National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 709
NDIS Reform Submission – Concerned Citizen
To the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee,
RE: Concerns Regarding Proposed NDIS Reforms
I am writing as a concerned Australian citizen and close family friend of two men living with severe and permanent disabilities who rely heavily on the NDIS to live safe, stable, and dignified lives within the community.
Over many years, I have personally witnessed the extraordinary positive impact that appropriate NDIS supports have had on this family and on the lives of these two vulnerable men.
Both men live with complex disabilities including schizophrenia, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, major mobility impairment, and significant psychosocial and medical needs. Prior to receiving appropriate supports, their lives were extremely limited and unstable. However, with the right care, routine, continuity of support workers, and community access, I have seen dramatic improvements in their quality of life, mental health, physical wellbeing, and overall stability.
The NDIS has not given them “luxury” or unnecessary services. It has given them basic human dignity, inclusion, safety, and the opportunity to participate in life outside the four walls of a home.
I am deeply concerned that the proposed NDIS reforms risk undoing much of this progress.
In particular, I am very concerned about any reductions to community access and participation supports.
These supports are absolutely essential for people living with severe disabilities. They allow these men to attend critical medical and disability-related appointments, participate in mobility and exercise programs, maintain routine and psychological stability, and remain connected to the outside world.
Without these supports, they would become increasingly isolated and confined to the home.
From what I have personally witnessed, isolation is one of the worst possible outcomes for people living with severe psychosocial and neurological disabilities. Reduced community engagement would very likely lead to worsening mental health, deterioration in mobility, increased behavioural distress, physical decline, and higher risk of hospitalisation.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 709
I am also extremely concerned about any reforms that may destabilise existing support arrangements or force vulnerable participants into more institutional or clinically styled models of care.
I have personally seen how important trusted long-term support workers are for people with complex disabilities. The consistency, familiarity, cultural understanding, and trust developed over many years cannot simply be replaced without consequences.
This family previously trialled a more institutional-style support arrangement, and the outcome was extremely distressing. Both men experienced deterioration in their conditions, increased behavioural issues, worsening mental health, medication increases, and hospitalisation.
The current support structure works because it is personalised, stable, familiar, and community-based.
It deeply concerns me that Australia may be moving backwards toward systems that resemble the institutional disability models of decades past, where vulnerable people were isolated from society and stripped of independence, dignity, and normal human experiences.
The NDIS has allowed many Australians with severe disabilities to live more connected and meaningful lives within the community. It has also significantly reduced pressure on families who already carry enormous emotional and caregiving responsibilities.
I have personally watched family members sacrifice their own time, careers, finances, and wellbeing to ensure their loved ones are cared for safely and compassionately. Reducing essential supports will not remove the need for care — it will simply shift the burden back onto already exhausted families and increase the risk of neglect, crisis, and hospitalisation.
I respectfully urge the Government to carefully consider the real-life human consequences of these proposed reforms for vulnerable Australians and the families who support them every day.
Thank you for considering my submission.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned citizen and family friend