Submission 675
Easy Read submission template
About the new NDIS Bill
To Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee
From New Wave Latrobe Valley
Date 27 May 2026
Contact Kathryn Bartlett –
Important message
This submission talks about concerns about the Bill.
It does not say we agree with the Bill.
Why we wrote this in an Easy English template:
These submissions are written using an Easy English
template 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.
Submission 675
About us
We are New Wave Latrobe Valley.
We are an independent self advocacy group.
Our group is run by and for adults with intellectual disabilities and/or acquired brain injuries in the Latrobe Valley and nearby. We are not an NDIS service. We support each other to speak up for ourselves and in our community.
Many of our members use the NDIS.
We know what good support looks like.
We know what happens when support is not there.
We are worried the new Bill will mean people:
- lose support 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.
Our main messages
-
We think this bill is rushed. We have not been asked properly.
-
We are worried the changes will put people with disability in danger. People need enough support.
-
Social and Community support must not be cut.
-
We need help when life changes. Our plans must not be hard to update.
-
Assessments must be fair.
-
Choice and control must stay.
-
Self advocacy must be funded.
Submission 675
- We think this bill is rushed. We have not been asked properly.
It is discrimination to expect people with a disability, especially an intellectual disability, to respond with so little time.
-
We do not have time to properly understand how this bill will affect us and to speak up about this.
-
When reviewing programs or services, or if a panel or consultation group is formed, people with intellectual disability and people with acquired brain injury need to be included.
-
We need to be asked, not told. (That is not inclusion).
-
Self advocates NEED accessible information, like things in easy read and time to think and say how these changes will affect us.
-
The NDIS Supported Decision Making Policy says on page 11 that NDIS participants: “• need the time that is right for them to make decisions
-
need support to understand the NDIS and to get independent information, in an accessible format, about how the NDIS works.”
-
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.
We ask: Give us more time to consider this bill. Give support for people with intellectual disabilities and people with acquired brain injuries us to make submissions, like the Victorian Government is doing for the State Disability Plan.
Submission 675
- We are worried the changes will put people with disability in danger.
People need enough support.
We are worried the changes will:
-
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 Some of our members said:
-
I am scared of change
-
I am scared there won’t be enough money to do my programs
-
This makes some people sick - worrying about stuff We need workers who we trust so we are safe.
-
It takes time for workers to learn how we communicate.
-
It takes time for us to trust workers enough. Some of our members said:
-
I am worried about losing my support worker, who I trust, and who is a great support and who knows the little important things about me
-
I am scared of getting into trouble
-
I trust my support worker. It takes a long time for me to build trust. He listens to what and how I want support.
-
I need to know I can have the same worker who I built trust with. I need to know they will be there when I need them.
We ask: Give people the support they need. People need reliable access to workers who they trust. Fund workers enough so they can build trusting relationships with people.
Submission 675
- 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
- make and see friends
- go to appointments and go shopping
- go to self advocacy groups
- learn skills
- use transport
- join the community
- speak up 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.
One of our members said:
- My supports make me feel good about myself. We ask: Do not cut community support for everyone. Look at what each person needs.
Submission 675
- We need help when life changes Our plans must not be hard to update.
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 People should not have to wait too long for help.
Some of our members said:
-
When I had a review, they knocked me back the first time. I had to come back and get it changed. I’m worried that with the NDIS changes this won’t be possible. I don’t want to be stuck with a plan that’s wrong.
-
I had unexpected things come up in my life. I needed support that wasn’t in my plan yet. This was hard to get. It should be easier.
Sometimes things can change quickly for people with a disability, many of us fight with anxiety, health issues and hidden problems that we don’t want to talk about. If we can’t have a quick review and upgrade of our NDIS plan this could be very serious for us.
We ask: Make sure people can get urgent plan changes when they need them.
Submission 675
- 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
- feel scared in meetings
- say they are okay when they are not okay
- need someone they trust with them Assessments must listen to the person.
Assessments must also listen to people the person trusts.
We ask: No one should lose NDIS support because of an unfair assessment.
Submission 675
- Choice and control must stay The NDIS 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 Trust is very important.
Some people have worked hard to find workers they trust.
New rules must not take this away.
Some of us don’t know who our Support Coordinators or Plan Managers are. Most of us don’t know who they are and have never spoken to them. For some of us our mum or dad speak to them, not us.
We ask: Do not reduce real choice and control in the NDIS.
Submission 675
- Self 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 and self advocacy support, not less.
Self advocacy groups like New Wave Latrobe need support to run. We need help from paid staff to coordinate meetings and write things.
We ask: Fund independent advocacy and self advocacy groups properly.
Submission 675
What we want the Senate Committee to do
We ask the Senate Committee to make sure the Bill:
-
gives us enough time to respond
-
protects our support so we have enough to be safe and live our lives
-
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
-
listens to people with disability before changes happen Final message
The NDIS helps people with disability live our lives.
- It helps us be part of the community.
- It helps us speak up.
- It helps us be safe. Do not change the NDIS without us.
Listen to self advocates.
Protect our rights.
We hope our thoughts and concerns will be listened to.