Tasmanian Response to Disability Royal Commission

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Tasmanian Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission)

The Tasmanian Government thanks Tasmanians with disability, their families, carers, friends, advocates and support providers for sharing their stories with the Disability Royal Commission.

We recognise your courage in sharing with us ways we can do better.

The most important thing is to make Tasmania a safe place for everyone, where people with disability live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

We are already doing some work to make that happen. We explain some of this work in the papers below.

The Tasmanian Government Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability lists all 222 recommendations made by the Royal Commission and the Tasmanian Government responses to them.

Tasmanian Response Document

Tasmanian Response Document Accessible

Summary of the Tasmanian Response to the Disability Royal Commission

The Summary of the Tasmanian Response to the Disability Royal Commission:

• is a summary of the Tasmanian Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability
• shares our commitment to making Tasmania a place where people with disability have the same choices as everyone else about the way they live and are part of the community.

Summary Document

Summary Document Accessible

Easy Read (with pictures) Summary Document

Easy Read (text only) Summary Document

An Auslan video of the Summary

Next Steps

We used what people told the Disability Royal Commission to write our response.

We will continue to ask people with disability what is important to them in responding to the Disability Royal Commission recommendations.

Contact: disability@dpac.tas.gov.au

Joint Responses to the Disability Royal Commission

Some of the recommendations the Disability Royal Commission made need to be responded to by both the Australian Government and state and territory governments. We call these joint responses.

We have included the joint responses in our Tasmanian Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, but the formal Joint Australian, State and Territory Response to the Disability Royal Commission is also available at www.dss.gov.au/DRC-Joint-Response

Australian Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission

Some of the recommendations the Royal Commission made need to be responded to by just the Australian Government, or the Australian Government and non-Government organisations.

The Australian Government response to the Disability Royal Commission is available at www.dss.gov.au/DRC-Aus-Gov-Response

Reporting

On 23 December 2024, the National Interim Update 2024: Government Response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (National Interim Update 2024) was released.  This National Interim Update 2024 provides a snapshot of some of the key areas of progress in responding to Disability Royal Commission recommendations. The National Interim Update 2024 is available on the Australian Government's Department of Social Services website

In 2025, six-monthly Disability Royal Commission reports will start being released. These bi-annual reports will share governments’ progress in responding to the Disability Royal Commission recommendations.

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. These incidents might have happened recently or a long time ago.

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.

More information about the Disability Royal Commission is available on the Disability Royal Commission website.

The Disability Royal Commission handed their Final Report to the Governor of Tasmania on 29 September 2023.

The Final Report has 12 Volumes and an introduction, which includes the Disability Royal Commission Chair’s foreword, the Disability Royal Commission’s vision for an inclusive Australia, an executive summary and the full list of recommendations.

The 12 Volumes of the Final Report are:

1. Voices of People with Disability
2. About the Royal Commission
3. Nature and extent of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation
4. Realising the human rights of people with disability
5. Governing for inclusion
6. Enabling autonomy and access
7. Inclusion education, employment and housing
8. Criminal justice and people with disability
9. First Nations people with disability
10. Disability Services
11. Independent oversight and complaint mechanisms
12. Beyond the Royal Commission

All volumes of the Final Report are available in various accessible formats on the Disability Royal Commission website.

Support

Beyond Blue Support Service – phone 1300 224 636, webchat or email (24 hours/7 days) for free, immediate, short-term counselling, advice and referral services.

Lifeline Crisis Support – phone 13 11 14 (24 hours/7 days) or chat to a crisis supporter online (7pm – midnight/7 nights).

This is a confidential service providing you with support for when you feel overwhelmed, for when you have difficulty coping, or are thinking about suicide.

1800Respect – phone 1800 737 732

Open 24 hours to support people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse.

Blue Knot - phone 1800 421 468

Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm AEST/AEDT and Saturday, Sunday and public holidays between 9am and 5pm AEST/AEDT. Provides information and support for anyone who is affected by complex trauma. Complex trauma is repeated, ongoing, and often extreme interpersonal trauma (between people) – violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation experienced as a child, young person and adult.

The Disability Gateway - phone 1800 643 787

Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm AEDT / AEST. Information and services to help people with disability, their family, friends and carers, to find the support they need in Australia.