National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 475
From: Sent: Monday, 18 May 2026 8:51 PM
To: Community Affairs, Committee (SEN)
Subject: NDIS changes
Good afternoon,
The recently announced changes to the NDIS have left many within the disability community feeling deeply disheartened, dismissed, and fearful for the future. These changes will have significant impacts not only on people living with disability, but also on their families, carers, and support networks.
There has been a narrative presented that participants themselves are responsible for rising NDIS costs. Many of us see this for what it is — a media narrative designed to shift blame onto some of the most vulnerable members of society. People with disability are not numbers on a spreadsheet. We are real people, real families, taxpayers, voters, carers, and contributors to our communities.
The proposed changes threaten to remove vital supports from both my son and daughter. My son is 14 years old, autistic, has complex ADHD, and a learning disability and was diagnosed Level 2 at just 3 years old and at the time he was non-verbal. Despite the significant support needs he continues to have, the proposed changes suggest that, based on his diagnosis level alone, he may no longer qualify as “disabled enough.” That is devastating.
People with disability deserve human connection, inclusion, dignity, and opportunity. They deserve the ability to participate in their communities, build relationships, access employment opportunities, and live fulfilling lives. We should not be moving backwards toward a society where people with disability are hidden away in SIL homes or isolated within their own homes because supports have been stripped away.
These changes echo the outdated attitudes my parents faced decades ago: “You chose to have them, so you look after them.” We should have evolved beyond that as a society.
These changes will also directly impact families like mine financially and emotionally. The flexibility within my employment that currently allows me to care for my children may no longer be sustainable. Without adequate supports, I may lose my ability to remain employed, meaning I will no longer be a taxpayer or contributing workforce member — not because I do not want to work, but because I will have no choice.
I remember what life was like before the NDIS. I have two siblings with disability who received no early intervention support. As a result, both still live at home under the full-time care of my ageing parents. My brother, in particular, missed out on the supports and therapies that could have changed the course of his life. He struggles profoundly with socialisation, mental health, functional neurological disorder, and dependence on the internet as his only form of connection and stimulation. He will always require care from my mother until she can no longer fill that role.
I made a promise to myself that my own son would have different opportunities.
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National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 475
Before the NDIS, we accessed the Helping Children with Autism funding package — $12,000 over two years for children under seven. It lasted only 18 months because every dollar went toward therapy. After that, we self-funded supports until the NDIS began.
To make this work, I worked two part-time jobs while living regionally. Every day, I drove my son 110km so he could attend the only Education Support school in the district. My daughter could not attend the same school due to zoning restrictions, so she remained enrolled in our local primary school. Many days involved up to three return trips between schools, supports, and appointments — often over 330km of driving in a single day.
It was exhausting, but I did it because I was determined to give my children every opportunity possible.
Regional and remote families already face enormous disadvantage in accessing supports, and these changes will only deepen that divide. I have since relocated to outer Perth to be closer to services and supports for my children — supports we may now lose access to altogether.
Can you imagine uprooting your entire life, leaving behind family, friends, community, and stability, only to have the supports you moved for taken away? Supports intended to help your child build independence, social skills, employment pathways, and a future, I can because I did this, we uprooted our whole life to move to Outer Perth to provide the opportunities they needed and to access supports my region did not have, these changes will take these away, it feels like the sacrifice will not be worth it in the end.
It is heartbreaking.
These changes will destroy families, increase isolation, and create lifelong consequences for thousands of Australians with disability. The only people seemingly celebrating are those balancing budgets while vulnerable people and their families are left wondering what they did wrong.
The answer is nothing.
Please fix what is broken within the system. Ask families, carers, and people with lived experience where reform is needed — we can tell you. But do not remove the vital supports that allow people with disability to participate in society, avoid isolation, and live with dignity.
People with disability deserve to be seen, heard, included, and valued. They are not a burden, not a hidden problem, and not a box to tick.
As a society, we are capable of doing better. We should be striving to build a more compassionate and inclusive future — not taking steps backwards.
Kind regards,
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