'Kick in the guts': shock at disability report response
Thousands of people with disability have spent four years telling their stories, hoping to spark change.
But the government's response to their testimony fails to match the scale of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation these Australians experience every day, disability groups say.
The federal government on Wednesday outlined the steps it will take to address the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission, 10 months after the final report was published.
Of the 222 recommendations, the Commonwealth has full or joint responsibility of 172.
While 130 were accepted "in principle", only 13 of the suggestions were accepted in full.
About one in five Australians, or 4.4 million people, identify as having a disability, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
People with Disability Australia's interim president Marayke Jonkers said the response was a "kick in the guts".
"Today is really devastating, disappointing and quite a shock for people with disability," she told AAP.
"We really poured our hearts out and relived very traumatising things to fill three volumes of this commission and we did that to make meaningful change.
"But we don't have certainty on if, and how, that will happen."
The recommendations are a broad and comprehensive list of ways to end harm for people living with disability, which means the government cannot "cherry-pick" from the list, Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion chief executive Matilda Alexander said.
"Those recommendations build a picture of an inclusive society for all of us," she told AAP.
"So if you do one bit of the picture without doing the rest, you're going to fail."
The government is still considering 36 recommendations - and has noted six - with the others in the hands of states and territories.
The government has outlined $371 million in measures to implement its response to the commission.
It is spearheaded by a specialist disability employment program which will start by July 2025, following calls by the commission to improve job opportunities.
The government has allocated $227.6 million to set up the program.
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 been set aside to establish a disability advocacy program to bring together different support services.
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," she told reporters in Sydney.
Safeguarding mechanisms will also be put in place, with $15.6 million to unify arrangements for people with disabilities across Australia.
National approaches to accessible information, such as Auslan, will be improved.
The government has said it will consider calls to raise the minimum wage for people with disabilities.
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.
Federal, state and territory disability ministers said they would work closely on carrying out the recommendations.
"The reforms will prioritise improving inclusion and accessibility for all people with disability," they said in a joint statement.
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