How was Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 developed?
Public consultations and a number of major reviews were done over three years so people with disability could have a say on creating the Strategy.
Public consultations on the Strategy
Stage one public consultations started in 2019. Around 3,000 people with disability, their families and carers, advocacy organisations, peak bodies and service providers were consulted. This included face-to-face community workshops, a public survey and an online forum, as well as targeted consultations for and led by First Nations people.
Stage two public consultations were held in 2020 and included a Position Paper outlining how all levels of government would take forward the new Strategy. The Position Paper was endorsed by Australian, state and territory disability ministers. The public could comment on the Position Paper. Other activities included a series of collaborative workshops, focus groups, targeted consultations with First Nations people with disability and a webinar run by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Read the stage two (2020) consultation reports
A paper on the Outcomes Framework was made available for public comment in late 2020. The Outcomes Framework will track improvements against the Strategy’s seven Outcome Areas.
Key reviews that informed the Strategy
Development of the Strategy was guided by a number of reviews and inquiries that looked at how the original National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 was implemented. The key reviews were:
- the Senate Inquiry report, Delivery of outcomes under the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 to build inclusive and accessible communities (2017)
- the Social Policy Research Centre's Review of implementation of the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 (2019)
- the Productivity Commission, Review of the National Disability Agreement (2019)
- Australia's submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Combined second and third periodic reports submitted by Australia under article 35 of the Convention, due in 2018 (2018)
- Australian Civil Society Shadow Report to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Disability Rights Now 2019: Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (2019)
- United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' Concluding observations on the combined second and third periodic reports of Australia (2019).
Consultation with the disability sector
A National Disability Strategy Reform Steering Group made up of sector experts was set up to provide advice and guide development of the Strategy. The non-government members of the Steering Group are listed below.
| Name | Position | Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Ben Gauntlett | Disability Discrimination Commissioner | Australian Human Rights Commission |
| Carolyn Frohmader | Chief Executive Officer | Women with Disabilities Australia |
| Damian Griffis | Chief Executive Officer | First Peoples Disability Network |
| Donna Bain | General Manager | Self Help Workplace |
| Dwayne Cranfield | Chief Executive Officer | National Ethnic Disability Alliance |
| Giancarlo de Vera | Senior Policy Officer | People with Disability Australia |
| Jennifer Cullen | Chief Executive Officer | Synapse |
| Liz Reid | President | Australian Federation of Disability Organisations |
| Mary Mallett | Chief Executive Officer | Disability Advocacy Network Australia |
| Mary Sayers | Chief Executive Officer | Children and Young People with Disability Australia |
| Teresa Pilbeam | Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Supports Lead | Autism Queensland Limited |
Regular discussions were held with Disability Representative Organisations. Disability Representative Organisations are funded by the government to provide systemic advocacy and representation for people with disability. They were able to share the views of many people with disability.
A wide range of other stakeholders were also engaged including state and territory disability advisory groups, and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Independent Advisory Council.
Learn more about Disability Representative Organisations
Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
The Disability Royal Commission was established in April 2019 in response to community concern about reports of violence against, and the neglect, abuse and exploitation of, people with disability. The Royal Commission will make recommendations in September 2023 about what should change. We will look at these recommendations and see if the Strategy needs to change.