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

NSW Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission

On 31 July 2024, the NSW Government responded to the final report of the Disability Royal Commission. The NSW Government response sets out a broad disability reform agenda for NSW that cuts across the Disability Royal Commission final report and the NDIS Review report. The response was developed through close national collaboration and consultation with people with disability.

The response includes the NSW Government’s positions on each of the Disability Royal Commission final report recommendations, along with an initial implementation plan for the first year. Also provided is a summary of stakeholder engagement to inform the response.

You can find the NSW Government response: https://dcj.nsw.gov.au//drc-nsw-response.html

Stakeholder consultation

The NSW Government held three public stakeholder forums and a public submission process. We heard directly from people with disability and the broader community on reform proposals, and how we can achieve the best outcomes for people with disability.

  •  The Department of Communities and Justice and the Disability Council NSW co-convened an initial forum with stakeholders on 23 October 2023. You can read the communique here (PDF, 147.3 KB).
  • A second forum on 1 February 2024, run in partnership with Peoples Disability Network, was an opportunity to give voice to First Nations stakeholders’ views of the recommendations. You can read the communique here (PDF, 335.1 KB).
  • The third forum on 3 June 2024 was held to consider in greater detail recommendations on justice, child protection, housing and homelessness. You can read the communique here (PDF, 152.3 KB).

Since the release of the NSW Government response to the final report of the Disability Royal Commission, we have held two stakeholder forums to inform implementation of recommendations:

  • The NSW Department of Education hosted a Disability Royal Commission Education Roundtable with key stakeholders on 5 September 2024.
  • On 3 October 2024 the Department of Communities and Justice held a forum to help inform development of the next 4 year NSW Disability Inclusion Plan.

About the Disability Royal Commission

The 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.

The Disability Royal Commission investigated:

  • 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.

In December 2022, the NSW Government provided a whole of government NSW Government Submission to the Disability Royal Commission.

The NSW Government supported the establishment of the Disability Royal Commission and has responded to its final report.

On 29 September 2023, the Disability Royal Commission released its Final Report. The final report has 12 volumes plus an additional introductory volume. It is available in Easy Read and Auslan.

The final report makes 222 recommendations covering a wide range of issues and systems to strengthen the rights and inclusion of people with disability.

Progress reporting

On 23 December 2024, the National Interim Update 2024 was released providing a snapshot of some key areas of progress in response to the Disability Royal Commission. NSW provided an update on our work in the areas of disability advocacy, school enrolment and disability inclusion.

You can find the update on the Department of Social Services website. The update includes select examples from each jurisdiction.

Biannual reporting against all 222 Disability Royal Commission recommendations will commence from June 2025.

Support

You can contact the National Counselling and Referral Service for counselling support, or to be referred to an independent advocate, legal service, or other support services. The number to call is 1800 421 468 or (02) 6146 1468. The service is available 9am–6pm AEDT weekdays and 9am–5pm AEDT weekends.

Contact

If you have a question about the NSW Government response to the Disability Royal Commission, please email DisabilityReform@dcj.nsw.gov.au  

Last updated:

21 Jan 2025