National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 652
I am an autistic person currently navigating disability, education, and support systems during a period of rapid policy and technological change. I am concerned that the proposed NDIS reforms may unintentionally increase instability for people who already experience significant cognitive and administrative barriers.
While I understand the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NDIS, I believe some proposed changes risk increasing harm through greater complexity, uncertainty, and reassessment pressure. For many neurodivergent people, the issue is not simply access to funding, but the cumulative impact of constantly needing to justify support needs within systems that are already difficult to navigate.
I have worked for over 20 years in peer support and disability support, primarily alongside neurodivergent people. Under the current strain of navigating increasingly complex systems, I am currently unable to work. I feel I am being pushed toward early medical retirement despite believing that, with better policy settings, appropriate supports, and more sustainable system design, I could potentially continue contributing to the workforce for another decade or two.
There are hundreads of thousands of people like me of people like me weather you chose to believe me or not . The only reason im not saying millions is not becuase its not believable but becuase comparatively when we get to the stage where that number is proven and we don’t live in a more neurodivebt society. Then we are in a world no body wants . And no body wants that
There is often an assumption that if a person can communicate articulately, they are coping well. In practice, many autistic people experience high levels of executive functioning strain, burnout, and cumulative allostatic load while still appearing capable externally. Reductions to preventative or community-based supports may create greater long-term social and economic costs, including increased crisis presentations, disengagement from employment or education pathways, and housing instability.
I encourage the government to ensure these reforms are implemented with strong safeguards, meaningful co-design with disabled people, and communication processes that are genuinely accessible for neurodivergent participants. Reform should reduce unnecessary complexity rather than increase it.
The long-term sustainability of the NDIS should not come at the cost of increased instability for the people it exists to support.