In 2020 the Disability Royal Commission released an issues paper on Promoting Inclusion. The issues paper asked 9 questions asking the public to share their views about what an inclusive society looks like, the barriers to inclusion, how we can become a more inclusive society, and how inclusion might prevent violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

You can read and download the issues paper on the Royal Commission website.

WWDA has now submitted a response to the issues paper. WWDA’s submission outlines that in order to support the full inclusion of women, girls, feminine identifying and non-binary people with disability, the Australian Government must take immediate action to:

  1. Ensure that all public institutions, facilities and services are accessible to and inclusive of all people with disability, regardless of their disability type, gender, gender identity, sexuality, location, culture, race or Indigeneity; 
  2. Undertake the necessary reforms to ensure that, consistent with CRPD Article 12, substitute decision-making regimes are replaced by supported decision-making mechanisms, including through the development of a national supported decision-making framework;
  3. Consistent with the CRPD, and reflecting recommendations to Australia from international human rights treaty monitoring bodies, initiate and undertake the structural and systemic reforms necessary to dismantle the laws, policies and practice frameworks that enable and foster the segregation of people with disability.

For a more in-depth analysis on the issues raised in this letter, WWDA respectfully requests the Royal Commission to refer to the following papers:

Download WWDA’s submission: