National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 873
Submission on the NDIS Amendment Bill Name: I am a: supporter and friend of people living with disabilities
I have a plethora of personal connections with disabled people including volunteering experience at a community space aimed to reduce isolation in the community. I had a lot of connections in that role with autistic people and physically disabled people who use the NDIS. I have a friend who has a co-occurring chronic illnesses and conditions with their heart (POTS) which has left them disabled. I have another friend who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy who has made the decision to live independently by amending his NDIS plan to include funding for an SDA (specialist disability accommodation). I have a friend whose sister has Rhetts Syndrome and is permanently and significantly disabled. I have friends and community connections living with disability and experience as a volunteer. Furthermore I have a Bachelors of Psychology (Honours) so understand the aspects of psychosocial disabilities, developmental/ neurodevelopmental, as well as assessments around capacity and function I greatly oppose the bill and have concerns these changes will lead to disabled people dying and being abused.
Communication and accessibility The NDIA already has communication issues when rejecting claims. The emails do not contain sufficient information as to why some supports are denied leaving disabled people needing to call the NDIA for hours on end. It is very difficult to access the communication with the NDIA and if an disabled person wants to challenge a rejection of a support/ decision they cannot speak past the call centre/ call management about it.
Loss or reduction of supports A loss or reduction of supports will kill disabled people especially those requiring 24/7 care. The loss or reduction of supports It will further disrupt families who require that support to work, reducing the hours they can work due to increases in caring responsibilities. This will push families caring for a disabled family member into poverty and requiring social welfare assistance as well. I think changing who can provide personal care assistance to people with disabilities will cause people to die by reducing who can provide that personal care and how many hours they receive. Forcing the registration of providers will reduce who can provide personal care meaning providers will not be able to satisfactorily complete personal care and leave disabled people at risk of harm and death. Furthermore, registered providers are also capable and known to have instances of abuse towards the disabled people they are providing care for.
Community participation
Reducing participation in community and social areas will create a negative toll on the mental health and wellbeing of disabled people and their families. Already support hours/ funding is too low so people have to use community and social participation hours for basic daily living tasks such as food shopping and medical
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 873
appointments. I want the committee to consider if going to the doctor with a support worker is an unacceptable social outing or community access for disabled people or anyone. Furthermore, it will greatly disadvantage Australian society by excluding disabled people in communities, leaving them more susceptible to violence.
Eligibility or assessment changes I am deeply concerned the eligibility or assessment changes will cause less people receiving adequate support for ADL tasks and personal care. My friend with POTS has heard nothing about joining the NDIS for home support work despite the assessment being made over three months ago. My friend who is in the process of moving to an SDA property has had many challenges being accepted despite having the appropriate functional capacity assessment and requiring a fully accessible property. Changing the eligibility for the NDIS to reduce the number of participants will greatly harm new generations as programs for neurodivergent children “Thriving Kids” are not ready and are not comparable to the NDIS.
The committee needs to understand that the proposed changes will have a negative impact for all Australians as disability is the only minority anyone can be a part of at any time in their life. The point of the NDIS was to provide disabled people with a range of choices and services so that being disabled did not incur costs for people for their disability. I greatly oppose the bill and have deep concerns as it risks the lives and wellbeing for disabled people so I ask the government to withdraw the bill. I ask the government to work with disability advocacy groups and disabled people to make meaningful change around the NDIS bill.