Spinal Life Australia welcomes the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
For almost 60 years, our organisation has supported people with spinal cord damage to live accessible, equitable and empowered lives, including advocating for change on a local, state and national level.
This Royal Commission will enable people with disability to share their personal stories and inform the development of a more responsive, empowering and inclusive community for all Australians.
About the Royal Commission
In Australia, a Royal Commission is the highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance.
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability was established in April 2019, to investigate the issue and produce a report with recommendations to the government.
To gather information, community forums will be held across Australia for people to share their feedback and ideas. There will also be public and private hearings for the Disability Royal Commission to hear from people who have been asked by the Commissioners to give evidence. To find out when these are happening near you, click here.
Submissions can also be made directly to the Disability Royal Commission by filling in a form which is available online by clicking here and returning it via email, or making the submission over the phone.
For frequently asked questions about the Disability Royal Commission, click here.
Advocating for our members
Our experienced Advocacy team can help members to make submissions to the Disability Royal Commission. Alternatively, people wishing to lodge submissions can locate another provider using the Disability Advocacy Finder, or by contacting the Disability Royal Commission Hotline on 1800 517 199 or at DRCEnquiries@royalcommission.gov.au.
If you do not wish to make an individual submission but would like the opportunity to share your feedback, we will soon be sending out a short survey for members to complete. These results will be collated to provide an overall submission from our organisation to the Royal Commission.
National Legal Aid (NLA) together with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) is also providing a free, national legal advisory service as part of the Disability Royal Commission, by contacting 1800 771 800.
We are committed to continually improving the services we provide. If you wish to share feedback about Spinal Life Australia services directly with us, please click here.
Providing information on our services
We will be responding to any requests for information about Spinal Life and our services from the Disability Royal Commission, and fully support this process.
Our team is also attending community forums and public hearings, to hear more about the experiences of people with a disability and the Disability Royal Commission, and share feedback from our members and organisation.
Once recommendations are made by the Disability Royal Commission, we will be reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure they continue to meet best practice.
An interim report is expected to be released by 30 October 2020, and a final report by 29 April 2022.
To read the Disability Royal Commission’s Terms of Reference, find out more about making a submission, attend an event or subscribe to receive updates, visit disability.royalcommission.gov.au.
Aged Care Royal Commission continues
A separate Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety is ongoing, to make recommendations on what should be done to make aged care services better for people who need them now and in the future.
We are preparing a submission to the Aged Care Royal Commission, based on feedback obtained from members and clients who are over the age of 65, to ensure the aged care system provides an appropriate level of support for people with a physical disability.
To find out more about the Aged Care Royal Commission, visit agedcare.royalcommission.gov.au.
Media enquiries
For all media enquiries please contact our Media team on media@spinal.com.au or 0419 988 465.
If you need further support…
If you or anyone you know needs help, you can call services such as Lifeline (13 11 14), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) and the National Disability Abuse and Neglect Hotline (1800 880 052).
