Frequently Asked Questions

The impact of the issues explored by the Disability Royal Commission may continue to be felt. If you or someone you know requires support, there are services available.

Disability Royal Commission Government Response

Has the Government agreed to implement the 222 recommendations in the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report?

The Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations are directed to Commonwealth and state and territory governments, with some a joint responsibility. A small number of recommendations are directed to non-government agencies.

Following the release of the Final Report, all governments agreed to the following break-down of responsibilities:

  • Joint Commonwealth, states and territories: 85 recommendations*
    • *One of the joint recommendations (recommendation 4.30) has distinct aspects that fall within individual government responsibilities. Governments are responding to these distinct aspects through respective individual government responses.
  • Commonwealth: 84 recommendations
  • States and territories: 50 recommendations
  • Joint non-government and Commonwealth: 3 recommendations

The Australian Government has primary or shared responsibility for 172 recommendations. In the initial response, the Australian Government:

  • accepts or accepts in principle 130 recommendations
  • is further considering 36 recommendations
  • notes 6 recommendations

The Final Report includes 50 recommendations directed specifically to state and territory governments for their consideration. Each state and territory will provide their own response for recommendations that are within their responsibility.

Given the breadth and scope of the recommendations, a staged approach is required to implement changes in response to the Disability Royal Commission recommendations.

What do the responses to recommendations in the Government response mean?

  • ‘Accept’ means the Australian Government accepts or supports the recommendation in full.
  • ‘Accept in principle’ means the Australian Government agrees with the overarching policy intent of the recommendation but may consider different approaches to implementation.   
  • ‘Subject to further consideration’ means the Australian Government is still considering the recommendation. This may be due to a need to await the outcome of related inquiries or to enable further consultation and engagement to inform a response.
  • ‘Note’ is used in the Government response for recommendations in which it would not be appropriate to indicate acceptance or rejection, which may be due to the recommendation not being within the Australian Government’s policy responsibility or remit.

Which Commonwealth portfolios are responsible for implementing the agreed recommendations?

Consistent with Commonwealth government decision-making processes, individual Ministers are responsible for activities within their portfolio.

The following Ministerial Councils have endorsed responses to the joint recommendations in the Government response:

  • Disability Reform Ministerial Council
  • Standing Council of Attorneys-General
  • Women and Women’s Safety Ministerial Council
  • Housing and Homelessness Ministerial Council
  • Indigenous Affairs Ministers Meeting
  • Education Ministers Meeting
  • Health Ministers Meeting, and
  • Police Ministers Council.

National Cabinet and its relevant Ministerial Councils will help to drive implementation of Disability Royal Commission recommendations and hold jurisdictions accountable.

How much will it cost to implement the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations?

Given the breadth and scope of the recommendations, the response to the Disability Royal Commission will be implemented in phases.

That is why the Australian Government has announced a strong initial package of measures. This includes:

  • $253.5 million for Disability Employment Services and other employment measures.
  • $117.5 million to strengthen safeguards in the community, uphold rights, and improve inclusion and access for a safer and more inclusive Australia for people with disability.

Implementation must be phased to ensure it allows for immediate change in key areas, while enabling collaboration and consultation over a longer period on more complex reform.

Will the implementation of agreed recommendations be co-designed with the disability community?

All entities responsible for implementing Disability Royal Commission recommendations will engage in genuine consultation and / or co-design with people with disability, carers, families, and advocates. This will ensure implementation is shaped by the diverse experience, knowledge, skills and contributions of people with disability across Australia.

Did the Australian Government consult with people with disability to inform its response to the Disability Royal Commission?

The Australian Government response to the Disability Royal Commission is informed by the voices of people with disability, their families, carers, representative organisations, service providers and the broader community.

The Australian Government undertook extensive stakeholder engagement and consultation, including a public submissions process. The Government engaged with stakeholders and the community through a combination of high-level roundtables, forums, workshops, and individual meetings. These forums elicited a broad range of views from stakeholder groups and identified what is most important to them.

A public consultation was opened on 28 November 2023, through an online questionnaire and submission process. It received 335 questionnaire responses and 118 written submissions from a wide range of individuals and organisations.

All questionnaire responses and written submissions were analysed and consolidated into a de-identified report outlining key themes of responses. The report is available at www.engage.dss.gov.au/drcausgovresponse/public-consultation-report.

Did the Commonwealth Government work with state and territory governments to develop the response to the Disability Royal Commission?

The Disability Royal Commission was a national inquiry involving the Commonwealth Government and all state and territory governments. Its Final Report called for a coordinated approach across all governments.

Commonwealth and state and territory governments are working closely on a coordinated and national approach to disability reform. This includes through the Disability Reform Ministerial Council (DRMC) which includes all ministers with responsibility for disability policy and services. Considering the Disability Royal Commission recommendations is a top priority for the DRMC.

What is the Disability Royal Commission Taskforce?

The Australian Government announced the establishment of the Commonwealth Disability Royal Commission Taskforce (the Taskforce) on 29 September 2023 and committed $4.25 million funding over 2 years. The Taskforce is a work unit within the Department of Social Services.

The Taskforce comprises Department of Social Services staff, and seconded officers from Commonwealth portfolios including Health and Aged Care, Education, Attorney Generals, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, and National Disability Insurance Agency.

What disability support services are available?

If you are seeking disability support services, there are still a wide range of options available.

The Disability Gateway is a free, Australia-wide service. It helps all people with disability, their families and carers to find trusted information and connect to services in their area. You can either:

The National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) provides people with disability access to effective advocacy support. This support promotes and protects the rights of people with disability by helping to remove barriers to their full and equal participation in the community. Find out more about the NDAP at dss.gov.au/national-disability-advocacy-program.

The Disability Advocacy Support Helpline provides short term and phone-based disability advocacy support, no matter where you live in Australia. The Helpline may refer you to other supports in your local area based on your individual needs. For more information about the Helpline, visit the resources page. There are Easy Read, Auslan and translated resources. 

To request disability advocacy support, you can either:

You can also find an advocacy support provider near you by visiting Ask Izzy at askizzy.org.au/disability-advocacy-finder

The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline is a free, independent and confidential service for reporting abuse and neglect of people with disability. You can either:

What other support is available?

You can also access other support services.

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line is available for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence or sexual assault. It is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can either:

Lifeline is a national charity providing all Australians with access to crisis support and suicide prevention services. It is available 24 hours, 7 days a week. You can either:

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000.

Where to find more information

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