Responsibility: Australian, state and territory governments
Joint Response: Accept in principle
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
All governments, through the Disability Reform Ministerial Council, are working together to develop an approach for consistent collection of disability data. The Data Improvement Plan 2024, including a Disability Royal Commission action plan, was published on 3 December 2024 and outlines next steps to improve data over the next 18 months.
The Australian Government is leading work on developing a proposed short standard set of questions for the collection and dissemination of data on disability status in population surveys. This work has involved conducting a stocktake of currently used disability questions in surveys, and consultation with the disability community, research experts and relevant Commonwealth agencies and jurisdictions on priority data requirements and best practice for collecting disability information. A set of proposed questions is currently undergoing testing with the disability community. A report with key findings and recommendations is expected to be finalised by mid-2025.
All governments, in collaboration with people with disability, their representative and disability experts are developing disability indicators (flags) to support the consistent inclusion and description of disability in the National Disability Data Asset (NDDA).The first-generation set of disability indicators were added to the NDDA in December 2024 and represent the largest group of people with disability in administrative data to date. These disability indicators use data from disability-related government payments and services but do not represent all people with disability. In February 2025, the NDDA Council approved an improvement plan for the continued enhancement of disability indicators in the NDDA and a set of additional indicators for future development.
What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report
The Australian Government and state and territory governments, through the Disability Reform Ministerial Council, should address the lack of available disability data by implementing disability flags in data collections for key mainstream services.
By June 2025, the Australian Government and state and territory governments should publish an implementation plan outlining how the core set of questions will be integrated into data collections of priority mainstream services. This should be led by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare.
Joint Government response July 2024
Refer to recommendation 12.5 for Joint Government Response.
More recommendations
View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.