Responding to the Disability Royal Commission

Responding to the Disability Royal Commission

To build on existing funding and commitments made over the last three Budgets totalling more than $3 billion to build a more inclusive Australia for people with disability, the Australian Government is making a significant investment towards the first phase of its response to the Disability Royal Commission.

This initial package has a strong focus on better safeguarding in the community, enhancing human rights, and improving accessibility and inclusion. The Government has also committed to reviewing Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 and consulting on a First Nations Disability Forum or other appropriate shared decision-making mechanism.
 
$39.7 million in additional funding to establish a new individual disability advocacy program. The new program will bring together current services to establish a streamlined and cohesive delivery model of ongoing individual disability advocacy supports.

$15.6 million to establish a Quality and Safeguarding Framework and Disability Support Ecosystem Safeguarding Strategy to unify safeguarding arrangements for people with disability across Australia.

$6.9 million for disability discrimination law reform, to undertake a review and modernisation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 in consultation with people with disability.
 
$12.3 million for a national approach to accessible information and communications for people with disability. This includes the development of an Associated Plan under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031.

$1.2 million towards a whole-of-government approach to reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practices, through establishing targets and performance indicators within the NDIS and developing a joint action plan with states and territories.

$4.4 million to ensure people with disability have access to consistent community visitor schemes as a safeguarding mechanism.

$12.1 million to amend the Migration Health Requirement to be fairer for children with disability who are born and living in Australia.

$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 and understanding of disability.

$0.5 million to apply a disability lens to the First Action Plan 2023‑2027 of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 to identify how each action in the First Action Plan will address the needs of women and girls with disability.

$0.25 million to ensure guidance materials for family, domestic and sexual violence front line services are accessible for women and girls with disability in Australia.

$1.25 million to expand the Safer Girls Safer Women project to support women, girls and gender diverse people with disability, through implementing best practice guidelines and learning resources and tools for workplaces for sexual health, respectful relationships and consent education.

Measures already announced in the 2024‑25 Budget

$227.6 million in additional funding to implement a new specialist disability employment program commencing 1 July 2025.

$23.3 million to establish a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence.

$2.6 million to continue the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline and Complaints Resolution and Referral Service.

For more information about the Australian Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission, visit www.dss.gov.au/DRC-Aus-Gov-Response

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can use the National Relay Service to contact any of the Department of Social Services listed phone numbers.

TTY users — phone 133 677 and ask for the phone number you wish to contact.

Speak and Listen users — phone 1300 555 727 and ask for the phone number you wish to contact.