Over 4.5 years the Disability Royal Commission had 32 public hearings, 1785 private sessions, 7944 submissions, 28 research reports and 837 witnesses.
From this extensive work and effort, 4872 pages were submitted in the final report collated in 12 volumes, culminating in 222 recommendations – of which 7 involved a split.
This critical inquiry has been a beacon of hope for our community, shedding light on the challenges, barriers and injustices faced by individuals with disabilities.
PDA firmly urges the federal government to wholeheartedly acknowledge and implement all recommendations resulting from the Royal Commission into Violence Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
PDA is working with AFDO and our Disability Australia National Peaks Consortium partners to lobby all levels of government to implement all recommendations in the shortest possible timeframes. PDA will also be providing a submission to the soon-to-be-opened consultation on the Federal Government’s response to the DRC (https://engage.dss.gov.au/drcausgovresponse/).
To read the Report, go to:
https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report
Background
The Disability Royal Commission (DRC) was established in April 2019 in response to persistent community calls for an investigation of violence against, and the neglect, abuse and exploitation of, people with disability. Incidents of this nature have been occurring for a long time and continue today.The DRC will investigate:
- How to prevent and better protect people with disability from experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation
- What is best practice in reporting, investigating and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability
- How to create a more inclusive society that supports people with disability to be independent and live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The DRC Journey
The DRC held a number of Public Hearings around Australia on various settings in which people with disability may have been subjected to mistreatment.
The DRC also collected evidence through responses to Issues Papers that it had published. Issues Papers included:
- The experiences of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) People with Disability
- Promoting Inclusion
- Violence and Abuse of People with Disability at Home
- Safeguards and Quality
- First Nations People with Disability
- Restrictive Practices
- Employment
- Rights and Attitudes
- Emergency Planning and Response
- Criminal Justice System
- Healthcare for People with Cognitive Disability
- Group Homes
- Education and Learning
What Reports Were Made?
The Commission produced a range of progress reports. Some were general and others directed specifically to state government departments.
How We Were Able To Tell Our Stories
There were 2 main ways that we could tell our stories about Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation. Submissions were made in writing, by phone, by a video or audio recording or by attending a private session.
In these submissions details were provided on:
- What happened?
- Whether incidents were shared with anybody about what happened?
- Whether they did anything about it?
- Whether you received any support?
- What you wanted to change about the systems that let this happen to you?
- Anything else that you wanted the Commission to know?
- Any messages you had for the rest of Australia?
Private Sessions allowed you to tell your story directly to one of the Commissioners in a confidential setting. Your identity, and anything you told the Commissioner in the lead-up to and during a private session was protected from disclosure by law. Now, on completion of the DRC, your information remains protected – except in very specific circumstances related to offences against an Australian law and where the DRC considered it appropriate to communicate it to a law enforcement agency