National

Women to be hardest-hit by sweeping NDIS changes

Jun 9, 2026

People holding hands — Women currently make up more than 71 per cent of all primary carers in Australia. -AAP Image

Women and families of disabled Australians will be unfairly affected by a sweeping rewrite of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, advocacy groups have warned.

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A government inquiry into proposed NDIS changes is this week expected to hear evidence that access changes - designed in part to halt ballooning costs - will negatively impact mothers of disabled children, even if they are adults.

About $11 billion of the $16.6 billion savings forecast for 2029/30 will come from eligibility changes, including more detailed assessments, modelling from the Grattan Institute shows.

The changes are likely to reduce NDIS participants to 598,000 in 2030/31 - a third of the expected numbers if no changes were made.

But before changes kick in fully, the majority of cuts will be made in short-term measures, particularly social and community participation funding, which means many clients will rely on their families to help them participate in everyday activities.

"These savings won't be achieved without shifting costs onto families and informal carers," the Grattan Institute said in its submission to the inquiry.

"For many, particularly those with more complex needs, community participation depends on the right individualised support."

Community participation spending, which is used by disabled people to access medical appointments, social activities and even work, is expected to be halved.

Women With Disabilities Australia warned care responsibilities were likely to shift disproportionately to women, who might need to take time out of work to look after disabled friends or relatives.

"Where funded amounts fall below actual support costs, the gap will be carried by participants, families and unpaid carers, with predictable gendered impacts," the advocacy organisation said in its submission to the inquiry.

Women currently make up more than 71 per cent of all primary carers in Australia.

A 2020 report estimated it would cost the government $77.9 billion to replace unpaid disability care with paid support - more than twice the NDIS bill for the same period.

The Child and Family Disability Alliance recommended family and household circumstances be taken into account when funding is assessed, so people do not lose NDIS help in circumstances where they can not afford to replace it privately.

If that was not done, the alliance suggested mothers in particular would suffer and their well-being and workforce participation would decrease.

"Current government planning and attention to these areas do not appear adequately developed ahead of the scheduled implementation of the legislative reform," its submission to the inquiry said.