National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 528
Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns about the harmful consequences that
proposed changes in this Bill will have on human beings living with disability/disabilities
and/or chronic illness.
Since 2011, I have undertaken research about national policies and services addressing
violence and abuse, and worked to support survivors, in academic, government and
community spaces. Research and service evaluation data consistently finds that people living
with disability/disabilities and/or chronic illness face a significantly higher risk of
experiencing violence and abuse than other individuals.
Findings derived from lived experiences of those surviving systemic, family and domestic
violence, and/or sexual assault, show that protective factors preventing violence and abuse
include economic independence, secure and ongoing support, and social connection.
After considering this Bill, I am gravely concerned that the proposed changes to the NDIS
will impact on those protective factors, increasing the burden while decreasing the support for
people living with disability/disabilities and chronic illness, and increasing their risk of
violence and abuse, including that of systemic violence through dehumanisation.
I am concerned about the new definitions and the increased rigidity of NDIS processes.
People living with disability/disabilities and/or chronic illness often have complex needs
related to their personal safety, social, economic, and health circumstances. Crucially,
meeting those needs includes the ability to access safe, accessible, and secure housing,
support to live independently, and to plan and make decisions about the future. To this end,
flexibility and tailored assessment/reassessment and review processes are key to gaining a
comprehensive understanding of individual needs, which is not sufficiently taken into
account in this Bill.
The newly proposed definitions of ‘permanent’ disability and ‘functional capacity’ require
greater clarity, evidence, and empathy. Intersecting impacts of disability and chronic illness
are not always knowable or predictable. I would like the committee to understand that
individuals living with disability/disabilities and/or chronic illness already face high levels of
unpredictability, and often have overlapping conditions that should be considered by the
NDIS. Rather than improving quality of life through stability, the proposed changes to the
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 528
new Bill will mean that people struggling the most in our communities will face even higher
levels of isolation, poverty, and insecurity.
To summarise:
● The Bill negatively impacts the safety and security of people with
disability/disabilities and/or chronic illness, and those who care for them.
● The new definitions proposed in the Bill put people with disability/disabilities and/or
chronic illness at risk of further burden, obstacles, and loss of access to the support
they need to live.
● The Bill increases the risk of violence and abuse, particularly systemic violence
through dehumanisation.
I have serious concerns about the Bill as the proposed changes will harm individuals living
with disability/disabilities and/or chronic illness.
Thank you for considering my submission.