Inclusive homes and communities
Outcome: People with disability live in inclusive, accessible and well-designed homes and communities.
Why is this outcome area important?
Affordable, appropriate, and secure housing in an accessible, inclusive community is central to how people with disability live, work and socialise (Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031). Ensuring that public buildings, facilities, and transport are accessible to people with disability is crucial to an inclusive society. Access to online services and technology further support the inclusion of people with disability.
Housing provides people with disability shelter, safety and security, allowing them to participate in the social, economic and community aspects of everyday life (AIHW 2024a). In 2022–23, around 7,600 specialist homelessness services clients with disability sought assistance due to problems with accommodation (AIHW 2024b). The ABS’ (2024) SDAC found 26% of people with disability had difficulty accessing buildings or facilities in the last 12 months and 63% of people 15 years and over with disability experienced barriers to participating in social and community activities in the last 3 months.
What are the policy priorities?
- Housing affordability/stress: Improving access to affordable housing for people with disability.
- Housing accessibility: Making sure people with disability can live in homes that meet their needs.
- Social inclusion and participation: Supporting the inclusion of people with disability in their communities.
- The built and natural environment accessibility: Making sure the buildings and facilities people with disability visit are accessible.
- Transport system accessibility: Making sure people with disability can access the public transport they need.
- Information and communication systems accessibility: Supporting people with disability to be able to find and use information they need.
Measures
For the 6 policy priorities under this outcome area, data are available for 3 system measures and 6 population measures (Table 3.1). Three measures have updated post-baseline data for the first time since the 2nd annual report.
There are 7 measures with updated post-baseline data. Of these:
- 2 showed improving
- one showed no change
- 4 showed regress.
For future measures requiring development, see Future measures.
Policy priority | Measure | Baseline time point | Baseline value | Latest time point | Latest value | Change since baseline(f) | Progress status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Housing affordability and stress | Average time waited for newly allocated households with a member with disability in public housing or SOMIH* (system measure) | 2020–21 | 413 days 389 days | 2021–22 | 637days 406 days | 224 days 17 days | Regress
Regress |
Housing affordability and stress | Proportion of households with at least one person with disability in lowest 40% income whose housing costs exceed 30% of household income (system measure) | 2019–20 | 17.7% | 2019–20 | 17.7% | n.a. | Not known yet |
Housing accessibility | Proportion of social housing dwellings that meet Livable Housing Design silver accessibility standards(a) (system measure) | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. |
Housing accessibility | Proportion of NDIS participants who are happy with current home(b) (population measure) | 2021–22 Q2 | 73.4% | 2023–24 Q4 | 72.7% | -0.7 pp | Regress |
Social inclusion and participation | Proportion of NDIS participants who spend free time doing activities that interest them(c) (system measure) | 2021–22 Q2 | 65.5% | 2023–24 Q4 | 65.3% | -0.2 pp | No change |
Social inclusion and participation | Proportion of people with disability who participated in community or social activities in the past 12 months* (population measure) | 2018 | 95.1% | 2018 | 95.1% | n.a. | Not known yet |
The built and natural environment accessibility | Proportion of people with disability who have difficulty accessing government buildings (system measure) | 2018 | 8.1% | 2022 | 5.2% | -3.0 pp | Improving |
The built and natural environment accessibility | Proportion of people with disability who had no difficulty accessing buildings or facilities in the last 12 months (population measure) | 2018 | 69.1% | 2022 | 73.7% | 4.6 pp | Improving |
Transport system accessibility | Proportion of people with disability who can use all forms of public transport with no difficulty(d) (population measure) | 2018 | 66.3% | 2022 | 62.9% | -3.4 pp | Regress |
Information and communication systems accessibility | Difference in digital inclusion between people with disability and the Australian population*(e) (population measure) | 2021 | 9.1 points | 2022 | 11.7 points | 2.6 points | Regress |
* 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; pp – percentage points; SOMIH – state owned and managed Indigenous housing.
- Data for this measure are being developed.
- This measure will be replaced in the future by ‘Proportion of people with disability whose home is suitable and accessible’.
- This measure will be replaced in the future by ‘Number of community, political, social, recreational, sporting, religious and cultural groups that have active inclusion policies for people with disability’.
- This measure will be replaced in the future by ‘Proportion of people with disability who can access public or private transport when needed’.
- This measure will be replaced in the future by ‘Proportion of people with disability reporting the internet sites and apps they want to use are accessible’.
- n.a. indicates that there has not been an additional data point post-baseline to enable an assessment of progress.
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2024) Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, ABS website, accessed 12 July 2024.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2024a) ‘Housing’, People with Disability in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, viewed 12 July 2024.
AIHW (2024b) ‘Clients with disability’, Specialist homelessness services annual report 2022–23, AIHW, Australian Government, viewed 12 July 2024.
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