PWDA 2026-27 Federal Pre-Budget Submission
2 February 2026
In recent years, the groundwork has been laid for strong government action to improve the rights of people with disability. This followed two major inquiries that reported in 2023: the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission) and the Independent Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS Review).
However, government responses have not met the expectations of people with disability. Some law changes have put essential supports at risk, and ongoing underfunding and lack of priority mean many people with disability are still being left behind.
The 2025-26 Federal Budget included some positive steps, such as funding for Foundational Supports, independent disability advocacy, and NDIS appeals. But it did not deliver the urgent and targeted action needed in areas where people with disability are most affected. These are the same areas the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review identified as needing the most reform.
The 2026-27 Budget is a crucial chance to act. It must support the implementation of key recommendations from both reviews, help lift people with disability out of poverty, and promote full economic and social inclusion.
In this Pre-Budget Submission, PWDA calls for targeted funding in the 2026-27 Budget to address major gaps affecting the 5.5 million Australians with disability. This includes measures to:
- Improve inclusion and access to supports and services, both within the NDIS and outside it
- Address cost-of-living and housing pressures that hit people with disability hardest
- Protect human rights and actively tackle disability discrimination
- Strengthen genuine co-design and disability-led research
PWDA's recommendations focus on building sustainable systems, avoiding preventable costs, and stopping costs being shifted to health, housing, justice, and crisis services. Modest early investment can reduce government spending over time. Failing to act increases risks, including higher hospital use, rising homelessness, and more pressure on crisis, safeguarding, and justice systems.
People with disability were largely overlooked in the 2025-26 Federal Budget. PWDA strongly urges the Australian Government to act on these recommendations in the 2026-27 Budget. These measures are essential, not optional. Meeting this responsibility requires clear priorities and adequate funding in the 2026-27 Federal Budget.
Recommendations
- Recommendation 1: Invest in an NDIS that is accessible, equitable, safe and fair
- Recommendation 2: Fund a long-term agreement for nationally consistent Foundational Supports
- Recommendation 3: Incentivise participation in work and improve income security for people with disability through adjustments to Disability Support Pension
- Recommendation 4: Raise the Rate of income support payments and remove the partner income test
- Recommendation 5: Invest in accessible housing and mandate the Livable Housing Design Silver Standard
- Recommendation 6: Fund the development and implementation of a national human rights act
- Recommendation 7: Progress and implement reform of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
- Recommendation 8: Properly fund individual and systemic advocacy services to promote, protect and enforce the rights of people with disability
- Recommendation 9: Invest in a national Supported Decision-Making Framework
- Recommendation 10: Further invest in lived expertise by taking a genuine co-design approach to all policy, legislation and regulatory reforms
- Recommendation 11: Continue to invest in disability-led research
