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It has been three years since the Disability Royal Commission delivered 222 recommendations to address violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability; Australians are still waiting for evidence that governments are delivering the systemic change they promised.
The Disability Royal Commission heard from almost 10,000 people. Many shared deeply personal experiences with the expectation that their stories would lead to meaningful reform. While governments have accepted many of the Commission’s recommendations, progress remains difficult to track and independent accountability remains absent.
Physical Disability Australia is a key member of a national coalition of Disability Advocacy and Representative Organisations who have worked to provide an independent assessment of progress. The questions is simple, of the ten key recommendations accepted by governments, has real change occurred?
The ten recommendations were selected because they reflect issues consistently raised by people with disability and our member organisations. They cover disability rights and leadership, supported decision-making, inclusive education, advocacy, restrictive practices, domestic and family violence prevention, First Nations inclusion, NDIS safeguards and government accountability.
To assess progress, the coalition has applied a simple rating system based on publicly available government information and measure not only whether activity has occurred, but whether that activity aligns with the intent of the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations.
This should not be difficult to track. Australians should be able to clearly see what has been done, what has not been done, and who is responsible. Yet one of the Royal Commission’s key recommendations, the creation of an independent disability-led body to monitor implementation and publicly report on progress, remains unimplemented.
View short version Report Card (Accessible PDF)
View detailed version Report Card (Word Doc)
“The Disability Royal Commission still matters. The people who shared their stories still matter. And the recommendations still matter.”
Suzanne Gearing, Chief Executive Officer of Physical Disability Australia
