Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 Outcomes Framework: 4th annual report

Why is this outcome area important?

Community attitudes play a critical role in shaping the everyday experiences of people with disability, influencing their inclusion, independence, and access to opportunities. Stigma, unconscious bias, and limited understanding of disability remain persistent barriers for many people with disability, particularly for non-visible disabilities and the experiences of First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people with disability.

These attitudes are often deeply embedded in both social and professional settings, affecting how people with disability are treated and supported. Improving disability awareness and literacy across the community is essential to fostering respect, reducing discrimination, and creating a more inclusive Australia, as envisioned in Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031.

Under the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australia has an obligation to raise disability awareness and to foster respect for the rights and dignity of all people with disability.  This includes:

• promoting positive perceptions
• raising greater social awareness
• recognising the skills, merits and abilities of persons with disabilities, and of their contributions to the workplace, the labour market (UN 2006) and community.

Policy priorities

1. Employer attitudes to employing people with disability (1 measure): Helping more employers understand the benefits of employing people with disability.
2. Key sector attitudes to people with disability (4 measures): Supporting more positive attitudes towards people with disability by workers in key sectors.
3. People with disability in leadership roles (1 measure): Supporting more people with disability to become leaders.
4. Value and respect for people with disability (1 measure): Making sure people with disability feel respected and valued by their community.

Australia's Disability Strategy Survey – Wave 2

The Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey (the ADS Survey) was commissioned by the Australian Government Department as part of the Strategy’s activities to provide data on community attitudes and perceptions of disability.

The first wave of the survey was conducted in 2022. Wave 2 of the survey was conducted in 2024. The Wave 2 survey allowed for a progress status to be reported in October 2025 for the first time for 7 measures on community attitudes.

The ADS Survey Wave 2 report was written by the AIHW and published on the Disability Gateway website.

2025 Summary

Data are available for all 7 measures.

In 2025, all 7 measures were updated for the first time (Table 8.1). Of the 7 updated measures:

• 1 showed improvement
• 5 showed no change
• 1 showed regression.

 Overall, there was little change in this outcome area since 2021.

• The single measure for Employer attitudes to employing people with disability showed regression.
• All 4 measures for Key sector attitudes to people with disability showed no change.
• The single measure for People with disability in leadership roles showed improvement.
• The single measure for Value and respect for people with disability has not changed.

Key findings

• In 2022, 77% of employer responses were positive on valuing the contribution and benefits of employing people with disability. This dropped to 74% in 2024, indicating that the measure has regressed slightly since the start of the Strategy (Figure 8.1).
• In 2022, 63% of educator responses were positive about being disability confident and responding positively to people with disability (Figure 8.2). In 2024, the proportion of educators who said they were positive about being disability confident was the same (63%), indicating no change over 2 years.
• In 2022, 71% of responses from health workers were positive about being disability confident and responding positively to people with disability (Figure 8.3). In 2024, the proportion of health workers who said they were positive about being disability confident did not change (71%), indicating no change over 2 years.
• In 2022, 79% of responses from personal and community support workers were positive about being disability confident and responding positively to people with disability. In 2024, this was reported as 77%, indicating no change since the start of the Strategy (Figure 8.4).
• In 2022, 66% of responses from justice and legal workers were positive about being disability confident and responding positively to people with disability. This increased to 68% in 2024 but the improvement was not statistically significant due to a small sample (Figure 8.5).
• In 2022, 19% of people with disability aged 18 and over reported feeling represented in leadership roles. This increased to 23% in 2024, indicating that the measure has improved since the start of the Strategy (Figure 8.6).
• In 2022, 54% of people with disability aged 18 and over felt valued and respected by their community. This was similar in 2024 (53%), indicating no change since the start of the Strategy (Figure 8.7).

For more information about the data collected through Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey, see Data Source | Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey  

Information on each measure below includes the latest update, baseline and progress status, key demographic insights, and a chart showing the direction of the change since baseline.

*Measure wording has been revised to reflect available data more accurately or clarify the measure’s intent. See relevant measure section below for more information.

pp – percentage points.

(a) People aged 18 and over who are employed in the education sector (including child care, preschools, primary, secondary, and special schools, technical and vocational education, universities and other higher education institutions, adult education, and community education).