Government has responded to the Disability Royal Commission

The Federal Government and state and territory governments have released their long-awaited response to the findings of the Disability Royal Commission. 

There are only a small number of items that were accepted, and they are mainly around employment. Most of the findings are “Accepted in Principle”. This generally means that they agree with the idea behind the finding, but more work is needed to sort it out. 

There is a lot of detail in the report, but some key points are:

General Updates:

• The government is currently reviewing the Australian Human Rights framework, including laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities. This review will also consider setting up a National Disability Commission, which would focus specifically on disability issues. New powers under the Disability Services & Inclusion Act are being looked at, and there will soon be a review of the Disability Discrimination Act to make these laws even stronger.

• An updated Australian Disability Strategy is in the works, with a commitment to review other national strategies to ensure they align with this new strategy. This will help improve support and inclusion for people with disability across the country.

• The government is dedicated to making disability advocacy services more accessible and consistent. They are investing $40 million to create a more streamlined and effective system that will provide ongoing support to individuals with disabilities.

General Services:

• On discrimination in education, the government recognises that progress has been made and is committed to working together with others to continue improving. They also acknowledge the need for new Disability Standards for Education, which are planned for 2025.

• Regarding segregated education, the government has acknowledged this issue but left it up to individual states to decide what’s best for their schools. They emphasise the importance of giving parents choices when it comes to their children’s education.

• The government has agreed to make changes to the Disability Employment Services model, including removing the requirement for individuals to work a minimum of 8 hours to access these services.

• They are also committed to preventing conflicts of interest in support coordination and are considering the best approach to ensure support coordination is independent.

• A national registration scheme for disability support workers is being considered, but the government is waiting for a report from the NDIS Provider [MM1] [AV2] and Worker Registration Taskforce before making any decisions.

Disability Housing:

• The government agrees in principle to separate the providers of Supported Independent Living and Specialist Disability Accommodation. They are also showing more commitment to providing active support for people in these settings.

• When it comes to ending the funding of group homes, the government sees the value in this and has already started moving away from funding large, 11-bed properties. However, they emphasise the importance of providing people with choices in where they live.

• The government agrees in principle to improving the housing options available to people with disability, including looking at housing stock and funding methods. However, the details will be addressed in the ongoing NDIS review.

• While the government agrees in principle to provide advocacy for people in supported accommodation, they also note that advocacy support is already available. They are committed to ensuring that this support continues and improves.

We’ll keep you updated as these changes develop. Staying informed is important so we can all understand how these changes will impact people with disability.