Summary of the Australian Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission

The Australian Government acknowledges the traditional owners of Country throughout Australia on which we gather, live and work.

We acknowledge all traditional custodians, their Elders past, present and emerging, and pay our respects to their continuing connection to their culture, community, land, sea and water.

This video may contain information that is distressing for some viewers.

If you require support, you can contact:

• The National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline: 1800 880 052
• 1800RESPECT on: Call 1800 737 732, Text 0458 737 732
• Disability Advocacy Support Helpline on: 1800 643 787
• Disability Advocacy Finder at: Disability Advocacy Finder at the Ask Izzy website
• Lifeline Crisis Support on: Call 13 11 14, Text 0477 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue Support Service on: 1300 224 636

This video provides a summary of the Australian Government’s Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, otherwise known as the Disability Royal Commission.

The Disability Royal Commission was established in 2019 in response to community concern about widespread reports of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability.

It investigated what governments; institutions and the community can do to better: prevent violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability, achieve best practice in reporting, investigating and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, and promote a more inclusive society that supports people with disability to be independent and live free from harm.

Nearly 10,000 people with disability, their families, friends, representatives, supporters and carers shared their experiences.

Following almost four and half years of inquiry, the Disability Royal Commission released its Final Report on 29 September 2023.

The Final Report includes 12 volumes and 222 recommendations and sets out a vision for an inclusive Australia, where people with disability live free from harm; where human rights are protected; and where individuals live with dignity, equality and respect, can take risks, and develop and fulfil their potential.

The Australian Government supports this vision and is committed to working in partnership with the disability community to implement meaningful change to make Australia safe, inclusive and accessible for people with disability.

After the Final Report was released, the Australian Government set up Commonwealth Disability Royal Commission Taskforce to: support consideration of the Final Report across Commonwealth departments and agencies, engage and consult with people with disability and other stakeholders, and work with state and territory officials to consider recommendations of joint Commonwealth, state and territory responsibility.

Through the Taskforce, and Ministerial engagement, the Government consulted and engaged with: people with disability, their families, and carers, advocates and representative organisations, disability support providers, unions, and workers, and peak bodies, academics, and other organisations.

A public consultation ran from 8 November 2023 to 19 January 2024 through an online questionnaire and submissions process.

There were 335 questionnaire responses and 118 written submissions, which were analysed and consolidated into a summary report.

The Public Consultation Report is available on the Department of Social Services Engage page: Australian Government Ministers also held four roundtable meetings in 2024 to bring together stakeholder expertise to have open discussions about topics from the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report.

Roundtable topics included:

• Australia’s Disability Strategy Intersections between the Disability Royal Commission and National Disability Insurance Scheme Review:
• Safeguards, Quality and Housing
• First Nations People with Disability
• Embedding Human Rights

Public consultation showed a high level of support for the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations and their potential to positively impact the lives of people with disability.

While there was broad support for many of the recommendations, there were different views around recommendations regarding

specialised and segregated settings in education, employment and housing and the establishment of a Disability Rights Act.

The Government is committed to ongoing consultation with the community on reform and implementation and will continue to engage, communicate and work together to make Australia safe, accessible and inclusive for people with disability.

The Australian Government has published its initial response to the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report.

Of the 172 recommendations within the Australian Government’s primary or shared responsibility, the Australian Government: accepts or accepts in principle 130 recommendations, is considering further 36 recommendations, and notes 6 recommendations.

The response is framed around what people with disability have indicated is most important to them: better safeguarding, promoting inclusion and accessibility, upholding human rights and better protections against discrimination, employment, and recognising the unique perspectives and experiences of First Nations people with disability.

To build on existing funding and commitments to support a safe, inclusive and accessible Australia for people with disability, the Australian Government is making significant investment towards the first phase of its response towards the first phase of its response to the Disability Royal Commission.

This includes: $39.7 million to establish a new disability advocacy program to help people with disability protect and defend their rights $6.9 million to review and modernise the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 $4.4 million for consistent approaches to community visitor schemes to help keep people in disability services safe $2.6 million to continue the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline and the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service to support people with disability to access fair, impartial and independent advice and to voice their concerns $23.3 million to establish a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence to improve the quality of disability employment services $1.2 million to develop targets to reduce and eliminate restrictive practices $15.6 million to establish a Quality and Safeguarding Framework and Disability Support Ecosystem Safeguarding Strategy to unify quality and and safeguarding arrangements for people with disability across Australia.

$12.3 million to improve national approaches to accessible information and communications, including Auslan $12.1 million to amend the Migration Health Requirement to be fairer for children with disability who are born and living in Australia $227.6 million to implement a new specialist disability employment program to help people with disability, injury or illness find and maintain sustainable employment $2 million towards improving the safety of women and girls with disability $3.7 million to continue the Primary Care Enhancement Program for People with Intellectual Disability to support access to health services for people with intellectual disability.

$19.6 million to lift disability responsiveness and capability of key professional workforces and support grassroots efforts to improve community attitudes around disability

The Australian Government is also: Reviewing Australia’s Disability Strategy Commencing consultations on the design of a First Nations Disability Forum or other appropriate shared decision-making mechanism on disability

Working with state and territory governments in partnership with people with disability to help educators, schools and school systems deliver more inclusive education

This builds on the significant existing work and investment to create a more inclusive society, including reform to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, establishing additional foundational supports, improving outcomes under

Australia’s Disability Strategy, enhancing approaches to inclusion and access for people with disability in mainstream settings, and improving data and research through the National Disability Data Asset and National Disability Research Partnership.

You can learn more about some of the existing work happening across government to build a more inclusive Australia in the Australian Government Progress Update on the Disability Royal Commission, which was released on 13 March 2024 and is available on the Department of Social Services website.

The Australian Government Response also includes a policy statement on disability reform that outlines the key principles and commitments that will shape and inform the ongoing development and implementation of the Government’s disability reform agenda.

It highlights that the Australian Government is committed to enabling policy and delivering services that realise the vision set out by the Disability Royal Commission of an Australian community where people with disability: live free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation, where human rights are protected, and individuals live with dignity, equality and respect and can fulfil their potential.

This includes a future where people with and without disability: live, learn, work, play, create, and engage together in safe and diverse communities, have the power of choice, independence, and the dignity to take risks, make significant contributions to communities that value their presence and treat them with respect, and are culturally safe and belong in families, communities, and peer networks.

The program of reform activity will be staged over several years and aligned with broader reforms to the disability ecosystem as well as mainstream system reforms in health, education, and housing – as this supports the ongoing involvement of people with disability and enables lasting change.

The Australian Government has also worked very closely with all state and territory governments to consider the Disability Royal Commission’s Final Report and develop responses to recommendations within the shared responsibility of the Commonwealth, states and territories.

The Australian, State and Territory Governments have published a Joint Response to Disability Royal Commission, demonstrating a strong collaborative approach to implementing nationally coordinated change in response to the Disability Royal Commission.

Both the Australian Government Response and the Joint Australian, State and Territory Response, and accessible versions, are available on the Department of Social Services website.