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Ahead of the formal conclusion of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability in Sydney on 15th September 2023, the Greens are calling on the Albanese Government to commit to a clear action plan for achieving disability justice in Australia.

The Disability Royal Commission was established in 2019 after years of sustained pressure from the disability community and Senator Steele-John’s leadership in the Parliament.

Alongside the disability community, the Greens are urging the government to commit to resourcing the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

The Australian Greens are calling for three fundamental actions to end the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of disabled people.

Firstly, there is an urgent need for a dedicated, ongoing mechanism through which disabled people can continue to share their experiences with a body empowered to undertake investigations and make referrals to law enforcement.

Second, the government must establish a federal Minister for Disability. We must have someone focused solely on disability issues, and accountable to the disability community at the ballot box.

Third, collective liberation through an intersectional approach to disability justice must be prioritised across all policy areas. This includes raising the Disability Support Pension addressing its archaic partner laws, and ensuring the NDIS moves away from its exclusionary approach to psychosocial disability.

Lines attributable to Senator Jordon Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson on Disability Services, Health and Mental Health:

“The conclusion of the Disability Royal Commission marks a significant milestone for disabled people in this country.

“The disability community has done our bit, now it’s time for Federal and State Governments to do theirs.

“From the many years of tireless advocacy for its establishment to sharing some of the most harrowing experiences of their lives in submissions, the disability community has given so much to this Royal Commission.

“Though the Royal Commission is wrapping up, the work does not end there. In fact, it is really just beginning.

“The only acceptable response to the profound injustices uncovered by the Royal Commission is action. I urge the Albanese Government to prioritise transparency, accountability and justice to ensure the outcomes of this Royal Commission are not forgotten in the corridors of power.

“Reflecting on how far we’ve come together, I’m deeply proud of what we’ve achieved – for disabled people, by disabled people.

“We will be watching closely to ensure justice prevails. And that starts with the Government committing funding for the implementation of the recommendations.”

It has been reported that a staggering 23,000 submissions and comments have been made to the Albanese Government on Labor’s shocking Misinformation Bill. But none of that material has been released to the public, four weeks after submissions closed on August 20.

Shadow Communications Minister David Coleman has referred the Government’s long delays in releasing its Misinformation Bill submissions to the Federal Information Commissioner.

Originally the Government said the submissions would be released after August 20. It then said they would be released in early September. It is now September 15, and still no submissions have been released.

“There has clearly been a wave of opposition to this deeply flawed Misinformation Bill, but we still don’t know what is contained in these submissions. There is no excuse for the submissions still being secret,” Mr Coleman said.

Mr Coleman said he had written to the Information Commissioner to ask her to report on the Government’s failure to publish submissions on this important Bill.

The Australian Information Commissioner Act allows the Commissioner to report on the collection, use, disclosure, management, administration or storage of, or accessibility to, information held by the Government.

In his letter to the Information Commissioner, Mr Coleman wrote:

I am concerned about the Government’s handling of information related to public submissions on the Misinformation Bill. In my view, the conduct of the Government in relation to this matter clearly triggers the provisions of s.7 (a)(i), and should be a matter that your office investigates.

“It is clearly in the public interest for these submissions to be released, so that everyone can understand the views of Australians on this critical issue.”

The Senate inquiry investigating Australia’s preparedness to host Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games handed down their interim report in the Senate today, revealing para-athletes’ pathway to Paris 2028 Olympics has been destroyed and local communities have been ignored by federal and state Labor governments.

Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Senator Bridget McKenzie said it was clear that state and federal Labor governments had not meaningfully engaged with local communities.

Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Senator Bridget McKenzie said it was clear that State and Federal Governments had thrown into doubt the planning, timeline and scope of infrastructure promised to Victorian communities.

“In Victoria, the missed opportunities of the Commonwealth Games have been devastating,” Senator McKenzie said.

“The inquiry heard from some incredibly brave witnesses in Victoria who gave evidence that the Andrews Labor Government had failed to ask them what infrastructure and planning their communities needed, with some stating they felt ignored by a city-centric Government.

“In Queensland, the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s Gabba Redevelopment has left the local community feeling left out of the decision making process and concerned for the future.

“The hosting of Commonwealth and Olympic Games must be for the Australian communities it represents, and not for the government of the day’s pet projects.”

Shadow Minister for Sport Senator Anne Ruston said the inquiry exposed the exceptional disadvantage that the cancellation of the 2026 Victorian Commonwealth Games has created for our athletes, and particularly our para-athletes.

“This Inquiry has been fundamental in providing athletes, sporting bodies and communities with a voice following the incredibly disappointing cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games,” Senator Ruston said.

“As the CEO of Paralympics Australia testified, the Commonwealth Games are critical for para-athletes to classify for other major international sporting events – You can’t be what you can’t see, and the cancellation of 2026 has created a significant missed opportunity to inspire and encourage Australians living with disability.

“Instead of standing up for our hardworking athletes and para-athletes, the Albanese Labor Government has stuck its head in the sand. It was astounding to hear that the Minister for Sport has not reached out to Commonwealth Games Australia, even following community momentum towards an Australian solution.”

Chair of the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee, Senator Matthew Canavan said Dan Andrews’ cancellation of the Commonwealth Games was not the Federal Government’s fault but with Australia’s reputation on the line the Australian Government should try to help fix it.

“It is shocking that we are seeing more proactivity from the Gold Coast Mayor than the Federal Government to try to find a solution. The least the Federal Government could do is meet with local and state governments and see what can be done,” Senator Canavan said.

“The Commonwealth Games is of special importance to Pacific Island nations so we should do everything we can to keep the Commonwealth Games in Australia. We should not die wondering on this.

“The Queensland Government needs to do a better job to bring local communities on side with the Games. It would not be a good outcome to have local communities protesting while the Games are on. We have 9 years to build a strong partnership with these communities so there should be no excuses not to make sure all Queenslanders support the Games.”

The report also found that the Victorian Government actively worked to hinder the inquiry and the engagement of other witnesses after the Government declined to participate.

The final report for the Inquiry is due on December 6, 2023.

A link to the interim report can be found here:https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Tabled_Documents/3420