For immediate release

6 May 2026

Every Australian Counts has launched a crucial national campaign calling on the Government to protect the NDIS and stop proposed cuts that risk leaving people with disability and our families without the support we need to live ordinary lives.

The campaign runs alongside a national wave of activity led by people with disability, including the 12 Days of Action coordinated by disability advocates across the country.

These cuts are not accidental. They are the result of decisions being made without people with disability and without proper design. This campaign is about stopping the cuts and fixing the system that is causing them.

“We are stepping up to build on and amplify the actions already being led by people with disability across Australia,” said Dr George Taleporos, Every Australian Counts Independent Chair.

“Our NDIS belongs to people with disability and our families. It was built to support our right to live with dignity, independence, choice and control.”

Dr Taleporos said the proposed changes risk reducing access to our NDIS, cutting supports for people already in the Scheme, and removing support before real alternatives are available.

“You cannot take support away from people and simply hope that something else will appear,” he said.

“If support is removed before foundational supports are properly designed, funded and available, people will be left with nowhere to go.”

Every Australian Counts is particularly concerned about cuts to social and community participation supports.

“These supports are not optional extras. They are what enable many of us to leave our homes, connect with other people, participate in the community, and protect our physical and mental health,” Dr Taleporos said.

“Cutting these supports will increase isolation and put more pressure on families, hospitals and crisis systems.”

Dr Taleporos said the Government must also protect the right of people with disability to decide who provides their support.

“If mandatory registration is expanded, it must include a specific self-directed registration category,” he said.

“That is what the Government’s own NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce recommended.”

“Without a self-directed registration category, people who self-manage and self-direct could be forced away from trusted workers and individualised arrangements that keep us safe and make our lives possible.”

“The NDIS was built on the key promise of choice and control for people with disability. It means deciding who comes into our homes, who supports us with the most personal parts of our lives, and how we build support arrangements that actually work.”

Every Australian Counts said the campaign will also focus on how decisions are being made.

“Decisions about our lives must be made with us, not for us,” Dr Taleporos said.

“People with disability and our families need genuine co-design, clear information, fair review rights, and a system that is built around our lives, not around bureaucratic convenience.”

Every Australian Counts will work alongside other disability organisations, advocates and community campaigns to strengthen the collective voice of people with disability and our families.

“We need the Government to stop, listen and work with us,” Dr Taleporos said.

“This campaign is about protecting our NDIS and our right to dignified lives.”

Every Australian Counts is calling on the Government to:

1. stop cuts to access, plans and supports
2. ensure no support is removed before suitable alternatives are available
3. protect social and community participation supports
4. maintain choice and control for NDIS participants
5. include a self-directed registration category in any future mandatory registration model
6. ensure that there are fair, accessible and effective review rights
7. embed genuine co-design with people with disability and our families
8. Be transparent and release an exposure draft of the legislation with enough time for community advice and consultation.
9. protect our NDIS so it continues to support independence, inclusion and ordinary lives

The campaign message is clear:

Stop the cuts.

Fix the System.

Protect our NDIS.

ENDS

Visit EAC’s Do Gooder Page

Media contact:
Dr George Taleporos
Every Australian Counts Independent Chair

SMS only: 0402 842 040