The Morrison Government has sent a message to Australians wanting to confidentially tell their story to the Disability Royal Commission: you are not a priority. 
  
The Government decided not to prioritise a Bill it introduced to the Senate this week that would have introduced much needed privacy protections requested by Commissioner Ronald Sackville months ago and supported by the disability organisations and advocates, Labor and the crossbench. 
  
This means that many people with disability will not be able to share their stories with the Commission for at least another 6 weeks before the Parliament sits again to allow the passage of this legislation which would give them confidence to come forward. 
  
Labor wrote to the Government last week urging it to address this issue by Thursday after the Attorney-General Christian Porter said he had instructed his Department to ‘work swiftly’ on the amendments last October. 
  
This is the latest frustration for a Royal Commission stonewalled by a Government that refuses to even acknowledge several letters from Commissioner Sackville asking for a 17-month extension due to the impact of COVID-19.  
  
The extension is now even more pressing given the Government’s failure to deliver timely amendments to deliver these important privacy protections. 
  
It seems the Morrison Government is happy to leave people with a disability in the lurch and let the clock run out on the Disability Royal Commission before many Australians have an opportunity to make a submission. 
 
FRIDAY, 19 MARCH 2021