Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031: Consultation to inform the Strategy Guides – Making it easier for governments, businesses and the community to use the Guiding Principles

Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (the Strategy) is a national plan to improve the lives of people with disability. The Strategy was developed by all levels of government and with people with disability, their families, carers and representatives. It took two years of consultation to develop. The Strategy is available on the Disability Gateway.

Under this plan there are eight Guiding Principles to help governments, business and the community better include people with disability. Government, business and the community should use these principles to help develop any new action including policies, programs and services.

The 8 principles are based on the ones developed by the United Nations (UN), and set out in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The UN CRPD is an important international agreement that makes sure people with disability have the same rights as everybody else and that the human rights of people with disability are protected.

Governments are developing a guide to help policy makers use all eight of these principles, and are seeking feedback to make sure it includes the things most important to people with disability.