MDAA would like to share with you some very important developments that will help protect people with disability from abuse.
Early this year, the NSW government wanted to establish the NSW Disability Commission and MDAA was invited to give evidence at the Parliamentary Inquiry of NSW into the Commission presenting our own submission with some recommendations for the Bill which established the role of the Commissioner.
What is the Role of the NSW Ageing and Disability Commission:
The Commission will work to better protect older people and adults with disability from abuse, neglect and exploitation from someone they know in their home or in the community. It is independent and is not part of the government.
The NSW government appointed its first Ageing and Disability Commissioner the veteran, Mr Robert Fitzgerald, AM who also led the Commission on Institutional Abuse of Children before.
On 5 April 2019, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison MP announced the creation of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. The Commission is an official way of looking into this big problem, help to work out what things are wrong and what needs to be fixed. The Royal Commission will be headed by a Chair who is going to be a judge and is assisted by senior people called the Commissioners. The Commissioners are not part of the government . They are independent that means they will not be ordered by the government what to do.
The Commission will invite people to share their stories and experiences. At the end of the Royal Commission, they make suggestions or recommendations about how the problem can be fixed and give ideas about changes that can be made and how to improve the experiences of people with disability and have better protection against abuse.
The government expects the Royal Commission to release an interim report by the end of October 2020, with a final report due by the end of April 2022.
So MDAA invites you who have experienced abuse to please contact
- the NSW Disability Commissioner for information about available services: 1800 628 221
- the Royal Commission on 1800 880 052
- For those who have problems with their NDIS service providers they can call the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission on 1800 035 544