Key PointsThe final report of the Disability Royal Commission will be made public on Friday. Thousands of Australians gave evidence to the inquiry via written submissions, private sessions and public hearings.People shared experiences of violence, abuse, and systemic failures, and advocates are calling for legal changes.
This article contains references to domestic violence and child abuse.
When Nicole Lee sought help for domestic violence and sexual violence at the hands of her former partner, who was also her carer, she needed support.
Instead, Lee – who has physical and psychosocial disabilities – says she was discredited, not listened to, and repeatedly failed by the systems that should have protected her.
She told SBS News women with disabilities are often not believed or have their disability used against them
.
“Not being believed in courtrooms, I think is a really huge systemic failure,” she said.
“How all those stigmas and stereotypes of a victim of violence and how mental health gets used to discredit us is something that I see as a major failure for women with psychosocial disability and intellectual disabilities as well.
“And it means that we don’t get justice. Justice pathways are not safe for us.”
Lee gave testimony about her experience in a public hearing as part of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, which has taken almost four and a half years.
On Friday, the report will be released to the public, along with a series of recommendations.
Lee, who is also president of advocacy organisation People with Disability Australia, said she hopes the report will pave the way for changes in attitudes toward disability and help put an end to segregation, violence and bullying.
“This royal commission really should be shining a light on … what our lives have been like for so long,” she said.
“(I hope) people will get angry, that people will be outraged, and that they will get behind us in the call around ending segregation, ending the violence, and ending calling for an end to the ways in which we are abused and exploited, and wanting to see that change for future generations just like we do.”
What is the Disability Royal Commission?
The royal commission heard evidence from more than 10,000 Australians through written submissions, private sessions and public hearings.
People shared experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The royal commission was established in 2019, and has held 32 public hearings with evidence from 837 witnesses and received 7,944 submissions from people with disability and their family members.
The commissioners delivered the report on Thursday to David Hurley at Government House in Canberra, where it will be passed to the federal government and tabled in parliament.
What happens after the Disability Royal Commission?
The final report will recommend ways to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to support people with disability to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, who led the campaign to establish the Disability Royal Commission, called on the government to commit to resourcing the royal commission’s recommendations.
Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John has called on the government commit to a clear action plan and funding to achieve disability justice in Australia Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
“We’ve shared our experiences, our darkest moments with the commission, all with the intention of improving the lives of millions of disabled Australians,” he said.
“With no government funding committed towards the implementation of the Disability Royal Commission recommendations, we are all holding our breath and expecting our governments to answer our calls for change.”
People with Disability Australia is calling for a national legislative framework to support disability rights consistently across the country, and an independent national oversight body to hold those in power to account.
Disability advocate Sam Connor told SBS News people with disability are often erased, “segregated, discriminated against, and regarded as commodities”.
Connor is autistic, has ADHD, Limb–girdle muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.
Connor is also a survivor of child sexual abuse and domestic and family violence, and has experienced homelessness and lived in refuges.
She said she has consistently struggled to get adequate care and support.
“I told the NDIS that I was planning to leave (an unsafe situation) and their solution to keeping me safe … was to say that maybe my children could teach me how to use the train,” she said.
“I know how to use the train. I actually needed to have a plan, I needed to get linked up with some services and I needed people to help me in having a way to get to the train station away to get all of my gear out.
“And consequently, I ended up living in homelessness because of not having those supports around me.”
Connor believes ending segregation and introducing measures to better meet support needs with help ensure a better future for disabled Australians.
“The only thing that brings about change is when people in the world have people with disability, working, living and playing along them,” she said.
“I hope that the recommendations are what we want, what we need, and I hope there’s a really gutsy strong approach from government. And also that there’s a bipartisan commitment from governments that they all commit to upholding the recommendations.”
– With additional reporting by AAP
If you or someone you know is impacted by family and domestic violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit
. In an emergency, call 000.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at
and
.
Anyone seeking information or support relating to sexual abuse can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.
Support for people experiencing homelessness can be found at
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