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

Why is this outcome area important?

Positive community attitudes play a pivotal role in ensuring people with disability are included and supported to participate in all aspects of society. People with disability report the greatest barriers they face are stigma, unconscious bias and a lack of understanding of disability. Changing community attitudes, both social and professional, will provide more choice and independence, and lead to better support, improved treatment and more respect for people with disability (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 awareness throughout society, including at the family level, regarding persons with disabilities, and to foster respect for the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities.  This includes promoting positive perceptions and greater social awareness towards persons with disabilities and to promote recognition of the skills, merits and abilities of persons with disabilities, and of their contributions to the workplace and the labour market (UN 2006).

What are the policy priorities?

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

Measures

At the launch of the Strategy 4 measures, one for each policy priority, were identified for inclusion in the Community attitudes outcome area (see the Outcomes Framework and Appendix B: List of measures). Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us, was commissioned by the Department of Social Services as part of the Strategy to provide data that could inform progress of the identified measures. The first wave of Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us, was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023.

Initial analysis of the results from Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us, showed that additional insights were able to be drawn for the key sector attitudes measure. These insights allow the target key sectors of education, health, personal and community support, and justice and legal, to be reported as 4 separate measures in the Outcomes Framework.

As a result, for the 4 policy priorities under this outcome area, baseline data are available for the first time in the annual report series for 7 community attitudes measures (Table 8.1).

The next iteration of the survey is planned to be conducted in 2024 with results expected to be published in the Fourth annual report in 2026.

For more information on, and data from, Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share, with us see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Community attitudes. 

^*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 (See Appendix B: List of measures).

n.a. – not available.

1. 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).
2. n.a. indicates that there has not been an additional data point post-baseline to enable an assessment of progress.