16 July 2026
Blind Citizens Australia is calling on Parliament to reject proposed NDIS reforms, warning they would fundamentally shift the Scheme away from person-centred decision-making and put people with disability at risk of losing access to essential supports they rely on.
Under the current Act, Section 31 is one the key safeguards that ensures participant plans are developed around a person’s circumstances, goals and support needs. It ensures that any decisions are tailored to an individual’s situation.
Blind Citizens Australia says repealing this section would fundamentally change the way the Scheme operates, moving it away from individualised decision-making and towards a more rigid approach that risks sending the system backwards.
“The NDIS was built on the principle that people with disability should have a say in the supports they receive and the lives they want to lead. These reforms risk shifting decision-making away from participants’ individual needs and towards broader government powers and standardised rules, weakening the person-centred approach that has been at the heart if the NDIS since it began.,” BCA CEO Deb Deshayes said.
“You cannot protect the future of the NDIS by removing the principles that made it worth protecting. A Scheme that stops seeing people as individuals is not the NDIS people fought for.”
Beyond the removal of Section 31, Blind Citizens Australia is also concerned that the Bill would give the Minister broad powers over the Scheme, including the ability to significantly reduce funding for specified groups of supports, alter participant plans without review, and shape how key parts of the NDIS operate.
These powers would affect decisions about the supports people receive, how participant plans are managed, the use of automated decision-making and who can deliver NDIS services.
BCA says these powers, together with the changes that would remove review rights for some decisions, would weaken critical safeguards and leave people with disability with fewer avenues to challenge decisions that affect their lives.
“The NDIS was created to ensure people with disability are supported as individuals, not managed through a one-size-fits-all system,” Policy Officer Melanie Chatfield said.
“Removing the requirement for plans to be based on a person’s circumstances and goals changes the very foundation of the Scheme.
“For people who are blind or vision impaired, access to the right supports can determine whether they are able to live independently and participate in everyday life. These supports are essential, and any reform of the NDIS must protect the people it was created to support.”
Blind Citizens Australia is urging Parliament to reject the Bill and ensure any future reform of the NDIS is developed in partnership with people with disability.
Media Contact:
Amila Dedovic – Communications Coordinator
amila.dedovic@bca.org.au
0403 967 406