Disability Royal Commission

Queensland Government Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with disability (Disability Royal Commission)

On 29 September 2023, the Australian Government tabled the Disability Royal Commission Final Report in the Australian Parliament.

The Final Report can be found at the following link: Final Report | Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.

The Disability Royal Commission’s extensive findings and recommendations call on all governments and the wider community to improve service systems, legislation and policies that contribute towards violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability. The Disability Royal Commission also recommended that the Australian Government and all state and territory governments each publish a written response to its final report.

The Queensland Government response to the Disability Royal Commission was published on 31 July 2024.

In 2020, the Queensland Government committed to consider all relevant recommendations from the Royal Commission and publicly report on acceptance and implementation of recommendations. This commitment reflects the government’s dedication to transparency and accountability to ensure better outcomes, greater inclusion and accessibility and strengthened protections for the one in five Queenslanders with disability.

The Queensland Government has taken time to carefully consider the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations and recognised the need for a cohesive policy approach to address the many intersections with recommendations from the Independent Review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS Review), released publicly in December 2023.

The Joint Australian, State and Territory Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission is available on the Department of Social Services website.

Queensland Disability Reform Framework – The Next Chapter

To drive long lasting and meaningful change, the Queensland Government has developed the Disability Reform Framework – The Next Chapter. The Framework will provide a cohesive and structured approach for considering disability reform in the context of the Queensland Government response to the Royal Commission, and initial response to the NDIS Review. Find out more about the Framework,

Queensland Government engagement with the Royal Commission

The Queensland Government actively engaged with the Royal Commission and responded to approximately 130 notices to produce information and appeared as a witness 27 times at seven public hearings.

In December 2022, to support the Royal Commission in its consideration and analysis, the Queensland Government provided a submission that sought to provide insight into Queensland’s unique geographical and social environment, and the services and approaches taken to provide high quality disability capable services that empower and support people with disability.