Sam Petersen describes living in a disability group home as death by a thousand cuts.
The four years Sam spent in a group home were marked by severe understaffing, a product of a system where cost-cutting was the priority, which led to neglect of Sam’s most basic needs.
“I don’t necessarily blame the individual support workers, I do blame the system which enables this type of behaviour,” Sam says.
Sam lived in a group home before the national disability insurance scheme came into existence. It was a scheme that promised to uplift and protect people with a disability.
But the abuse, neglect and mistreatment of people living with a disability has continued.
Internal documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal that, in the three years since the disability royal commission, reports of the abuse, neglect and unauthorised restraint of people with a disability have skyrocketed.
The documents, released under freedom-of-information law by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, the regulator of NDIS providers, show it is fielding an increasing number of reports of abuse, death, neglect, serious injury and unlawful sexual contact.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailThe NDIS watchdog dealt with a total of 107,325 “reportable incidents” last year, a sharp increase from the 74,791 it dealt with in 2023.
The documents show it received 6,131 reports of abuse of people with a disability in 2025, up from 5,076 in 2023.
Reports of neglect were at 9,688 last year, up from 6,550 in 2023, and serious injury reports were up to 12,089, a significant increase from 7,350 in 2023.
Reports about the use of unauthorised restrictive practices – for example, the use of mechanical, physical or chemical restraints, or seclusion – was up to 71,485, vastly higher than the 48,772 in 2023.
The documents also show roughly 13 incidents of unlawful sexual contact are being reported to the NDIS commission per week.
The NDIS commission said the increases may be explained by stronger compliance with mandatory reporting from NDIS providers or improved detection of incidents, or by increases in the number of NDIS participants and providers.
But Dr George Taleporos, the independent chair of Every Australian Counts, said the numbers proved another reminder of the importance of funding alternatives to group homes.
“These figures represent tens of thousands of people with disability experiencing serious violence, abuse and neglect in services that are meant to keep us safe,” Taleporos said.
“The disability royal commission made it clear that this is happening because we force people into shared living arrangements, where we have no control over who we live with or who provides our support.
“If we are serious about preventing abuse, we must give people better alternatives to group homes.”
In response, a spokesperson for the National Disability Insurance Agency said the scheme provided Australians with “funding to access the disability-related supports they need including funding to live independently in the community”.
The NDIS commission said it treated the safety and human rights of people with a disability as its top priority, and assessed every notification comprehensively.
A spokesperson cautioned against placing too much weight on raw numbers of reportable incidents.
“Reportable incidents cover a wide range of matters,” a spokesperson said. “Notifications may involve complex behavioural situations, incidents of self‑harm, or allegations that are later found not to be substantiated. A notification does not mean wrongdoing has been proven.
“The commission continues to focus on preventing harm, strengthening provider practice, and taking firm and proportionate action where providers fail to meet their obligations.”
The revelations come during a time of intense change and uncertainty for those reliant on the NDIS.
Participants, advocates and providers are grappling with a series of legislative changes that are designed to cut costs for a scheme projected to rise to $90bn by the end of the decade.
Guardian Australia has repeatedly reported on the cases of dozens of NDIS participants who are having their supports cut or refused as the belt-tightening continues, including those with complex needs that require 24-hour care.
Experts are also alarmed at the planned deployment of an online tool called the instrument for the classification and assessment of support needs (I-CAN), which will be used to help determine an individual’s support plan.
Advocates warn the tool represents a form of “robo-planning” that puts people with a disability at risk.
Sam is now in a better place. The NDIS funds specialist disability accommodation and Sam’s independent support workers are more likely to listen, show respect and treat Sam like a person.
But the situation remains tenuous.
“I’m always afraid the NDIA will cut my funding and that the NDIA will stop allowing independent support workers, which could mean I don’t get a say in who my support team is,” Sam said. “This is very important because everyone should have the choice of who touches their body, makes their meals, enters their home.
“My body, my choice.”
• In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 and MensLine on 1300 789 978
