Australian Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability

Summary

The Australian Disability Royal Commission was established in April 2019 in response to community concern about widespread reports of violence against, and the neglect, abuse and exploitation of, people with disability. These incidents might have happened recently or a long time ago.

The Disability Royal Commission will investigate:

• preventing and better protecting people with disability from experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
• achieving best practice in reporting, investigating and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability.
• promoting a more inclusive society that supports people with disability to be independent and live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The Disability Royal Commission gathers information through research, public hearings, the personal experiences people tell us about and submissions, private sessions, and other forums. It will deliver a final report to the Australian Government by 29 September 2023.

Content

• The Disability Royal Commission publishes progress reports at intervals of approximately six months. The reports are primarily intended to provide a brief account of the Royal Commission’s activities over the preceding half-year period.
• The Interim Report was published on 30 October 2020. It sets out what the Royal Commission has done in its first 15 months. The report says people with disability experience attitudinal, environmental, institutional and communication barriers to achieving inclusion within Australian society. It shows that a great deal needs to be done to ensure that the human rights of people with disability are respected and that Australia becomes a truly inclusive society.
• Private sessions factsheet: Over the course of the Royal Commission, almost 10,000 people shared their experience of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation by making a submission or participating in a private session.