We made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs Inquiry into the NDIS (Preserving the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026. The Bill would make a series of far-reaching changes to the NDIS, which are very difficult for Parliament and civil society to scrutinise in the short time allowed for this inquiry. We argue the inquiry should be extended.
Our submission also argues several of the Bill’s proposed changes would have serious negative impacts for people with disability and should not proceed. Among other issues, we highlight:
- the requirement that people undertake ‘all appropriate treatment’ before accessing the NDIS and the serious legal issues that make that unworkable;
- other unfair proposed constraints on access to the NDIS;
- the risks posed to participants by imposing Scheme-wide cuts to certain types of supports;
- unfairly tightening the criteria that govern funding of supports in all current plans; and
- the practical problems that would flow from restricting participants’ right to seek a reassessment of their NDIS plan.
We also suggest important safeguards to prevent misuse of broad Ministerial powers conferred by the Bill, and to govern the Bill’s authorisation of automated decision making.
