National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 930
Submission Regarding Proposed NDIS Reforms
My name is , and I am the sole parent of an 11 year old autistic boy who hasaccessed NDIS funding for approximately eight years. I am his sole carer, receiving the Carer Payment while working part time to support our family financially and maintain my own wellbeing. When my son first entered the NDIS, he had very limited speech, extreme difficulty regulating his emotions, poor social skills, and delayed physical development. Access to early therapeutic intervention through the NDIS made a profound difference to his life and ours. It provided him with the skills he needed to communicate and engage with the world, while also giving me strategies and support to care for him safely and effectively. Today, my son has made enormous progress. He no longer has significant speech difficulties when he is in a calm and supportive environment. He has formed friendships, developed greater independence, and although we still experience meltdowns and emotional dysregulation, we now have strategies and supports that help us manage these challenges. One of the most valuable supports in recent years has been access to a support worker who takes him into the community and helps him develop independence away from me. This support is critical for his long term future. The proposed NDIS reforms have caused me significant stress and anxiety. My son is diagnosed ASD Level 2 without an intellectual disability, and I fear children like him may be among those at risk of losing access to supports. The government has spoken publicly about reducing participant numbers, yet families like mine still do not clearly understand who these changes will affect or what supports will remain available. The uncertainty itself is causing enormous distress. I am particularly concerned because my son is transitioning to mainstream high school next year, which is likely to be one of the most difficult periods of his life. Change is incredibly challenging for him. He will also lose access to before and after school care, and there is an expectation that he should become independently responsible for travelling to and from school. At this stage, that is simply not achievable without support. With continued therapeutic and
community support, I believe he can gradually build these skills. Without support, I fear the
opposite outcome. If our supports are reduced or removed, I may be forced to leave myemployment and survive solely on the Carer Payment. Working part time is not simply about income. It gives me purpose, independence, social connection, and respite from the constant demands of caring. It also allows me to pay my mortgage and household bills during a time of significant cost of living pressure. Without my employment income, I genuinely fear I could lose my home, creating even greater instability and trauma for both my son and myself. A few years ago, we experienced firsthand what happens when supports disappear. Our therapists left, and at the same time I was struggling with my own mental health and did not have the capacity to source replacement services. We have never received support coordination funding. During that period, my son’s progress deteriorated significantly. He stopped communicating with anyone except me, refused school attendance, and withdrew almost completely from the
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 930
community. It was an incredibly isolating and distressing period that nearly broke both of us. Once supports were reinstated and we accessed a support worker, his wellbeing and functioning improved again. That experience showed me how critical these supports are, not only for development, but for preventing crisis and long term dependence. I fear that without
ongoing NDIS support, both my son and I will lose the opportunity to live meaningful,productive lives. With support, my son has the potential to continue developing independence, participate in education, and eventually contribute to society. I also have the capacity to continue working and supporting our family. Without support, I fear we will instead become isolated, financially unstable, and entirely reliant on government payments. I ask that the government carefully consider the real life consequences these reforms may have on families like mine. NDIS supports have built skills, independence, participation, and hope for the future.