Carers Australia Warns Proposed NDIS Reforms Risk Shifting Severe Costs Onto Unpaid Carers
Carers Australia CEO Joanna Cave told a Senate inquiry that proposed NDIS changes risk increasing unpaid care workloads, reducing workforce participation and shifting financial burdens onto families while failing to address provider overcharging.
Harry Taruva 
Canberra — National peak advocacy body Carers Australia has issued a stark warning that proposed legislative amendments to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) risk shifting substantial financial and operational burdens onto Australia’s more than three million unpaid carers.
Appearing before the Senate Standing Committee examining the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment Bill 2026, Carers Australia Chief Executive Officer Joanna Cave emphasized that family and friend carers provide an estimated $80 billion in informal care annually—a figure exceeding the projected fiscal savings targeted by the federal government's proposed restructuring.
Addressing committee members, Ms Cave highlighted that unpaid carers form the structural foundation of disability support nationwide, providing daily assistance through personal care, transportation, system navigation, and advocacy. She warned that restricting participant access and shrinking plan allocations will force depleted families to absorb support deficits, likely reducing workforce participation and worsening economic stress.
While Carers Australia supports broader initiatives to ensure the long-term financial sustainability and integrity of the scheme, the organization argued that the draft legislation targets the wrong operational mechanisms. Ms Cave urged parliamentarians to focus reform efforts on excessive provider pricing, market exploitation, and lack of transparency rather than tightening eligibility criteria for vulnerable participants.
Illustrating market inflated pricing, Ms Cave cited an instance where an NDIS provider quoted $1,300 to supply and fit a standard shower hose for a participant. The participant’s carer ultimately purchased the identical hardware at a retail store for $60 and completed the installation independently after referencing self-help instructional materials.
Carers Australia called on lawmakers to mandate stronger market oversight, transparent price controls, and direct carer representation during ongoing legislative negotiations. Ms Cave reiterated that any policy modifications failing to evaluate household-level impacts risk undermining participant outcomes while accelerating burnout among informal support networks.
