Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to share the following statistics. Please remember that SA and DV are significantly underreported. The true figures are likely much higher. The disability royal commission found that disabled women were twice as likely to experience sexual violence over one year compared to their non-disabled peers. They are almost twice as likely to experience economic abuse by a partner. From the age of 15, roughly half of women with cognitive or psychological disability have experienced sexual violence compared with 16 per cent of non-disabled women.

There are very tangible systems failings at play, informing the higher likelihood of these experiences. The DSP makes recipients more vulnerable to abuse through archaic partner rules that force disabled people to become financially dependent on their romantic partners. Segregated institutions put us out of sight of mainstream community, increasing our vulnerability to predators and barriers to reporting. It is exceptionally difficult to find accessible housing right now, and most DV shelters are physically inaccessible. All of these things are exacerbated by the lack of education around relationships, sex and consent that most disabled people receive.

As policymakers, we could begin implementing changes immediately to correct these failures. We could make support payments fair. We could get rid of segregation, build more accessible housing and improve education around sex and consent for disabled people. What the hell are we waiting for?