Australians with disabilities will have greater protection from discrimination and increased job access, the federal government has pledged in its long-awaited response to the disability royal commission.
While the Commonwealth has said it would enact large amounts of the recommendations from the commission, only a fraction would be implemented in full.
A final decision was also not made on whether to implement some of the more contentious of the 222 total recommendations from the royal commission’s final report, such as phasing out segregated schools and group homes.
Of the 172 recommendations where the federal government has full or joint responsibility, only 13 were accepted in full, while 130 were accepted in principle.
It is still considering 36 recommendations – the federal government has noted six – with the remaining recommendations in the hands of states and territories.
The government has outlined $371 million in measures to implement its response to the commission, spearheaded by a specialist disability employment program.
The program, which will start by July 2025, follow calls by the commission to improve job opportunities and will have $227.6 million set aside for its establishment, while a disability employment centre of excellence will also be created.
The government has agreed to the royal commission’s call to modernise disability discrimination laws, which have not been updated since 2009.
Almost $40 million has also been set aside to set up a disability advocacy program to bring together different support services.
As well, all jurisdictions, including states and territories, have agreed to review Australia’s disability strategy.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government was committed to putting in place steps recommended by the royal commission.
“Progressing the work arising from the disability royal commission will take time, and our government will be taking a phased approach to implementing our response,” she told reporters in Sydney.
“We are absolutely committed to continuing this work in order to sustain long-term, meaningful change for people with disability.”
Safeguarding mechanisms will also be put in place, with a further $15.6 million to unify arrangements for people with disabilities across Australia.
National approaches to accessible information, such as Auslan, will also be improved for people with disabilities, with $12.3 million to go towards the strategy.
Among the more contentious elements of the royal commission’s report were calls for special schools or segregated education to be phased out, with no new classes being included from 2025.
Those recommendations were only agreed to by some of the royal commissioners.
In its response, the federal government only noted the recommendations, while saying states and territories would continue to be responsible for education systems.
The government said calls to raise the minimum wage for people with disabilities would be considered.
“The Australian government requires further consultation with a range of stakeholders before committing to broad reform for supported employee wages,” the response said.
Commissioners were split in the final report on whether group homes for people with disabilities should be phased out, with the government saying those calls needed further consultation.
Progress on implementing the recommendations will be reported every six months to a ministerial council.
About one in five Australians, or 4.4 million people, identify as having a disability, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
More than 10,000 stories were heard by the disability royal commission over four years of hearings and private submissions.
In a joint statement, federal, state and territory disability ministers said they would work closely on carrying out the recommendations.,
“We will work together with the disability community to implement reforms that strengthen safeguards, protect the rights of people with disability, and remove barriers to their full participation in society,” the statement said.
“The reforms will prioritise improving inclusion and accessibility for all people with disability.”
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