Involving the disability sector in the early stages of an emergency response can help avoid repeating the significant failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, the royal commission says.
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The commission's report into how people with a disability were treated during the COVID-19 pandemic was tabled in federal parliament on Monday.
It said the Australian government was responsible for significant failings from the onset of the pandemic in late January until the establishment of the Advisory Committee for the COVID-19 Response for People with Disability on April 2.
The commission found the failure to consult during the critical early phase contributed to the neglect of policies designed to help people with a disability.
The report makes 22 recommendations, and Chair Ronald Sackville said it was clear that lines of communication had failed between decision-makers and people with disability, leaving them feeling "forgotten and ignored".
He said there was confusion due to a lack of clear and consistent information, and there was genuine concern healthcare such as access to ICU beds would be rationed.
Mr Sackville said there were still serious deficiencies with data collection that must be rectified so it was clear how COVID-19 had impacted people with disabilities.
Among the key recommendations are a commitment to ensuring agencies responsible implement formal channels for consulting with people with disabilities.
The report states the federal health department should ensure a team has specific responsibility for developing plans to protect people with disability during emergencies such as the pandemic.
It said the government cannot disclaim responsibility for ensuring compliance with obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the ground that the states provide certain essential services such as testing for COVID-19 or providing all state school children with online education.
"The Australian government has both the legislative power under domestic law and the responsibility under international law to ensure that the human rights of people with disability outlined in the CRPD are respected and enforced within Australia," it said.
The three responsible federal ministers said the recommendations would be responded to as a priority.
Health Minister Greg Hunt, Social Services Minister Anne Ruston and National Disability Insurance Scheme Minister Stuart Robert released a timeline of the government's pandemic response in the sector, defending action taken.
Australian Associated Press
