National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026
Submission 97
I am writing as the parent and carer of an NDIS participant diagnosed with Level 2 Autism. I have seen firsthand the profound difference this scheme has made in my son’s life and I am deeply concerned about the direction of the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026.
Through the NDIS, my son has been able to access supports including Occupational Therapy and Speech Pathology. These therapies have had direct and meaningful impacts on his life. They have helped him build self-esteem, improve his ability to recognise and regulate emotions, develop fine motor skills, grow in independence, and learn how to connect with others and form genuine friendships. Most importantly, these supports have helped him feel seen, heard, accepted and valued as the unique person he is.
My son has also experienced lengthy periods of school refusal and significant difficulty coping within “normal” education settings. Through NDIS-funded wraparound supports, he has been able to continue learning in ways that are trauma-informed, disability-informed and responsive to his needs. This support has not only protected his willingness to learn, but also his mental health and sense of safety. Without these supports, I really wonder where he and our family would be today and how we would be coping.
I am deeply worried about what will happen to Autistic people if access to the scheme is reduced or removed. Autistic people are not an unintended consequence of the NDIS. They are a significant part of the population the scheme was designed to support. Autistic participants make up approximately half of all NDIS participants and close to four in five new entrants. The society we live in is generally not designed for neurodivergent people and that can be profoundly damaging to their mental and physical wellbeing. Removing supports will not remove disability or support needs. It will simply leave individuals and families struggling without the assistance they need to survive and participate in their communities.
I am also extremely concerned that these proposed changes are being pursued before foundational supports exist. The 2023 Independent Review clearly stated that foundational supports were a necessary precondition before any major changes to eligibility or funding could occur. Those supports do not currently exist, and the roadmap for them appears to have been abandoned. Proceeding with changes before these systems are in place risks leaving thousands of vulnerable people with nowhere to turn.
I know many other families caring for Autistic children who rely on the NDIS. The fear and uncertainty within our community is enormous. If supports are removed, the costs do not disappear. They are simply shifted elsewhere: onto hospitals, mental health services, schools, and unpaid family carers, the majority of whom are women already carrying enormous mental and emotional loads.
I am also deeply concerned that the proposed removal of 160,000 people from the scheme and average plan cuts of $5,000 were have not been openly taken to the Australian people at an election. Changes of this scale require transparency, evidence, and meaningful consultation with the communities most affected.
I respectfully ask the Committee to recommend that this bill not be passed until foundational supports for those likely to be removed from the scheme exist and are readily available. I also ask the Committee to call on the government to table the evidence behind the July 2024 NDIS fraud claims, and to undertake further consultation with the individuals, families and disability communities likely to be impacted by these sweeping changes before this bill can proceed.