NDIA Accountability Project

Concerns about NDIS law changes impacting safety and rights

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Easy Read submission template

About the new NDIS Bill

To: Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee From: Rainbow United Date: 7/07/2026 Contact: Sarah Waardenburg (group peer worker) Mags McMurray (group support worker)

Important message: This submission talks about concerns about the Bill. It does not say we agree with the Bill.

Why we wrote this in Easy English:

These submissions are written in Easy English because they are for self advocates and people with disability. Many people find government information hard to read. Some people need short sentences, clear words and simple layouts to understand what changes may mean for them. Easy English helps more people take part, have their say and speak up about the NDIS Bill. The NDIS is about our lives, our rights and our support. We should be able to understand the information and be part of decisions that affect us.

About us

We are Rainbow United.

We are a self advocacy group.

There are 9 members in our online self-advocacy group.

We are run by and for people with intellectual disability and acquired brain injury in the queer community.

We support people with intellectual disability and acquired brain injury who are LGBTQIA+ to stay connected to their community and stop them from being isolated.

Many of our members use the NDS. We know what good support looks like. We know what happens when support is not there.

Our main message

We are worried the changes the government wants to make to NDIS laws will:

  • Put people with disability in danger

  • Hurt people’s physical health and mental health

  • Put people’s safety and human rights at risk

  • Stop people getting what they need to live their lives

We are worried the new Bill will mean people:

  • lose support that they need

  • get less support to go out in the community

  • have less choice and control

  • are not listened to in assessments
  • cannot get help when their life changes

People with disability must be part of all decisions about the NDIS.

Nothing about us without us.

Key facts about the Bill

  • The Bill was introduced to Parliament in May 2026.
  • The Senate Committee is looking at the Bill now.
  • Submissions close on 10th July 2026.

This bill is rushed:

  • This bill is rushed and we do not have time to properly understand how this will affect us and to speak up about this

  • Self advocates NEED accessible information, like things in easy read and time to think and say how these changes will affect us.

  • Because this bill is rushed, SARU helped us write lots of this submission.

      But self-advocates should be given time and
   support to lead this work instead.

Social and Community support must not be cut Social and Community support is very important. It helps people:

  • do things outside of the home they need to do to safely
  • make and see friends
  • go to appointments and go shopping
  • go to self-advocacy groups
  • learn skills
  • use transport
  • join the community
  • speak up
  • avoid becoming isolated and getting poor mental health. It will cost the government MORE money when lots of people are unwell.

This support is not extra. It helps people have a real life.

Without it, people may be stuck at home. They may become lonely or unsafe.

We ask: Do not cut community support for everyone. Look at what each person needs. everybody has different support needs even if they have same disability. It might be bad if everyone get same support, because some people might need more or less.

we are all different, we all have different needs. some people need 24/7 care.

Assessments

Assessments must be fair The Bill talks about new assessments.

Assessments must understand real life.

Some people:

  • need help to explain their needs
  • have good days and bad days
  • use different ways to communicate and sometimes it can take a bit longer to communicate. The people making the assessments might not understand this
  • feel scared in meetings
  • say they are okay when they are not okay
  • need someone they trust with them
  • some people have more barriers
  • it can be bad for people’s mental health to always be doing lots of assessments. If the NDIA already has evidence, the people shouldn’t have to repeat information about their disabilities

Assessments must listen to the person.

Assessments must also listen to people the person trusts.

It is important to that people’s support teams should do assessments, not just random people.

We need them to know about all of our disabilities, not just to look at one disability when making a decision.

We ask: No one should lose NDIS support because of an unfair assessment.

We have a hard enough time getting around without having

To give more and more information to the government.

We should be able to say if something is wrong with the assessment, for example: if it doesn’t cover our needs.

Choice and control must stay The NDI should let people choose.

People should be able to choose:

  • their workers
  • their providers
  • their support coordinator
  • their plan manager
  • how they use their support
  • where they buy their supports or equipment from. This can even save the government money sometimes.

Trust is very important.

Some people have worked hard to find workers that they trust.

New rules must not take this away.

Registered providers only will not help make NDIs safer. Registered providers already do fraud. They need to help keep people safe.

The government says these changes are about fraud, but none of the changes are actually about fraud. If they want to stop fraud there are others ways to do that.

We ask: Keep real choice and control in the NDIS.

People Need Help When Life Changes

Life can change quickly.

A person may need more support if:

  • their carer gets sick
  • they leave hospital
  • they move house
  • they are unsafe at home
  • their mental health gets worse
  • their provider stops helping them
  • if they have a big life change
  • if their disability gets worse

People should not have to wait too long for help.

We ask: Make sure people can get urgent plan changes when they need them.

Advocacy Must Be Funded

Many people need support to speak up.

Self-advocacy groups help people:

  • understand changes
  • know their rights
  • speak up at meetings
  • make complaints
  • ask for reviews
  • stay connected to other people

If the NDIS changes, people will need more advocacy

Support, Not Less

We ask: Fund independent advocacy and self- advice groups properly.

What we want the Senate Committee to do

We ask the Senate Committee to make sure the Bill:

  • protects choice and control
  • protects social and community support
  • makes assessments fair
  • lets people get plan changes when life changes
  • funds advocacy and self-advocacy
  • lists to people with disability before changes happen

Final Message

The NDIS helps people with disability live our lives.

It helps us to be part of the community.

It helps us to speak up.

It helps us to be safe.

Do not change the NDIS without us.

Listen to self-advocates.

Protect our rights.

Signed: Members of Rainbow United