Board Secretary for organisation, People with Disability Australia says today will be a difficult day for many in the community.
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00:00 It's a very lengthy 13-volume report with 222 recommendations.
00:07 But before I get into that, I just want to acknowledge a couple of things.
00:12 First, it's a very difficult day for us today,
00:15 and I want to acknowledge and hold space for our community's trauma and grief
00:20 and just acknowledge that we will all be responding in very different ways,
00:23 and that's OK.
00:24 I also want to acknowledge that despite the volume of evidence,
00:28 we have large numbers of people who were not able to give evidence
00:33 because of the same systems that this commission has been examining.
00:37 So it's very important.
00:39 13 volumes is a lot.
00:42 It's thousands and thousands of pieces of evidence
00:45 that were of harm and violence against disabled people.
00:50 And it's really important that we take the time to digest it,
00:55 to think about what we would like to do in response,
00:59 because we can't possibly have answers for all of this straightaway.
01:02 And it's also really important that we take the time
01:05 to include all members of our community.
01:08 So that means speaking with people with intellectual disability
01:12 and other marginalised groups within our community
01:14 to make sure that they understand the recommendations
01:17 and they can provide their voice for anything that comes next.
01:22 - I want to drill into some of the key recommendations.
01:25 They were around segregation and some of the areas
01:29 that people with disability, their carers and advocacy groups
01:32 have really wanted the focus to be on.
01:34 Let's start with housing and the phasing out of group homes in 15 years.
01:38 Do you welcome that? What are the alternatives?
01:42 - We do.
01:44 But it's not going to be a quick fix.
01:47 It's going to take a lot of commitment from all sides,
01:51 including government, including people with disability
01:53 and the wider community.
01:55 So we really do welcome an end to segregation in all areas.
02:00 But we also want to be really clear that the responsibility
02:04 isn't just going to sit with us,
02:05 and it's not just going to sit with government.
02:07 We're all going to need to work together
02:10 and be patient through the transition,
02:12 but really be committed and make sure that we can get to that point.
02:17 And we're here to stay the course, really.
02:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]