National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 880
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee
NDIS Future Generations Bill 2026
Submitted by: A disability and community support worker, , NSW
I am a disability and community support worker currently living in , NSW. I am writing to express my concerns regarding the proposed NDIS Future Generations Bill 2026.
I respectfully urge the Committee to support amendments that explicitly protect the rights of self-managed participants to continue choosing their own trusted sole trader support workers. I am particularly concerned that if worker registration requirements become overly restrictive, participants may lose long-standing and stable support relationships that are essential to their emotional well-being and daily functioning.
I currently work directly with participants on the autism spectrum, and through my experience I have seen firsthand how important consistency and continuity of care are in their lives. Building trust, understanding individual routines, and developing a strong rapport often takes a significant amount of time. I have personally witnessed situations where regular workers taking leave or sudden changes in support arrangements resulted in increased anxiety, emotional distress, and behavioural challenges for some participants. For many autistic participants, familiarity, routine, and predictable support relationships are not simply preferences — they are critical to maintaining emotional stability and confidence in daily life.
One of the main reasons many self-managed participants prefer independent sole trader support workers is the greater likelihood of maintaining long-term, consistent support relationships. In contrast, agency-employed workers may change more frequently due to staffing rotations or turnover, and these disruptions can be especially difficult for autistic participants who rely heavily on routine and familiar support environments. I am also concerned that increased registration requirements — including administrative, financial, and compliance burdens — may force experienced sole trader workers to leave the sector entirely. As a result, participants risk losing both their genuine freedom of choice and the stable support relationships they have spent years building.
While I fully understand the importance of safety, accountability, and quality standards within the NDIS, I believe participant choice and continuity of care must be equally protected. I respectfully ask that the Committee consider the real-life impact these proposed changes may have on participants and support workers, and recommend amendments that safeguard the rights of self-managed participants to choose their own trusted sole trader support workers.
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry.