National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 683
Submission to the Senate Inquiry
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the
NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Executive Summary
This submission is made in my capacity as and as Plan Nominee for two family members accessing the NDIS. supports approximately 750 participants throughout Australia, including participants in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities. While measures that strengthen Scheme sustainability, reduce fraud and improve safeguards are supported, I am concerned that several proposed reforms may unintentionally reduce participant choice, weaken independent oversight, increase barriers for vulnerable participants and place additional pressure on small independent providers.
About
is an independent NDIS Plan Management provider supporting approximately 750 participants nationwide. Our organisation reviews thousands of invoices each month and works directly with participants, providers, support coordinators, therapists and NDIA representatives. This provides a practical understanding of how policy decisions affect participants in everyday life.
The Value of Independent Plan Management
Independent Plan Managers provide far more than invoice processing. Our team regularly identifies incorrect claims, duplicate invoices, budget exhaustion risks, potential over-servicing, provider compliance concerns and safeguarding issues. Independent Plan Managers contribute directly to participant protection, Scheme integrity and financial sustainability by providing ongoing oversight throughout the life of a participant’s plan.
Seven Years of Frozen Pricing
Plan Management pricing has remained effectively unchanged for approximately seven years despite significant increases in wages, software costs, cyber security requirements, insurance premiums, audit obligations and compliance expectations. At the same time, Plan Managers have increasingly become a frontline safeguard against overspending, incorrect claiming and potential fraud. Without a meaningful pricing review, the sustainability of many independent providers will remain under pressure.
Concerns Regarding Standardised Assessments
Many disabilities cannot be accurately measured through standardised tools alone. Participants with psychosocial disability, autism, intellectual disability, acquired brain injuries and fluctuating conditions often present differently during assessments than they do in everyday life. Any future assessment framework should ensure that treating professional evidence, participant lived experience, family input and accessible appeal rights remain central to decision making.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 683
Regional and Remote Australia
Participants living in regional and remote communities already experience workforce shortages, long waitlists, reduced provider choice and limited access to allied health services. The removal of regional and remote loadings and increasing compliance burdens place additional pressure on providers servicing these communities. Future reforms should recognise that regional Australia faces different challenges from metropolitan areas.
Participant Safeguards Must Remain Central
While stronger action against fraud and exploitation is supported, reforms should not create unnecessary barriers for participants seeking reasonable and necessary supports. The overwhelming majority of participants and providers are attempting to comply with an increasingly complex system. Reforms should focus on genuine risk while minimising unnecessary administrative burden.
Real Operational Impacts Being Observed
Based on our experience supporting approximately 750 participants, we are observing increasing provider withdrawals from regional communities, workforce shortages, growing administrative complexity, uncertainty regarding support claimability and increased pressure on participants to self-navigate the Scheme.
Case Studies From Frontline Plan Management
The following examples are de-identified and represent situations commonly encountered through frontline plan management services. Case Study 1: Budget monitoring identified a participant at risk of exhausting funding months before plan end, allowing early intervention and continuation of essential supports. Case Study 2: Routine invoice review identified claims above NDIS price limits, preventing unnecessary depletion of participant funding. Case Study 3: A regional participant experienced significant barriers to accessing services due to workforce shortages and limited provider availability. Case Study 4: Invoice monitoring identified unusual claiming patterns that raised safeguarding concerns and required escalation through appropriate channels. Case Study 5: Families regularly seek assistance navigating funding rules, budget management and compliance requirements, highlighting the complexity of the current system.
Recommendations
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Preserve participant choice and control, including access to independent Plan Management. 2. Conduct an urgent independent review of Plan Management pricing. 3. Formally recognise the safeguarding role of independent Plan Managers. 4. Ensure standardised assessments do not override professional evidence. 5. Introduce additional protections for rural and remote participants.
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Maintain accessible review and appeal rights. 7. Reduce unnecessary administrative burden where possible. 8. Continue meaningful consultation with participants, families and frontline providers before major reforms are implemented.
Closing Statement
The NDIS has transformed the lives of many Australians living with disability. As both a provider supporting approximately 750 participants and a family member acting as Plan Nominee for two loved ones, I respectfully ask the Committee to ensure future reforms strengthen participant outcomes while retaining the safeguards, independence, accountability and participant choice that have been fundamental to the success of the NDIS.