Catholic Health Australia Submission – National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

Background

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS, or ‘Scheme’) has undergone significant change in recent years. In 2023, the Australian Government commissioned an Independent Review of the Scheme (the ‘Review’), which examined its sustainability, effectiveness, and the experiences and outcomes of participants. The Review subsequently set out a blueprint for reform across twenty-six recommendations.

This was followed by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, by a Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce, and through a series of legislative and budgetary measures intended to give effect to their findings. The National Cabinet agreement of 30 January 2026 built the federal-state architecture for the next stage of reform, including a commitment to moderate the Scheme’s annual cost growth to between five and six per cent, and a combined investment in Foundational Supports outside the Scheme, with Thriving Kids as the first earmarked program.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 (‘the Bill’) is the legislative centrepiece of that next stage. Introduced to Parliament on 14 May 2026 and referred to the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry (‘the Committee’), the Bill makes changes across five Schedules covering access and planning, fraud and integrity, governance and pricing, the rollout of new framework planning, and transitional rules. The reforms are supported by two documents, the NDIS Reforms Impact Analysis and a Mandatory Registration Impact Analysis Equivalent, and by the 2026-27 Budget, which projects savings of $37.8 billion over four years and a reduction in participant numbers from around 774,000 to approximately 600,000 by 2030.3