Abbey Faulkner, one of the journalism students on ABC series The Assembly, said she can no longer get to work safely after a federal NDIS overhaul stripped her weekend transport and support workers.
"The irony is I asked our prime minister, Anthony Albanese, for a job on The Assembly, and now with the NDIS cuts I can't even go to work safely," Faulkner said.
"What normal 23-year-old gets told they can no longer go to work, go out with their friends, and be able to live an independent life? I'm not asking for special treatment. I just want the opportunity to work, make friends, and have a future."
Her experience is not isolated. Under recent federal legislative amendments to the NDIS, some individual funding packages are being cut during routine plan renewals and reassessments, with allocations slashed by up to 50 per cent for Social, Economic and Community Participation supports and 10 per cent for Improved Daily Living Skills.
For artists who rely on these budgets to hire support workers, cover travel costs and access therapy services, the cuts pose a barrier to public life and paid work.
Melbourne's Arts Project Australia represents more than 120 resident artists in its Northcote studio, while Sydney's Bus Stop Films runs 22 national workshops each week for more than 250 young adults with intellectual disability. Geelong's Back to Back Theatre, which won the prestigious Ibsen Prize in 2022 and the Venice Biennale's Golden Lion in 2024, is preparing to present six works across multiple Parisian venues as the "Portrait" artist at France's Festival d'Automne, a historic first for Australian theatre.
Paul Hodges, a colourist and draftsman who has developed his practice at Arts Project Australia since 1998, said NDIS funding covers the healthcare and psychological support required to live and work with stability.
"The government keeps cutting the arts," Hodges said. "I was expecting the NDIS to be better, and it's not very good. The promises need to be more honest."
Monica Lazzari, whose abstract works have entered national and international collections, said a two-decade practice suddenly feels precarious.
"I'm really hoping that it doesn't take away from my funding," Lazzari said. "I really hope I get the money to come here."
Her concern turned outward: "I'm scared for people who are not as independent as me. I'm scared about their future. If they're cutting, then how would somebody who's not so independent be able to participate in their everyday life?"
Tracey Corbin-Matchett, chief executive of Bus Stop Films, described the policy shifts as "a little bit ableist."
"Some of our participants have been doing the program for 17 years," Corbin-Matchett said. "Bus Stop is a critical part of their social connection. It's the only time they leave their house."
She said the program helps keep people alive: “The Down syndrome community, their life expectancy has grown significantly in the last 20 years because of the social connections that they are now having.”
Asked about the changes, a spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency said they were being introduced gradually over 12 months as participants' plans were created or reviewed. "NDIS participants have choice and control over how they use their budgets to purchase the disability supports they need," the spokesperson said. The office of Minister for Disability and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Mark Butler was also contacted for comment.
Nathan Basha, an executive producer on Bus Stop Films' debut feature Boss Cat, with 17 years of industry experience including credits on Thor: Love and Thunder and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, said true representation demands authority.
"We aren't just participants in a program. We are filmmakers, writers, directors, producers, actors and crew members," Basha said.
Arts Project Australia executive director Liz Nowell said the conversation moves “from care and limitation to ideas, ambition and contribution.”
"Meaningful representation starts with taking disabled artists – and their work – seriously," Nowell said. "It means moving beyond sentimental or tokenistic narratives."