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

Policies, processes and programs for people with disability that promote gender equality and prevent violence against groups at heightened risk are essential to improving the safety of people with disability. Women, children and young people are at a particularly heightened risk of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Effective preventive actions targeting violence against women and children require an inclusive and collaborative effort across a range of settings. The Strategy should be considered in conjunction with other plans such as the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children and the next National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children (Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031).

Access to safe and secure housing

Domestic and family violence is a major national health and welfare issue that can have lifelong impacts for victims and perpetrators. While it affects people of all ages and from all backgrounds, people with disability are particularly vulnerable to this form of violence (AIHW 2019). These types of violence can have a serious impact on individuals, families and communities, and can inflict physical injury, psychological trauma and emotional suffering (AIHW 2019).

Women with disability experience higher rates of intimate partner violence, emotional abuse, stalking and sexual violence than women without disability or men with disability (DRC 2020). 

People with disability may have a greater exposure to risk factors associated with homelessness than the general population. Domestic and family violence can result in people with disability, including those with severe or profound disability, seeking homelessness services (AIHW 2022). 

Specialist homelessness services (SHS) provide accommodation-related and/or personal assistance to people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. SHS accommodation services include:

• short‑term or emergency accommodation
• medium-term/transitional housing
• assistance to obtain long-term housing
• assistance to sustain tenancy or prevent tenancy failure or eviction
• assistance to prevent foreclosures or for mortgage arrears (AIHW 2022). 

A client is identified as having severe or profound disability if they reported a limitation in core activities (self-care, mobility and/or communication) and always or sometimes needing assistance with one or more of these core activities.

The Outcomes Framework intended to track the proportion of people with disability experiencing domestic and family violence who are assisted into safe and secure housing when requested. Measure wording has been revised in this report to reflect available data more accurately (see Appendix B: List of measures).

Available data do not allow the exact measure listed to be tracked. An alternative measure is reported here as:

• Proportion of SHS clients with disability experiencing domestic and family violence who are provided assistance for accommodation when needed. 

The desired key system outcome for this measure is that domestic and family violence services provide assistance needed to people with disability. 

Latest results: 2021–22

• In 2021–22, 79% of SHS clients with disability experiencing domestic and family violence were provided assistance for accommodation when needed. This was 3 percentage points lower than at baseline (2020–21) (82%), indicating regress since the Strategy began.
• The proportion in 2021–22 is the lowest proportion in the time series presented. Across the period 2013–14 and 2016–17 the proportion decreased from 87% to 81%. It remained between 81% and 82% until 2021–22 when it dropped to 79%. Regression modelling of the data shows a modelled decrease of 0.9 of a percentage point per year and a modelled decrease of 7.9% over the reference period.

Things to consider when interpreting results

• The proportion of SHS clients without disability experiencing domestic and family violence who were provided assistance for accommodation when needed has also decreased across the period 2013–14 to 2021–22 (from 85% to 74%). Regression modelling of the data shows a modelled decrease of around 1.4 percentage points per year and a modelled decrease of 14% over the reference period. 
• Disability status was unknown for 21% of SHS clients experiencing domestic and family violence who needed, and were provided with, accommodation assistance in 2013–14. Between 2014–15 and 2021–22, the proportion of SHS clients with unknown disability status has ranged between 3.2% and 5.9%.
• Data for 2013–14 to 2016–17 have been adjusted for non-response. Due to improvements in the rates of agency participation and Statistical Language Key validity, data for 2017–18 onwards are not weighted. The removal of weighting does not constitute a break in time series, and weighted data from 2011–12 to 2016–17 are comparable with unweighted data for 2017–18 onwards. 

For figure notes, see Appendix C: Figure notes and sources.

For more information on this measure, including breakdowns of the data, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Access to safe and secure housing.

Experience of domestic violence

A key challenge in defining and measuring family and domestic violence lies in the complexity of the behavioural acts involved, and the relationships and situations in which these acts occur (ABS 2013). For the purposes of this measure, family and domestic violence is defined as physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by an intimate partner (current, previous, boyfriend or girlfriend or date, ex-boyfriend, or ex‑girlfriend) or relative or in-law (father/mother, son or daughter, brother or sister, or other relative or in-law). It also includes emotional abuse by a current or previous partner.

The Outcomes Framework intended to track the proportion of females with disability aged 15 and over who have experienced family or domestic violence compared with women without disability. Measure wording has been revised in this report to reflect available data more accurately (see Appendix B: List of measures).

Due to the nature of the available data, which does not collect information from people aged 15–17, the measure is reported here as:

• Proportion of women with disability aged 18 and over who have experienced family or domestic violence since age 15, compared with women without disability. 

The desired population outcome for this measure is a decrease in family and domestic violence against women with disability. Data are from the ABS PSS.

For more information on this measure, including breakdowns of the data, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Experience of domestic violence.