All people in Australia with a lived or living experience of mental health challenges must have access to the individualised, recovery-oriented supports they may require to live empowered, meaningful and fulfilling lives. This right arises and remains irrespective of an individual’s eligibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), although it plays a critical role in supporting people living with disability and the need to secure its long-term sustainability is recognised. 

This submission highlights concerns that without due consideration of the complex nature of psychosocial disability, the proposed changes to the NDIS may reinforce inequities in access, increase unmet need and shift demand to acute, intensive and costly parts of the broader mental health system. This concern is further heightened by well documented evidence that suggests there is already a significant cohort of individuals who do not qualify for the NDIS and do not otherwise receive adequate support.