Introduction

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Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031

Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (the Strategy) is Australia’s national disability policy framework. It sets out a 10-year plan for continuously improving the lives of people with disability in Australia. Its vision is an inclusive Australian society that ensures people with disability can fulfil their potential as equal members of the community. Under the Strategy, Australian, state, territory and local governments are committed to delivering better outcomes.

The Strategy's 7 Outcome Areas set out where governments at all levels – working with people with disability, the community and business – need to prioritise change. The 7 Outcome Areas that people with disability have said need to improve to achieve the Strategy’s vision are:

  • Employment and financial security
  • Inclusive homes and communities
  • Safety, rights and justice
  • Personal and community support
  • Education and learning
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Community attitudes

Under each of these 7 Outcome Areas there are Policy Priorities. By delivering against the Policy Priorities under each Outcome Area, governments envisage all aspects of Australian life becoming more inclusive of people with disability.

For information on the development of the Strategy, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Hub.

Outcomes Framework

The Outcomes Framework is a key part of the Strategy that reports the outcomes for people with disability. Outcomes Framework annual reports and dashboard are used to show what progress is being made towards intended outcomes. Progress is measured for each Outcome Area by reporting on a range of agreed measures under each Policy Priority.

There are 3 types of measures across the 7 outcome areas of the Strategy:

  • System measures: these track the contribution key systems such as health care, housing, education, and employment are making to achieve outcomes. Some service systems are specifically for people with disability while others are mainstream systems for all Australians.
  • Population measures: these track changes in outcomes over time for people with disability.
  • Community attitude measures: these track the change in attitudes towards people with disability, and how people with disability experience community attitudes.

Some measures focus on specific groups of people with disability, such as National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants; others relate to the broader population of people with disability.

At the launch of the Strategy in 2021, the Outcomes Framework included a list of 85 measures (see Appendix B: List of Measures). The measures were developed in consultation with the disability community. At the time, not all 85 measures had available data. Rather than limit the Outcomes Framework to reporting on data that was available in 2021, people with disability wanted to include measures that could be reported on in the future, when data became available.

Over the life of the Strategy, governments are working together to create and improve data so these future measures can be reported. Additionally, reviews of the Outcomes Framework may result in updates to measures or the addition of new measures. As such, the original 85 measures may change over time as more appropriate data become available. For example, data from the first wave of a new national survey – Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us – undertaken by the Australian National University (ANU) allowed additional insight beyond the originally identified Community attitudes measures.

Purpose of the 3rd annual report

This 3rd annual report presents a summary of changes over time for measures with updated data since the previous annual reports. It compares the value of the latest available data with the baseline value (that is, data from the closest point in time to when the Strategy began in December 2021). The change observed between the latest data and the baseline data is used to assign one of the following categories:

  • improving
  • no change
  • regress.

Establishing if a measure has changed also considers whether there is confidence in the change (that it is real and not a product of chance), and that the change is important.

Where data are available, changes in the measure values in the context of the historical (that is, pre-baseline) data forms part of this consideration. For more details of the methodological approach for measuring progress over time, see Appendix A: Methods.

As data collections have varying collection and reporting periods (for example, quarterly, annual or triennial), measures derived from different data sources may have different timings for baseline and updated data (see also About the data).

The annual reports are intended for people with disability, government policymakers at all levels, disability advocacy groups and anyone who wishes to follow what progress is being made for people with disability, based on the Outcomes Framework measures.

In this report, each outcome area is reported separately, but it is important to note that all 7 outcomes are interrelated and connected. For example, improved outcomes in education and learning can lead to better outcomes in employment and financial security (Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031). For more information, see the Outcomes Framework.

Overview of results

Since the first annual report in early 2023, baseline data are available for more measures – an increase from 47 to 55 measures. The number of measures with post-baseline data has also increased – from 32 to 43 measures. Of the 55 measures in the Outcomes Framework for which there are available data:

  • 43 measures have new or revised data – consisting of 22 system and 21 population measures. All 43 measures have a progress status.
  • Of these, 20 measures have a status update for the first time, including 18 measures from the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers.

Data for all 55 measures are reported in summary tables at the start of each section, with additional focus provided on the 43 measures with new or revised data.

Further information for all measures, including additional data for the 12 measures with only baseline data that are not the focus of this report, is available on the Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework webpages.

Governments will continue to develop data for future measures of the Strategy. A full list of measures can be found in Appendix B: List of measures.

Intersectionality and diversity

The Strategy recognises that the diversity of people with disability needs to be understood, acknowledged and celebrated. The experiences of people with disability may differ due to intersectionality. Where data permit, the Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework webpages include data for the following groups and characteristics of people with disability (see also Data limitations):

  • age group
  • sex and gender
  • lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning and asexual (LGBTIQA+) people
  • type and severity of disability
  • state and territory
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people
  • culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people
  • remoteness.

Where available, data on these groups can be found on the Australia's Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework webpages and are not reproduced here. 

SDAC classification of severity of disability

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) is the main source for data on severity of disability in this report. 

SDAC classifies disability according to the degree of limitation or impairment in core activities into profound, severe, moderate, and mild limitation. In addition, SDAC distinguishes people with disability who have no limitation in core activities but have schooling or employment restriction, and people with disability who have no specific limitation or restriction. 

Severe or profound disability includes people with severe or profound core activity limitation – always or sometimes needing assistance or supervision with self-care, mobility, and/or communication. People with other disability status are those who have disability with other than severe or profound core activity limitation.

About the data

Data sources

Data for the 55 measures noted in this report are drawn from 19 data sources. Thirty-nine measures are drawn from surveys and 16 from administrative data collected as part of service delivery. Some collections are well established for reporting while others are relatively new.

Nine of the 55 measures reported here draw on NDIS participant data. The approach taken to reporting NDIS data here is different from that taken in NDIS reports. For more details as well as technical information about other data sources, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Data sources.

Of the 16 measures drawn from administrative data:

  • 2 were drawn from DSS Data Exchange and Disability Employment Services
  • 2 were drawn from the AIHW’s National Housing Assistance Data Repository and Specialist Homeless Services Collection
  • 2 were drawn from the Department of Education’s Higher Education Statistics Collection
  • 3 were drawn from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research
  • 7 were drawn from the Australian Digital Inclusion Index, the Australian Public Service Employment Database, the Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services, the Australian Human Rights Commission business systems, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations business systems, NDIA business systems, and NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission business systems.

Of the 39 measures drawn from surveys:

  • 19 were drawn from the ABS SDAC
  • 8 were drawn from the NDIA survey data (Short Form/Long Form Outcomes Framework)
  • 7 were drawn from the Australia’s Disability Strategy Survey – Share with us (the ADS Survey)
  • 3 were drawn from the ABS Personal Safety Survey (PSS)
  • 2 were drawn from the ABS National Health Survey and the ABS Survey of Income and Housing.

Data limitations

The measures in the Outcomes Framework reflect what the Strategy would ideally like to track. However, most data collections used for reporting were not set up for the specific purpose of reporting against the Strategy. In the case of administrative data collections, statistical reporting is generally a secondary purpose to the data’s primary role in relation to service delivery. Some Outcomes Framework measures have been revised slightly so that they align more closely to the available data; other measures have been revised slightly to clarify the intent of the measure. These adjustments are described in the relevant ‘measure’ section of the report or can be found in Appendix B: List of measures.

Disability is complex making it sometimes difficult to define. A significant limitation for consistent reporting on outcomes for people with disability is the variation in how ‘disability’ is defined when data are drawn from a range of sources. The most comprehensive definition of disability comes from the ABS SDAC. Other ABS surveys such as the NHS and the PSS use the ABS Short Disability Module. Definitions of disability used by administrative collections often relate to the purpose of their service delivery. See Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Data sources for definitions of disability used in different data sources.

The Strategy recognises that gender diversity is an important aspect for reporting outcomes for people with disability. Currently, many collections include only the categories ‘male’ and ’female’. In some collections where additional categories are included, small numbers – together with requirements to maintain privacy – limit what can be reported. For more information, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Data sources.

Data development

A key initiative of the Strategy is to improve data to better measure, track, and report on outcomes for people with disability. The pathway for this is outlined in the Data Improvement Plan, endorsed by the Disability Reform Ministerial Council on 1 November 2024, and published in December 2024. All governments continue to work together to improve the availability, quality, and usability of data to support reporting on the Outcomes Framework.

The National Disability Data Asset is an important piece of work that will support reporting on measures under the Outcomes Framework. The National Disability Data Asset is being designed as a long-term national asset containing linked, de-identified data from across Australia, state and territory government service systems. It will enable, for the first time, a person-centred view of the pathways people with disability take through government and other service systems, and provide information on inclusion and outcomes for people with disability.

National Disability Data Asset disability indicators

A major development of the National Disability Data Asset has been the design of disability indicators. Disability indicators refer to types of information about disability. Disability indicators help to consistently include and describe people with a disability or other disability concepts in the National Disability Data Asset.

In consultation with people with disability, their representatives and technical experts, a first set of disability indicators has been designed from the early datasets available in the National Disability Data Asset. The first disability indicators will include information about Australian Government disability-related payments and NDIS funded support services.

As more data are added to the National Disability Data Asset, and data improvement occurs, more people with disability are expected to be included and described.

The first disability indicators in the National Disability Data Asset include people who:

  • were assessed as eligible for, or received,
    • Centrelink Disability Support Pension (DSP)
    • Centrelink Mobility Allowance
    • Centrelink Youth Disability Supplement 
    • a one-off Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (BSWAT) payment.
  • were carees, who make their carer eligible for Centrelink Carer Allowance or Carer Payment.
  • were participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

This is not considered to be a complete representation of people with disability in Australia.

Several future measures in the Outcomes Framework will use data from the National Disability Data Asset for reporting. The National Disability Data Asset will also be used to improve reporting on some of the current measures. Benefits to Outcomes Framework reporting will be:

  • improving the quality of data used in analysis of the measures
  • offering new insights that were not previously available
  • increasing the frequency for reporting on the measures 
  • allowing people to filter data based on measures more relevant to them – for example, based upon their geography, type of disability, or use of disability supports. 

For more information on how the National Disability Data Asset will support the Outcomes Framework reporting, see the Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 Data Improvement Plan 2024.

Disability Royal Commission

The final report of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability was released on 29 September 2023. The report makes a range of recommendations relating to data, including some that are relevant to the Strategy. For more information on how progress is being made on the DRC see the Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 Data Improvement Plan 2024.

Structure of the report

The following sections report on measures in each of the 7 outcome areas.

For additional information on the data presented in this report:

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