After more than four years of public hearings, private sessions and written submissions, the disability royal commission's final report and its 222 recommendations were released to the public on Friday.
Commissioners generated their findings after hearing from roughly 10,000 Australians who shared stories of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
"Our vision for an inclusive Australia envisages people with disability living free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in a more inclusive society in which human rights are protected and respected," the commissioners wrote.
"For people with disability in Australia today, this remains a vision rather than a reality."
They revealed those with disabilities experience increased rates of violence, neglect and deprivation than those without disabilities.
They face increased systemic barriers to education, employment and housing, excluding them from many aspects of Australian life.Â
Children with disabilities, in particular, face multifaceted issues such as exclusion from schooling environments.
A statement from the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations said the report was a landmark for the Australian disability community.
"(The) work has revealed the deep impact of intersectional discrimination and institutional neglect and abuse," they said on Friday.
About one in five Australians - or 4.4 million people across the country - identify as having a disability according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Since the inquiry was established in April 2019, 32 hearings - including virtual proceedings during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic - have been held across the country.
The government also allocated almost $600 million to fund the disability royal commission and related support services over five years.
The report has called on the government to enact a Disability Rights Act in order to enshrine the international human rights of those with disabilities into domestic law and proactively prevent violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992, as it currently stands, creates little incentive for institutions like schools and service providers to prevent disability discrimination and must also be amended to promote equality.
Commissioners also recommended all states and territories establish legal frameworks to reduce restrictive practices and called for a ban on non-therapeutic and non-consensual sterilisation of those with disabilities.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth vowed the federal government would take the findings of the commission seriously.
"We will work through this report in a diligent way and make a commitment to work with states and territories," she told ABC Radio on Friday.
"We need a more inclusive society that does support the independence of people with disability and their right to live free from violence, neglect, abused and exploitation."
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