In April 2019, the Australian Government announced the establishment of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. In Australia, royal commissions are considered the highest form of inquiry on matters important to the public.

Sadly, there’s been inquiries and reports that have shown that people with disability are more likely to experience violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation than people without disability. A Royal Commission into these issues will help determine the best way to stop people with disability experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in the future.

Next steps

The Commission want to hear from the Australian Disability community about their experiences and will be holding a number of forums around the nation starting from this week. They’re currently accepting submissions from the public, with the first scheduled public hearing starting 18 February; examining issues relating to the provision of health care to people with disability.

Anna Robinson, Executive Director of Disability Services said: “Our vision is a just society where all Australians can live their best lives. As an organisation, we support the Royal Commission process and its intent to look at ways of making our society better for people with disability"

For more information about the Royal Commission, visit their website here.