2026 South Australian State Election

Critical need to invest in independent advocacy

Independent disability advocacy services are critically important for safeguarding South Australians with disability from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. They also play an essential role in enabling people with disability to live meaningful lives in our community. Yet, South Australia is the only state or territory where the State Government fails to meet its responsibility to fund independent disability advocacy services.

JFA Purple Orange is calling on all parties and candidates in the 2026 State Election to commit to investing in independent disability advocacy services in South Australia via a long-term and stable funding model.

It is extremely disappointing that the clear recommendation of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability (DRC) for this investment continues to be ignored. Recommendation 6.21 states that “state and territory governments should ensure long term and stable funding for disability advocacy programs in their jurisdictions to meet demand.” The DRC recognised that all people with disability should have access to high-quality and well-resourced advocacy services and that there is significant unmet demand.

Other states have responded to this recommendation by increasing their investments (1) while the South Australian Government continues to evade its longstanding responsibility (2) to provide joint funding alongside the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, this has been the record of successive South Australian governments, with the exception of a small investment (3) made when the horrific death of Ann Marie Smith put the issue firmly in the public spotlight. (4)

What is urgently needed

JFA Purple Orange strongly endorses the adoption of a funding approach based on the New South Wales Government’s Disability Advocacy Futures Program (DAFP), which arose from an extensive 2019 review by that state’s then Ageing and Disability Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald. The model covers three core streams: Independent Individual Disability Advocacy (5), Independent Systemic Disability Advocacy (6), and Independent Representative Disability Advocacy (for membership or peer organisations) (7).

In NSW, the annual funding amount is $14 million (8), with half the funding provided to Independent Individual Disability Advocacy and a quarter for each of the other two streams. JFA Purple Orange has modelled (9) a proportionate South Australian program at $3.4 million per year in 2025-26 – a very modest investment given the life-changing – and potentially life-saving – benefits it will have. The program should include specialist services for people with disability from First Nations communities and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as those with complex communication needs and those residing in institutional care and aged care facilities.

This is a sensible initial approach that would be quick and easy to establish across all regions of South Australia. Then, with robust data collection – another DRC recommendation – the roll out can be monitored for met and unmet need and adjusted accordingly.

Why it is urgently needed

South Australians with disability need access to high-quality, well-resourced, independent advocacy services. The value of these services cannot be overstated, including that they:

play a significant role in preventing violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation;
support people to access and use mainstream services;
address the issues raised by the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence, including ensuring services are accessible and inclusive for everyone;
are cost-effective and efficient in resolving issues in a timely way before they escalate;
act without any conflicts of interest due to their independence from other service providers;
enable greater opportunities for people with disability to live active and valued lives in the community, including increasing their economic, social, and cultural participation; and
have a positive effect in supporting families and providing communities with confidence that people will be supported across a broad range of matters when they need it.

Key question

Do you commit to making (or advocating for) a State Government investment in independent individual, systemic, and representative disability advocacy in South Australia with priority given to rolling out independent individual advocacy services immediately?

Contact

For further information, please contact Selena Maddeford, Manager – Policy and Projects, on 08 8373 8394 or selenam@purpleorange.org.au.

Notes

1 For example, the Queensland Government responded to the DRC recommendation by committing an additional $1.6 million over 17 months to its existing program of $4 million per year. For further information, visit https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/99665#.

2 The first Commonwealth-State Disability Agreement gave both the federal and state and territory governments joint responsibility to fund disability advocacy in 1991. Although some confusion emerged during the transition to the NDIS, Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, which South Australia is a signatory to, clearly lists individual and systemic disability advocacy services as a shared funding responsibility (page 68). South Australia is the only jurisdiction that is out of step with this position.

3 In September 2020, the South Australian Government announced $1.2 million over three years for a state-wide advocacy service. Uniting Communities Law Centre was the successful tenderer and began operating the service in December 2020. At just $400,000 per year, the funding fell far short of meeting the need and it was especially difficult for people in regional areas to access the service. The funding was not renewed, leaving South Australia with no state-funded independent disability advocacy services. For more information, visit https://dhs.sa.gov.au/news/article-archives/2021/advocacy-helping-south-australians-living-with-disability-get-support.

4 As a result of media attention surrounding Ann Marie Smith’s death, the South Australian Government appointed a Safeguarding Taskforce to examine gaps in oversight and safeguarding for people with disability in South Australia. It found the lack of state funding for disability advocacy was a safeguarding gap. For further information, the full report is available at https://www.opa.sa.gov.au/documents/disability-advocate/safeguarding-taskforce-report-sept2020.pdf.

5 The Independent Individual Disability Advocacy stream funds professional advocates to work one-to-one with people with disability to address an issue they are facing, particularly when they need assistance to deal with a crisis circumstance. They work to uphold the rights and interests of people with disability and address instances of discrimination, abuse, and neglect.

6 The Independent Systemic Disability Advocacy stream funds organisations to research, monitor, and influence long-term positive changes at a systems and policy level to eliminate the ongoing barriers, discrimination, exclusion, abuse, and neglect experienced by people with disability while advancing their chances to live active meaningful lives and achieve their goals.

7 The Independent Representative Disability Advocacy stream funds membership or peer organisations to support people with disability, including specific cohorts with shared interests, to influence positive change, share information and knowledge, and build individual and collective advocacy skills to address specific issues.

8 For more information about the NSW Government’s Disability Advocacy Futures Program (DAFP), visit https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/community-inclusion/disability-and-inclusion/disability-advocacy-futures-program.html. To read the 2019 review by the then NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald, visit https://ageingdisabilitycommission.nsw.gov.au/documents/reports-and-submissions/review-into-disabilist-adocacy-nsw.pdf.

9 JFA Purple Orange has used the approach taken in the Productivity Commission’s 2017 NDIS Costs Study Report based on proportional population and a 50:50 funding split between the Commonwealth and State to estimate a starting budget of $3.4 million per year for 2025-26. The Productivity Commission’s report is available at https://assets.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/ndis-costs/report/ndis-costs.pdf. Once established, this amount should be adjusted to reflect robust data about met and unmet demand.

Accessible housing needed to end housing crisis

All Australians should have an accessible, affordable, and safe place to call home. Housing should be understood, first and foremost, as a basic human right for all individuals and as essential social infrastructure for communities. Housing and planning policy must reflect this and ensure sufficient investment is dedicated to delivering on this objective for all Australians experiencing the current housing and cost of living crises, including people with disability.

JFA Purple Orange welcomes the recent surge in planning activities and housing developments across the state, which is an essential part of addressing the shortage of housing stock in South Australia. However, we must not be under the illusion that supply alone is the ‘silver bullet’ to ending the housing and cost of living crises. We must ensure that house builds are high quality and fit for purpose so that they are accessible and affordable to all South Australians.

The majority of our population need, or will need, accessible features in their homes to ensure they can enter, move around, and live in their homes as independently as possible; this includes people with disability, older people, people with chronic illness, and people with temporary mobility issues. Our rapidly ageing population also underscores the importance of this.

If we do not build homes that are accessible and fit for purpose now, South Australians will continue to pay exuberant amounts to retrofit homes,1 or else clog up the health system, be forced into institutionalised settings, or become homeless. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 44.8 per cent of Australians with disability lived in a household in the lowest two income quintiles in 2022, compared to 24.5 per cent of non-disabled people.2 If we are to end the housing affordability crisis, affordable and accessible stock must be interwoven.

JFA Purple Orange, alongside the South Australian disability community, welcomed the State Government’s commitment to implementing the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 Livable Housing Design (LHD) Standard for all Class 1a and 2 buildings from October 2024. This was an important first step toward addressing the need for more accessible housing and will ensure that residential properties are easier to enter and navigate in and around, as well as allowing further adaptations to be made later to suit a resident and allow them to age in place.

However, the availability of unnecessary blanket exemptions for the first 18 months undermines the NCC’s intention and the enormous amount of work that was undertaken across the nation to design the LHD Standard. Consequently, many South Australians will continue to be left without an accessible, affordable, and safe place to live. These blanket exemptions must end in April 2026 – the housing sector has had more than enough time to adapt.

JFA Purple Orange acknowledges the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) introduction of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in July 2016 aims to create more living options for people with disability ensuring choice and control, as well as strengthening the housing sector. However, the NDIS does not provide housing for the vast majority of participants with only 3.4 per cent currently funded for SDA and just two per cent actually living in SDA dwellings.3 This leaves more than 96 per cent of NDIS participants, and millions more Australians with disability, to navigate the mainstream housing market where the supply of accessible and affordable dwellings is well below current demand.

Therefore, JFA Purple Orange strongly believes that South Australia should adopt an Accessible Housing Overlay that can be applied to new developments to boost the supply of accessible housing, while ensuring these dwellings are not confined to segregated or congregated sites. We believe a combination of overlays (affordable and accessible) with mandatory minimum requirements (LHD Standard) and early proactive planning in partnership with developers would generate significant additional community benefits, especially within brown and greenfield developments, and play a vital role in ending the current housing crisis. An example draft Accessible Housing Overlay is attached.
It is time to work together to end the housing crisis and address the severe lack of accessible and affordable housing options for people with disability and our aging population, enabling people to live in suitable and safe housing options of their choice, free from group houses and institutional settings. Secure housing is the foundation that enables so many other elements of life including employment, education, healthcare, social connections, and much more. Investing in high-quality, fit-for-purpose housing pays dividends for every other part of the budget.

Key question

Do you commit to implementing the National Construction Code 2022 Livable Housing Design Standard in full, ending all unnecessary blanket exemptions in April 2026, and implementing an Accessible Housing Overlay alongside the Affordable Housing Overlay?

Contact

For further information, please contact Selena Maddeford, Manager – Policy and Projects, on 08 8373 8394 or selenam@purpleorange.org.au.

Notes

1 The cost of designing and building with ‘Silver Level’ accessibility features based on Livable Housing Australia’s (LHA) Livable Housing Design Guidelines from the start is up to 22 times more efficient than retrofitting later. For more information, visit Livable Housing Australia (LHA), ‘Livable Housing Design Guidelines’, fourth edition, 2017, pages 5 & 10, available at https://universaldesignaustralia.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/lhaguidlineseditionno4-2017.pdf.

2 For more information, visit Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), ‘Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings’, 2022, available at https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release.

3 For more information, visit National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), ‘Quarterly report to disability ministers Q1 2025-26 Full report’, September 2025, available at https://www.ndis.gov.au/publications/quarterly-reports.

Case studies

Jim, a 39-year-old man, had a stroke and then had to move house, along with his wife and kids, because their home was inaccessible. They had to move to a different suburb, to a house that was not their home, away from their neighbours and friends, away from the kids’ school and friends.

Stuart, a 21-year-old lad who was living with a mate, about to take over the family farming business, playing cricket one day and celebrating victory with his friends, goes to work and has a workplace accident leaving him with a C3-C4 spinal injury. Not only devastated by the change and what his future looks like, he was stuck in Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre for a year while the family home, which he had to move back into, was retrofitted. Now, living on the family farm, he reports significant isolation from his friends and community as visiting friends has become so burdensome.

Kim, a 27-year-old netballer and first homeowner, blew out her knee playing the game she loves, reported significant stress in accessing her home, going to the toilet, showering, and moving up and down the hallway independently whilst she recovered. A temporary injury made that much harder due to small inaccessible features in her home that put significant stress on her relationship before marriage.

Sam, 35-year-old, newlywed, first homeowner, and father of a 2-year-old, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease MND after failing to consistently meet fitness tests at his local football club. Sam and his wife were marathon runners who aimed to compete in marathons across the world, an item on their bucket list that they had started doing a few years before diagnosis. But his life was turned upside down when they discovered that MND kills one third of people within a year and more than half within two. They had to uproot their daughter, sell their home that was going to cost too much to retrofit alongside the medical costs and were forced to look for financial assistance from their family and their community to assist them on their journey to live the best possible life, for as long as possible, with their young daughter.

Trevor, 76 years old, avid gardener and grandfather lives in a medium sized house on a relatively large block that he owned with his late wife for years. He raised a family in this home and has no desire to ever leave. Whilst his health has declined in recent years and he has been diagnosed with cancer, with a few surgeries required, the house and particularly the garden is what keeps him going. It is the family home and whilst his kids are all grown with their own children, it is the place where they all come together, and the grandchildren have room to play and explore. It is also within walking distance to everything that he needs; family is only a few blocks away, fantastic neighbours who provide him with both security and safeguarding as well as connection with the community. Trevor has a nurse visit a few days a week in the home and is an active volunteer at an Elders Association down the road.

Unfortunately, since surgery, his balance is not what it used to be, with some days worse than others. Trevor has a large step entrance, a shower with a heavy screen and a step and will need to install grabrails in the bathroom and toilet. Unfortunately, Trevor will not be able to pay for these costly changes when they are needed but expresses that the day he is forced to move from his home, will be the day he “dies”.

Example of a draft Accessible Housing Overlay Code Amendment (SA Planning and Design Code)

Below, we set out an example of an Accessible Housing Overlay based on the existing Affordable Housing Overlay in the South Australian Planning and Design Code.

Draft example of Code Amendment:

Insert:

Accessible Housing Overlay

Assessment Provisions (AP)

Desired Outcome (DO) Desired Outcome

Desired Outcome
DO 1	Housing that is accessible to, and readily adaptable for, a range of occupant and visitor useability needs is assured and promoted.
DO 2	High-quality accessible housing design and construction is assured and promoted.
DO 3	Accessible housing that is located in close proximity to accessible community infrastructure, including, but not limited to, public transport, healthcare, and education, is assured and promoted.
DO 4	Accessible housing that positively contributes to the liveability and inclusiveness of neighbourhoods is assured and promoted.
DO 5	Accessible housing is suited to a range of incomes including households with low to moderate incomes.
DO 6	Accessible housing that enables ageing in place is assured and promoted.
DO 7	Accessible housing caters for a variety of household structures.

Performance Outcomes (PO) and Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) Criteria / Designated Performance Feature (DPF) Performance Outcome Deemed-to-Satisfy Criteria / Designated Performance Feature

Performance Outcome

Deemed-to-Satisfy Criteria / Designated Performance Feature

Land Division

PO 1.1

Development comprising 10 or more dwellings / allotments incorporates accessible housing.

DTS/DPF 1.1

Development results in 0-9 additional allotments / dwellings.

PO 1.2

Development comprising 10 or more dwellings or residential allotments provides housing suited to a range of accessibility needs.

DTS/DPF 1.2

Development comprising 10 or more dwellings or residential allotments includes a minimum of 15% accessible housing that complies with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Voluntary Livable Housing Design Standard, except where:

(a) Concessions or exemptions under the mandatory National Construction Code 2022 Livable Housing Design Standard apply to 15% or more dwellings or residential allotments, then 25% of remaining dwellings or residential allotments comply with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Voluntary Livable Housing Design Standard.

PO 1.3

Accessible housing is suited to a range of incomes including households with low to moderate incomes.

DTS/DPF 1.3

Affordable housing includes a minimum of 15% accessible housing that complies with the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Voluntary Livable Housing Design Standard.

PO 1.4

Accessible housing is distributed throughout the development to avoid an overconcentration.

DTS/DPF 1.4

None are applicable.

Built Form and Character

PO 2.1

Accessible housing is designed to complement the design and character of residential development within the locality.

DTS/DPF 2.1

None are applicable.

Movement and Car Parking

PO 3.1

Sufficient accessible car parking is provided to meet the needs of occupants of accessible housing.

DTS/DPF 3.1

Dwellings constituting accessible housing are provided with accessible car parking of at least 1 car park per dwelling.

Procedural Matters (PM) – Referrals

The following table identifies classes of development / activities that require referral in this Overlay and the applicable referral body. It sets out the purpose of the referral as well as the relevant statutory reference from Schedule 9 of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) Regulations 2017.

Class of Development / Activity	Referral Body	Purpose of Referral	Statutory Reference
None.	None.	None.	None.

Every child will thrive in an inclusive education system

All children should be welcomed and supported at their local mainstream school or early childhood education centre and provided with a high-quality inclusive education alongside their peers. Sadly, for too many children and young people with disability in South Australia, this is not the case.

Decades of research and evidence tells us that inclusive education best prepares children and young people with disability for life and success. Research also demonstrates that students without disability benefit from an inclusive education. These benefits include a more positive sense of self, enhanced communication and language development, increased awareness of diversity, and a higher quality education that is better suited to individual needs. (1)

Despite this, children with disability currently face challenges in accessing mainstream education and are often subjected to discrimination, bullying, restrictive practices, many types of exclusionary discipline, gatekeeping, and segregation from their non-disabled peers. Recent legislative reforms (2) have fallen well short of addressing these ongoing problems.

Mainstream education must mean inclusive education, where every student is a valued member of their local school or early childhood community. The government needs to be much firmer in its position on this in line with its national and international obligations. (3)
JFA Purple Orange is calling on all parties and candidates in the 2026 State Election to commit to inclusive education in South Australia, including through co-designing an Inclusive Education Strategy; investing in inclusive education initiatives in schools; upskilling principals, educators, and support staff with specific training and capacity building programs; and not establishing any new ‘special’ schools or units anywhere in the state.

What is urgently needed

Transitioning to a genuinely inclusive education system in South Australia will not happen overnight. We recognise some South Australian families have made the decision for their child to attend ‘special’ schools or units, often because of poor previous experiences with mainstream provision or a lack of alternative options that meet a child’s needs. As the Disability Royal Commission emphasised, when a “choice” is made in the absence of alternative options, it constitutes a “coercive choice”. (4)

South Australia needs to kick start the transition with the development of an Inclusive Education Strategy that sets out a clear vision for change and maps the steps needed to build the capability of all mainstream schools to be authentically welcoming and inclusive. The Strategy should be genuinely co-designed and include funding for initiatives, allocated responsibilities, timeframes with measurable progress outcomes, and review mechanisms.

Alongside the development of a Strategy, the government should fund new inclusive education initiatives in schools drawing on and advancing the successes of the Inclusive School Communities project. (5) It should also invest in substantial upskilling (6) for principals, educators, and support staff across the state to help lay the foundations for change.

This work should also align with a new system of Foundational Supports including the Commonwealth’s proposed Thriving Kids initiative. Schools and early childhood education centres must be prepared to take up a central role in delivering Thriving Kids programs in ways that are fully accessible and inclusive of all children and families who will benefit.

These measures need to be underpinned by an explicit commitment to not establishing any new “special” schools or units with funding redirected to ensuring all mainstream schools and early childhood education centres are fully inclusive. Otherwise, the problems identified above will persist and demand for separate segregated provisions will become even more deeply entrenched. Decisive action is needed to end the belief that children with disability are best served through separate “special” things because evidence demonstrates this is false.

All South Australian children are best served when they learn and play alongside their peers without exclusion. Achieving this requires a significant shift in attitudes and a commitment to taking the steps required to make a successful transition knowing it will benefit everyone.

Key question

Do you commit to inclusive education in South Australia, including through co-designing an Inclusive Education Strategy; investing in inclusive education initiatives in schools; upskilling principals, educators, and support staff with specific training and capacity building programs; and not establishing any new “special” schools or units?

Contact

For further information, please contact Selena Maddeford, Manager – Policy and Projects, on 08 8373 8394 or selenam@purpleorange.org.au.

Notes

1 There is an abundance of research evidence that demonstrates inclusive education produces better academic, social, and life outcomes for children with and without disability. For more information, visit the Australian Coalition for Inclusive Education website at https://acie.org.au/; the Australian Alliance for Inclusive Education website at https://allmeansall.org.au/research/; and Alana’s summary document at http://alana.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/A_Summary_of_the_evidence_on_inclusive_education.pdf. Examples of recent academic research include, although are not limited to, Cole, et al., ‘The relationship of special education placement and student academic outcomes’, The Journal of Special Education, 2021, 54(4), pages 217-227; De Bruin, K, ‘Inclusive education: A review of the evidence’ in Linda Graham (ed), Inclusive Education in the 21st Century: Theory, Policy and Practice, 2nd edition, 2023, Routledge, chapter 6; Krämer et al., ‘Inclusive education of students with general learning difficulties: A meta-analysis’, Review of Educational Research, 2021, 91(3), pages 432–478; and Mansouri et al., ‘Comparison of academic and social outcomes of students with extensive support needs across placements’, Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 2022.

2 Through the Education and Children’s Services (Inclusive Education) Amendment Bill 2025.

3 South Australia has endorsed Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021- 2031, which commits to building capacity in the delivery of inclusive education to improve educational outcomes. Further, Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disability, including Article 24, which requires all jurisdictions to ensure they have an inclusive education system providing opportunities on an equal basis without discrimination.

4 Per Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability, ‘Final report – Volume 7: Inclusive education, employment and housing – Summary and recommendations’, September 2023, page 65, available at https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report.

5 For more information, refer to the Inclusive School Communities project, ‘Final Project Evaluation Report’, October 2020, available at https://inclusiveschoolcommunities.org.au/news/final-project-evaluation-report.

6 Upskilling is essential to building an inclusive education system because educators need the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support children and young people with disability, as well as all diverse learners. Training programs should be co-designed and delivered in partnership with people with disability. This training will be fundamental to uplifting the capacity of schools and early childhood education centres; challenging ingrained ableist attitudes, language, and beliefs that are pervasive across society; shifting low expectations of children with disability to enable them to pursue their goals and fulfil their potential; and ensuring inclusive practices and habits are embedded within every education setting.

Co-design a DFSV action plan with disability community

South Australians with disability experience higher rates of domestic, family, and sexual violence (DFSV) than the general population and this is unacceptable. It is also much harder for people with disability to find support services that meet their needs due to a range of barriers including inaccessibility, service fragmentation, and inadequately trained staff.

The recent South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence has underscored the deep impacts of this reality and made a comprehensive set of 136 recommendations to drive its vision of creating communities that are “respectful, equal, and free from violence” for all their members. (1)

JFA Purple Orange is calling on all parties and candidates in the 2026 State Election to commit to delivering a co-designed, funded, and timebound Implementation Plan for all recommendations of the Royal Commission, ensuring this is inclusive of all population groups, and an Associated Action Plan to address the higher prevalence of experiences for people with disability and uplift the capacity of services to respond to their needs.

An Associated Action Plan should provide dedicated resources to target specific areas of prevalence and deficits in appropriate supports including inaccessibility, discrimination, and exclusion. JFA Purple Orange emphasises the importance of an Associated Action Plan to achieve the greatest possible impacts in prevention, response, and recovery for people with disability. We also urge the next parliament to work with other priority groups identified in the Royal Commission’s Final Report to determine next steps to best address their needs.

What is urgently needed

As the Royal Commission highlighted, South Australia is the only state without a whole-of-government strategy to prevent and respond to domestic, family, and sexual violence. This undermines the coordination of efforts to address the problem.

Given this absence, and the need to provide a strong underpinning for the response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations, an Implementation Plan and Associated Action Plan should be a priority.

These should be genuinely co-designed in partnership with communities and stakeholders, with an active co-design team involved in all stages of the process including monitoring, review, and evaluation of actions. They should reflect the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 (2) and be a whole-of-government response with actions that are matched to budget allocations, clear ministerial and agency responsibilities, and deadlines to ensure accountability for delivery.

Why it is urgently needed

Domestic, family, and sexual violence is pervasive across South Australia with people with disability experiencing much high rates of incidents than others. About 21 per cent of adults with disability have experienced intimate partner violence since the age of 15 compared to 13 per cent of people without disability. Further, about 16 per cent of adults with disability have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 compared to 9.6 per cent among non-disabled people. (3) Given this violence often occurs behind closed doors and the high barriers to reporting, it is widely recognised that data is likely to understate the prevalence. (4)

As well as the immediate impacts on safety and wellbeing, there are broader effects of domestic, family, and sexual violence including loss of housing, employment, and educational opportunities (all compounded by the general lack of inclusive accessible options), greater financial insecurity, and poorer physical and mental health.

Despite the increased rates of prevalence, people with disability report the domestic, family, and sexual violence sector is ill-equipped to respond to their needs due to inaccessible and fragmented services and a lack of staff training. This can force people to remain in unsafe situations without avenues to seek help. Others enter and re-enter services repeatedly. (5)

Actions to implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations are urgently needed and these co-designed plans will ensure a coordinated and comprehensive strategy that meets the needs for all those affected by the scourge of violence including people with disability.

Key question

Do you commit to delivering a co-designed, funded, and timebound Implementation Plan for all recommendations of the Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence and an Associated Action Plan to target the higher prevalence of incidents and the deficits in appropriate services and supports for South Australians with disability as a top priority?

Contact

For further information, please contact Selena Maddeford, Manager – Policy and Projects, on 08 8373 8394 or selenam@purpleorange.org.au.

Notes

1 Visit South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence, ‘With courage: South Australia’s vision beyond violence – Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Report’, August 2025, page 5, available at https://www.royalcommissiondfsv.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1174695/With-Courage-Report.pdf.

2 South Australia has endorsed the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 including its principles, approach, and actions. JFA Purple Orange has separately called on the Federal Government to commit to an associated Action Plan to address the greater prevalence, unique experiences, and additional barriers that Australians with disability face, similar to the very welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan. The National Plan is available at https://www.dss.gov.au/system/files/resources/national-plan-end-violence-against-women-and-children-2022-2032.pdf.

3 Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), as reported in Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), ‘Family, domestic, and sexual violence: People with disability’, 28 February 2025, available at https://www.aihw.gov.au/family-domestic-and-sexual-violence/population-groups/people-with-disability.

4 Including by the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence, ‘With courage: South Australia’s vision beyond violence – Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence Report’, August 2025, page 63, available at https://www.royalcommissiondfsv.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1174695/With-Courage-Report.pdf.

5 For more information about the impacts of domestic, family, and sexual violence on people with disability and the inadequacies of services to meet their needs, visit South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence, ‘With courage: South Australia’s vision beyond violence – Royal Commission into Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Report’, August 2025, available at https://www.royalcommissiondfsv.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1174695/With-Courage-Report.pdf; Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability, ‘Final Report – Volume 3, Nature and extent of violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation’, September 2023, available at https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report; Anne Summers’ research investigating the cost and consequences of domestic and family violence, including ‘The choice: Violence or poverty’ and ‘The cost of domestic violence to women’s employment and education’, available at https://www.annesummersresearch.com/; and Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), ‘”Whatever it takes”: Access for women with disabilities to domestic and family violence services’, July 2017, available at https://www.anrows.org.au/publication/whatever-it-takes-access-for-women-with-disabilities-to-domestic-and-family-violence-services-final-report/read/.

Action required now on DRC recommendations

South Australians with disability have the right to be included in our communities on an equal basis with others and to live free from violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Yet, the Disability Royal Commission (DRC) (1) exposed widespread and harrowing accounts of people with disability being routinely subjected to grave violations of these rights.

After an extensive and thorough process, the DRC presented 222 recommendations in September 2023, describing the volume of recommendations as reflecting the “very many settings and contexts” in which violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation are still happening. (2)

Many South Australians contributed their time, energy, and stories to this process, often at great personal cost, with the expectation that governments would respond with urgency, transparency, and actions. More than two years on, they have been left feeling let down, disappointed, and bereft at the underwhelming response. The enormous value of the DRC will be reduced if real progress on the recommendations is not made soon.

JFA Purple Orange is calling on all parties and candidates in the 2026 State Election to commit to delivering a co-designed, funded, and timebound State Implementation Action Plan for the DRC’s recommendations as a high priority in 2026-27.

What is urgently needed

When the South Australian Government released its response to the DRC, it committed without qualification to only four of the 129 recommendations that fall within state responsibilities. (3) This signalled a lack of urgency that distressed many in the disability community. The recently released 2025 progress report only provides 24 South Australian-specific updates of any substantive nature (buried within a cumbersome national webpage and spreadsheet). (4)

South Australians with disability cannot afford further delay, deferral, or fragmented action on reforms that are designed to make them safer and enable their full participation in the economic, social, and cultural life of our communities to the benefit of everyone.

A State Implementation Action Plan should be genuinely co-designed in partnership with people with disability and other stakeholders, with an active co-design team involved in all stages of the process including monitoring, review, and evaluation of actions.

The plan should uphold the rights of people with disability to live with safety, dignity, and independence and access the same services and opportunities as non-disabled people. It is also extremely important the plan reflects and integrates the recommendations of the South Australian Royal Commission into Domestic, Family, and Sexual Violence.

The plan’s actions need to be matched with adequate budget allocations for implementation, clear ministerial and agency responsibilities to ensure accountability for delivery, and deadlines, otherwise progress will continue to stagnate.

Some states and territories have already released implementation plans with dedicated funding, accountability mechanisms, and timelines. South Australia must not continue to fall behind these jurisdictions.

As a starting point, we suggest the South Australian Government and a co-design team look to the Western Australian Government’s Implementation Roadmap (5) and the New South Wales Government’s Implementation Plan. (6) While both could be significantly improved, especially through co-design and more accessible presentation, they have many of the key features that a South Australian plan should also adopt, including clearly identifying the responsible agency and the timeframes for each action. The West Australian version is notable for being very comprehensive, including recommendations the Government will consider further.

South Australia needs a comprehensive, whole-of-government plan as a matter of urgency – not piecemeal updates, vague joint responses with other governments, referrals to pre-DRC commitments, or general statements of principle. Indeed, it is well past time for South Australian political leaders to step up and demonstrate a genuine commitment to preventing violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation and to invest in actions that will enable people with disability to live active, included, and valued lives in our communities.

Key question

Do you commit to delivering a co-designed, funded, and timebound State Implementation Action Plan for the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations with clear designated responsibilities as a high priority action within the first year of the next term of parliament?

Contact

For further information, please contact Selena Maddeford, Manager – Policy and Projects, on 08 8373 8394 or selenam@purpleorange.org.au.

Notes

1 For more information about the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability, visit https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/.

2 Visit Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability, ‘Final report – Executive summary: Our vision for an inclusive Australia and recommendations’, September 2023, page xi, available at https://disability.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/final-report.

3 The South Australian Government only accepted without any qualification recommendations 5.2 (review and update of Australia’s Disability Strategy), 7.34 (include homelessness in Australia’s Disability Strategy), 8.4 (screening and assessment for disability in youth detention), and 8.5 (disability training for staff in youth detention). For further information, visit Government of South Australia, ‘South Australian response: Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability’, July 2024, available at https://dhs.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/169757/Disability-Royal-Commission-South-Australia-Response.pdf.

4 On 27 November 2025, the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing released a progress report on behalf of all governments. Many of the updates were made jointly. For 18 recommendations, the South Australian Government provided an identical update. For others, South Australia made no update at all, including regarding its responsibility to fund independent disability advocacy services alongside the Commonwealth. For more information, visit Department of Health, Disability, and Ageing, ‘Disability Royal Commission Progress Report 2025’, available at https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/disability-royal-commission-progress-report-2025?language=en. Previously, the South Australian Government’s brief 2024 update mentioned just five recommendations and was mainly focused on previously announced initiatives that predated the DRC’s Final Report. For more information, visit An Australian, state and territory government initiative, ‘National interim update 2024: Government response to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability’, pages 14-15, available at https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/national-interim-update-2024.

5 Visit Government of Western Australia, ‘WA Implementation Roadmap: Disability Royal Commission’, December 2024, available at https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2024-12/drc-implementation-roadmap_0.pdf.

6 Visit NSW Government, ‘NSW Government 2024/25 Implementation Plan’, 31 July 2024, available at https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/documents/community-inclusion/disability-inclusion/royal-commission-into-violence-abuse-neglect-and-exploitation-of-people-with-disability/nsw-government-2024_25-implementation-plan-appendix-b.pdf.