Disability Royal Commission

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability

About the Disability Royal Commission

In April 2019, the Prime Minister announced that there would be a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with a disability.

The Royal Commission will go for 5 years. The Royal Commission is led by seven Commissioners. More information about the Commissioners is available here.

The Disability Royal Commission’s Terms of Reference cover what should be done to:

prevent, and better protect, people with disability from experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation
achieve best practice in reporting and investigating of, and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation
promote a more inclusive society that supports the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The Terms of Reference are available here.

How can people with disability be involved in the Disability Royal Commission?

The Disability Royal Commission wants to hear from Australians with disability about their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. There are a number of ways that people can tell their story to the Royal Commission. This can be through:

attending a Community Forum
attending a Hearing
writing your story (putting in a submission)
sending an email to the Commission, or ringing the Commission and telling your story.

People can contact the Royal Commission with questions, or visit their website at disability.royalcommission.gov.au which includes a Questions and answers page.

At the end of the Disability Royal Commission the Commission will present a full report with recommendations to prevent and better protect people with a disability from experiencing violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Do you have a story to share?

Your story about violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation could help the Royal Commission to stop it from happening again.

Down Syndrome Australia’s role

Down Syndrome Australia’s role through the Royal Commission will be to:

Develop submissions on issue papers that the Disability Royal Commission release that are relevant for people with Down syndrome and the community
Provide and share information about the Commission to people with Down syndrome and their families
Provide information to people with Down syndrome and their families about the support services available to those who want to share their story

Our Submissions to the Disability Royal Commission

News and events from the Disability Royal Commission

The Disability Royal Commission hosts a number of events, forums and hearings. Find out more about Royal Commission news, events and how to get involved.