“Reckless”: CYDA slams push to pass NDIS Bill without guarantee alternative supports will be ready

CYDA today slammed the Government’s push to pass its NDIS overhaul after Minister Jenny McAllister failed to guarantee alternative supports would be ready for people losing access. 

Asked by ABC Insiders host David Speers whether participants would be kicked off the Scheme if state supports were not yet running, Minister McAllister said she was “not contemplating delay”. 

The comment comes as the Senate begins debating the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 following the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee’s recommendation that it be passed.

“The Minister was asked a very simple question: will participants lose their NDIS support before an appropriate alternative is available? She could not give families a clear answer,” said CYDA CEO Skye Kakoschke-Moore.

“It is reckless for the government to gamble with children’s lives by pushing ahead without that guarantee, and in the face of clear evidence from the community that these reforms will cause substantial harm.

“Families deserve to know the support their child needs will be there when they need it.”

The Government’s own modelling indicates that about a third of the 241,000 existing NDIS participants expected to leave the Scheme by 2031 will be aged 18 or under, while 145,000 will have autism or developmental delay as their primary disability.

Its proposed Thriving Kids program, scheduled to roll out from 1 October, is meant to fill the gap for children with developmental delay or “mild or moderate autism” under nine.

But significant questions remain about what will replace the NDIS.

States and territories continue to raise concerns about the readiness of foundational supports, and the Government has yet to clearly outline what supports will be available for those who fall outside the Thriving Kids program.

This includes people with disability other than autism or developmental delay, and those who are nine and older.

“Before these changes proceed, the Government must demonstrate that appropriate, accessible, and effective alternatives are actually available for everyone,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said. 

“Children and young people with disability cannot be the test case for whether the Government’s timeline works.”

Community concerns ignored

The Senate inquiry into the Bill received more than 4500 submissions and heard evidence across six days of public hearings from people with disability, families, advocates, and others.

Despite most saying the Bill should not be passed in its current form, the inquiry’s final report, tabled last Friday, recommended its passage while failing to address significant outstanding concerns.

This includes suggestions from the Labor-led Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights that the Bill raised significant human rights risks.

It said that measures intended to improve the NDIS’ sustainability and integrity may not be proportionate or sufficiently safeguarded and could result in reduced access and harm.

“The community has been extraordinarily vocal about what is at stake,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said.

“Of course, we all want a sustainable NDIS that will work for generations present and future, but sustainability cannot come at the cost of people’s rights, safety or access to essential support.”

Families cannot be expected to fill the gaps

In its own submission to the inquiry, CYDA highlighted that the Bill would place further pressure on parents to provide informal supports.

This risks placing additional unpaid caring responsibilities on families already under significant pressure, including where children have complex behavioural, communication, or support needs.

“The Government needs to be transparent about what these changes will mean for children and young people with disability and their families or caregivers,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said.

“Parents will not stop caring for their children if NDIS supports are removed; they will simply have to do more themselves.

“That will mean parents giving up work and facing greater financial pressure, children becoming more isolated, and families being pushed into serious crisis.”

CYDA also remains concerned about proposed reductions to social and community participation supports and changes to access and functional capacity requirements.

“Social and community participation is how children make friends, build confidence, develop independence and participate in their communities,” Ms Kakoschke-Moore said.

“Reducing these supports risks leaving children more isolated in their most critical developmental years.”

Read CYDA’s full submission to the Senate inquiry here.