This week, Parliament passed the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026, with the government arguing the reforms are necessary to make the scheme stronger, fairer and more financially sustainable.

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The public debate that followed was entirely predictable.

How much is it costing?

How fast is it growing?

How do we stop fraud?

All reasonable questions. After all, public money is not infinite, and no public program should be exempt from scrutiny. But listening to the debate, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were discussing the NDIS as though it were a spreadsheet rather than a social contract.

The entire conversation seemed preoccupied with sustaining the scheme financially.

Very little attention was paid to what the scheme exists to sustain in the first place.

Not abstract participants. Not cost centres. Not line items.

I work with people living with a diverse range of disabilities every day. I support people into employment, to stay employed, to build self-employment and sustain small businesses. I see, up close, the difference that effective support can make to a person's independence.

And that brings me to a word politicians love to invoke whenever disability policy is discussed.

The problem is that our definition of independence has become remarkably small.

When governments assess disability, they often focus on (very) basic activities of daily living. Can you shower? Can you dress yourself? Can you prepare a meal? Can you get yourself into bed at night?

These things matter enormously, but they are not the entirety of a life.

True independence is not merely about surviving. It is about participating. It is about having access to the things many Australians take for granted: work, education, friendships, volunteering, community groups, social activities, sporting clubs and professional opportunities.

The NDIS was designed with this in mind, but over time........

© Canberra Times