National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 746
Submission Regarding the NDIS Amendment Bill 2026
As a regional NDIS provider supporting people with significant and complex disabilities, we recognise the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NDIS and addressing fraud, misuse of funds, and poor-quality service delivery. Participants deserve safe, high-quality supports, and providers who deliberately act outside the rules should be held accountable.
However, we are concerned that the proposed reforms risk creating a system that is increasingly impersonal, compliance-driven, and disconnected from the realities faced by participants and frontline providers. The focus appears to be shifting towards regulation, restrictions, and penalties rather than recognising the value of relationship-based support, professional judgement, and individualised responses to participant needs.
Many participants rely on providers who know them well and can identify subtle changes in their wellbeing, mental health, behaviour, and support needs. These relationships are often the first line of defence in preventing crisis. A system that prioritises administration and compliance over human connection risks removing important safeguards that keep participants safe and supported.
We are particularly concerned about the potential reduction in community access and social participation opportunities. Community access is not a luxury; it is a fundamental component of maintaining independence, wellbeing, social connection, inclusion, and quality of life. For many participants, community engagement provides routine, purpose, skill development, confidence, and meaningful relationships.
We recommend that the legislation explicitly recognise community participation, social inclusion, and capacity-building supports as preventative supports that contribute to maintaining functional capacity, reducing deterioration, and preventing escalation to crisis. These supports should continue to be considered reasonable and necessary where they assist participants to achieve their goals and maintain community connection.
If supports for community access are reduced or become more difficult to access, participants face an increased risk of social isolation, declining mental health, loss of independence, reduced confidence, and deterioration in daily living skills. For people with psychosocial disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and other complex support needs, community participation is often a preventative support that helps maintain stability and reduces the likelihood of crisis.
Reduced community access may also place additional pressure on families and informal carers, increasing stress and the risk of burnout. In many cases, the result may be increased presentations to hospitals, emergency departments, mental health services, homelessness services, aged care systems, and other crisis-based supports. Rather than reducing costs, these changes may simply shift expenditure onto other government-funded systems while reducing quality of life for participants.
The impact is likely to be particularly significant in regional and rural communities where opportunities for participation are already limited, and NDIS-funded supports play a critical role in enabling people with disability to remain connected and engaged in their local communities. We recommend that any significant reforms be accompanied by regional impact assessments to ensure participants outside metropolitan areas are not disproportionately disadvantaged.
While providers who intentionally misuse funding should face consequences, many providers are working within an increasingly complex and evolving system. Excessive penalties, combined with unclear guidance and restrictive interpretations of supports, risk creating a culture of fear rather than one focused on quality improvement and participant outcomes.
We encourage the introduction of a proportionate compliance framework that clearly distinguishes deliberate fraud from administrative errors, misunderstandings, or interpretation issues. Education, corrective action, and continuous improvement should remain key elements of regulatory responses where appropriate, while serious misconduct should continue to attract significant penalties.
We are also concerned that increasing restrictions may erode the principles of choice and control that underpin the NDIS. Participants should retain flexibility in how supports are delivered where those supports are directly linked to their goals, assessed needs, safety, and wellbeing. Legislative changes should avoid creating overly prescriptive rules that limit individualised and participant-led approaches.
The NDIS workforce is another critical consideration. Regional providers already face significant challenges attracting and retaining skilled staff while managing increasing administrative and compliance obligations. Reforms should avoid creating unnecessary administrative burdens that divert resources away from direct participant support and further strain workforce capacity in regional and rural communities.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 746
We further recommend that future reforms continue to be developed through genuine consultation and co design with participants, families, carers, disability representative organisations, and frontline providers. Those most affected by these changes should have a meaningful role in shaping them.
The NDIS was established to support people with disability to exercise choice and control, participate in their communities, and live meaningful lives. Sustainability is important, but it should not come at the expense of participant safety, wellbeing, inclusion, independence, and human connection.
A sustainable NDIS must balance accountability with flexibility, regulation with trust, and financial stewardship with participant outcomes. Reforms should strengthen protections against fraud and poor practice while preserving the preventative, relationship-based, and community-focused supports that enable people with disability to live safe, connected, meaningful lives. Investment in prevention, early intervention, and community participation remains one of the most effective ways to support participants while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Scheme.