Parenting is a fundamental and ordinary part of daily life for millions of Australians, and all parents need and benefit from formal and informal support at different times. Yet The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (the Disability Royal Commission) heard copious evidence about the systemic failings, widespread discrimination and stigma, and lack of adequate or appropriate supports that deny many parents with disability the right to care for their children.
During the Disability Royal Commission, advocates in almost every jurisdiction reported multiple cases of child protection taking the children of people with disabilities without proper and verifiable evidence of risk. For those parents, the barriers to an inclusive life are even greater, and the inequities described above even more deeply entrenched. Despite the significant body of evidence heard by the Disability Royal Commission—including research commissioned through its own research program—the only recommendations put forward in its Final Report were framed specifically in relation to the experiences of First Nations people with disability.
We support those recommendations in full and firmly believe they need to be implemented by the Australian government as a matter of priority. However, we believe that significant gaps remain. Given the evidence presented in this submission, wider law, policy, practice and funding reforms that include all parents with an intellectual disability are necessary.
