All people deserve autonomy, safety, and fair access to community life.

The Federal Government’s NDIS Bill will give effect to changes that would deny these rights to many people with disability and rip gaping new holes in our essential safety net. People who fall through those holes will lose access to social connection and participation, be denied choice and control over their lives, and face increased risk of mental and physical harm or even death.

No two people are the same. When making decisions about the support a person needs, a good decision-maker looks at the context of someone’s life, their unique circumstances, and provides the supports that meet them. This Bill explicitly stops that from happening, and steps away from the principle that people’s NDIS plans are individualised.

If a person is living in a regional area, too poor to afford treatment, in a family with more than one person with disability, or has any other unique circumstances, it matters. Cuts to services for whole groups of people without considering their individual circumstances will lead to institutionalisation, violence, abuse and neglect.

When government removes supports, people’s need for support doesn’t just vanish – it gets shifted. This Bill will harm people with disability. It will also drive significant increases in downstream costs to communities and governments. Pressure will increase on crisis services and hospitals, which aren’t designed for disability support. Families will also bear the brunt of providing care, at a cost to their own wellbeing and the economy.

All people deserve to have a say on the laws and systems that impact our lives.

All people deserve a level of certainty that the politicians making decisions that impact our lives are well-equipped to make them. The Federal Government’s disappointing choice to hold a symbolic 2-week “consultation” on a 109-page bill and its 300 pages of explanatory material undermines these things.

People with disability are the experts on disability and the systems surrounding disability support. The process and timeframe for consultation don’t allow for anyone – least of all the people with disability it is most important for the government to listen to – to fully engage with the bill and provide meaningful input. It isn’t enough time for legal experts to fully assess the bill for all its consequences. And it isn’t enough time for even parliamentarians themselves to understand the bill, especially without the benefit of expert input that would be provided via a genuine consultation process.

The Federal Government has extensively consulted with the disability community in recent years, only to disregard recommendations made.

The NDIS Independent Review received almost 4,000 submissions and travelled to every state and territory to hear directly from people with disability. The Review said that the NDIS “cannot achieve sustainability without improving outcomes for people with disability”.

The Disability Royal Commission heard from about 10,000 people, many of whom shared experiences, aspirations and ideas, as well as traumatic stories, with the hope of a better future for the disability community. The DRC identified a key theme for an inclusive Australia as “people with disability having the support they need to exercise choice and maximise their independence”.

In contrast, it is not clear who the Federal Government has listened to in creating the new NDIS Bill or what evidence, including an economic analysis, supports the proposed changes.

We call on the Federal Government to delay implementation of changes until genuine consultation has occurred, and alternative supports can be resourced and rolled out.