of service provision.

We as a family will not survive a transition to new non NDIS supports unless this is done in timely and appropriate manner – without extensive waiting times and then waitlists with services.

Will new services be at capped numbers? How will we survive and how can we access support if there is none?

Without adequate supports our family will fall apart and I would end up in hospital or
not survive.

Recommendation: Require that no reductions to community participation or

capacity building supports take effect until Foundational Supports are fully operational, adequately funded and demonstrably able to meet the needs of those who will lose NDIS supports.

Kind Regards,