Croakey Health Media – Jess Findling
MAJOR reforms to the National Disability Insurance Scheme have reignited debate over whether Australia needs stronger human rights protections, as participants face significant changes to how their support is assessed and funded.
RMIT University lecturer Jess Findling, who lives with a degenerative neurological condition and relies on the NDIS, has warned the reforms risk creating a growing imbalance between the power of government agencies and the ability of participants to challenge decisions affecting their lives.
For Ms Findling, the debate is also deeply personal.
NDIS funding helps her manage pain and fatigue, travel to and from work and maintain full-time employment as an academic specialising in social justice.
She said her experience challenged assumptions about who relied on disability support.
“Many people do not expect a fulltime academic to depend on the NDIS because many of us do not fit how society frames someone living with a disability,” she said.
“Yet, the NDIS is one of the key reasons I am able to continue to participate in the workforce.”
Ms Findling said recent changes had created uncertainty about whether that would continue.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Act 2026 introduces a range of changes aimed at controlling costs and improving the long-term sustainability of the scheme.
Government documentation has also projected that more than 240,000 people could leave the NDIS by mid-2031.
Ms Findling acknowledged governments had a responsibility to ensure public money was properly spent and fraud and misuse were addressed.
However, she argued financial sustainability needed to be balanced against the rights and wellbeing of people with disability.
