NDIS Bill Passes Senate: Risking Harm to People with Intellectual Disability

VALID is deeply disappointed that the NDIS Amendment Bill 2026 passed the Senate last night, which will aim to remove over 240,000 participants from the scheme.  

These are historic cuts, the largest to a single government program this century. 

People with disability are not just numbers to balance a spreadsheet, these cuts mean people will lose access to vital supports and funding that enable them to engage with study, work and community. For people with intellectual disability, this will only increase their risk of abuse and neglect. 

Quotes attributable to Fionn Skiotis, VALID CEO: 

• “People with disability and their families deserve to know what is happening with the plans that keep people alive. To still not have an answer, without alternative supports in place, despite thousands of hours of consultations is beyond reckless. We can’t gamble with people’s lives in the face of clear evidence of the significant harm this will cause.” 

• “This is an incredibly difficult day for people with disability and their families. Now that the Bill has passed, the Government must ensure that all alternative supports will be truly accessible, appropriate, and adequate to all those who need it.”

VALID also acknowledges that the collective nationwide pressure was successful in gaining additional inquiry time and achieving important amendments to the Bill’s changes to reassessment, whistleblower protections, and classification of ‘attempts to contact’. This is a credit to all disabled people, families, carers, support workers, and allies who poured energy and time into making sure they were heard.  

The fact that this Government has largely chosen to ignore them is a national disgrace. 

VALID remains dedicated to the fight to protect the NDIS and the rights of people with intellectual disability and their families. 

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