- Date:
- 1 Apr 2026
Message from the Chief Commissioner of Police
I am excited to launch the Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025-2030 (the Plan). This plan builds on the many achievements made through successive previous Victoria Police plans and continues to guide our work on reducing barriers and improving our services for people with disability.
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability (the Royal Commission) recommended that police services ‘collaborate with people with disability in the co-design, implementation, and evaluation of strategies to improve police responses to people with disability’.
To prepare this plan, we spoke to almost 300 people, including people with disability, carers, families, advocates, and disability organisations through interviews and surveys.
We asked you to tell us what you think the priorities should be to support improving police responses to people with disability.
From these conversations we know that you want us to:
- improve police understanding of disability
- improve the way police communicate with and about people with disability
- ensure all our services are accessible
- show that we are an inclusive organisation through our employment practices.
Victoria Police’s vision is a safe Victoria, where everyone is safe and feels safe.
This plan sets out how we will achieve this vision for people with disability:
Victoria Police strives to be an inclusive, accessible, and disability confident organisation that supports the safety and human rights of people with disability.
We know that we have a lot of work ahead of us to achieve this objective and that this work will go beyond the life of this plan and its actions.
We will continue our work in partnership with the Victoria Police Disability Portfolio Reference Group and most importantly, we will continue to listen to and learn from people with disability.
Mike Bush CNZM
Chief Commissioner, Victoria Police
Message from the Disability Portfolio Reference Group Co-Chairs
The Disability Portfolio Reference Group (DPRG) aims to enhance interactions and engagement between Victoria Police, the disability community, and the broader Victorian community. The DPRG brings stakeholder, community, and lived experience perspectives to the review and development of Victoria Police policies, processes, and initiatives.
We work together with the disability community to ensure everyone has equal access to safety, and dignity. This must continue to be a vital part of Victoria Police’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
Over the life of the Accessibility Action Plan 2021–2023, DPRG members provided valuable input and guidance around key actions. This included supporting Victoria Police’s Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) program.
Individual DRPG members also took part in programs and initiatives to increase the awareness and understanding of disability among senior Victoria Police officers and new recruits.
A refresh of DPRG membership in 2023 saw increased representation of people with lived experience and a number of organisations joined us for the first time. Along with community members with lived experience and Victoria Police employees, the following organisations make up the DPRG:
- Amaze
- Blind Citizen Australia
- Brain Injury Australia
- Different Journeys
- First People’s Disability Network
- Inclusive Rainbow Voices
- Office of the Public Advocate
- Spectrum Intersections
- Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability
- Victoria Police Enablers Network
- Villamanta Disability Rights Legal Service
- Women with Disabilities Victoria
- Yellow Ladybugs.
We are indebted to all members of the DPRG. We acknowledge the significance and impact when people with a disability share their lived experiences to create a more inclusive, accessible, and responsive organisation.
We look forward to working together over the next three years to deliver on the commitments outlined in this plan.
The Disability Pride Flag
Disability pride is a global movement that has its origins in disability advocacy against ableism and institutionalisation. It is about accepting and honouring every person's uniqueness and treating disability as a normal part of human diversity, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Disability Pride Flag captures the broad spectrum of different experiences of disability.
The faded black field represents mourning for ableist violence experienced by people with disability, while each of the five colours represents the diversity and experiences of disability (physical disabilities, neurodiversity, invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, emotional and psychiatric disabilities, and sensory disabilities).
The stripes are parallel to show solidarity across disabilities.
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: About the Plan
In developing this plan, we considered the policy landscape, including Victorian and Commonwealth law and policies, and the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission.
The criminal justice system was an important area of enquiry for the Royal Commission, and this plan considers the outcomes and recommendations closely.
For example, what must be done to ensure people with disability have equal and fair access to police services.
This plan performs several functions. Firstly, it fulfils the requirement under s 38 of the Disability Act 2006 (Vic) to have in place a disability action plan for the purpose of:
- reducing barriers to accessibility
- reducing barriers to employment
- promoting inclusion
- changing community attitudes.
In addition, this plan:
- aligns with our other legal obligations and strategic priorities
- outlines how we will work with people with disability to achieve our vision and objective
- acknowledges the overrepresentation of people with disability at all stages of the criminal justice process, including factors that may result in an increased risk of offending and recidivism
- proactively promotes partnerships with the community to reduce overrepresentation through awareness and education
Inclusive Victoria, the state disability plan’s outcomes framework, sets out six systemic areas of reform that seek to make inclusion business as usual for government and government agencies.
These reforms are reflected in this plan, including co-designing with people with disability, Aboriginal self-determination, intersectional approaches, accessible communications and universal design, disability confident and inclusive workforces, and effective data and outcomes reporting.
Victoria Police Enablers Network
The Victoria Police Enablers Network is a group of over 100 Victoria Police employees with disability, or who are carers or allies of people with disability.
Enablers Network members promote the voice of lived experience in their various workplaces across Victoria Police and advocate for Victoria Police employees with disability and for carers.
They help our organisation to learn about and understand how to be a better and more attractive employer for people with disability.
The Enablers Network reminds Victoria Police of our responsibility to the principle of ‘nothing about us without us.’ Its members are fearless in challenging the organisation where needed to achieve more accessible and inclusive workplace practices and facilities.
The work of the Enablers Network is performed in addition to their usual duties. For this reason, they do not own specific actions for the delivery of the DAP.
Through their representation on the DPRG and their promotion throughout each year of a range of awareness raising activities, they are critical partners in the success of the DAP.
The DAP is an important demonstration of Victoria Police’s commitment to the rights of people with disability to enjoy equal rights. Victoria Police appreciates the dedication of these employees and their vision for an inclusive, accessible and disability confident organisation.
Our existing commitments
There are a number of activities that are foundational to the accessibility and inclusiveness of our organisation that are now embedded in our business-as-usual work. For this reason, they are not captured as distinct new actions in the Plan. These include:
- online accessibility principles embedded into web content development
- universal design, and design for dignity principles embedded into building and facilities planning
- regular participation in disability community events
- use of Independent Third Persons and Auslan interpreters
- celebrating dates of significance relevant to the disability community.
Work already underway
Victoria Police has made considerable progress in the accessibility of our website over the life of the previous plan. We apply accessibility principles and a digital-first approach to all new public facing website tools, content development and publishing requests.
The Victoria Police website aims to meet Level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 where possible.
The Find my local police station tool is available on the Victoria Police website. It includes the contact details and location of any police station in Victoria. A key function of the tool is that it includes the accessibility features of a station in or near your area.
The accessibility support information on the Victoria Police website includes a disability community safety hub, Disability Liaison Officer page, Easy English guides, and a Communication assistance page.
Disability Liaison Officers
Victoria Police launched the Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) program in April 2024, as we continued to undertake goals set out in previous Accessibility Action Plans.
The launch of the DLO program supports the outcomes of the Disability Royal Commission. The DLO program seeks to reduce barriers and strengthen disability community confidence in police.
DLOs work to build the disability confidence of their colleagues and provide support to people with disability in the community to make our services more accessible.
DLOs are in every Police Service Area in Victoria, and in specialist areas including Transit Safety Division and State Highway Patrol.
Undertaken in addition to police core duties, the DLO role has strong links to frontline police and provides a broader leadership and champion role. DLOs are supported in their role by the Disability Portfolio at Victoria Police.
Disability Liaison Officers in action
Victoria Police DLO logo
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: Where the Plan fits
This plan is aligned with our obligations under international, national, and state legal frameworks and external and internal strategies.
View the international, national, state and local context of the Victoria Police Disability Action Plan.
International
National
State
Victoria Police
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030
Victoria Police Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Framework 2023-2030
In 2023, Victoria Police launched its Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Framework 2023–2030, the aim of which is to support our employees to reach their full potential without discrimination or barriers.
We also have Equal, Safe and Strong: Victoria Police Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2030. We refer to these as Strategic Frameworks.
The Frameworks are underpinned by the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2029 (GEDI) which articulates Victoria Police’s compliance with the Disability Act 2006, to reduce barriers to people with disability obtaining and maintaining employment.
The GEDI drives work towards implementing the goals articulated in the Frameworks.
The Frameworks reaffirms the Victoria Police commitment to creating a workplace that is safe and inclusive of all our people.
This plan is aligned with the Frameworks and the GEDI with shared objectives focused on safety and inclusion for both the community and our workforce.
A Safe Victoria, Victoria Police strategy
Community focused
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030
Employee focused
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: How we developed the Plan
We developed this plan in consultation with people with disability, community organisations, and the Disability Portfolio Reference Group (DPRG).
We asked people across Victoria to tell us what Victoria Police needs to do to improve our services to people with disability.
These conversations started in early 2024 and over four-months we:
- undertook over forty one-on-one consultations with a range of people
- ran a public survey on the Engage Victoria website, receiving 181 responses
- commissioned a targeted consultation by Amaze, with the autism community, which included a survey and interviews involving a combined total of 64 people.
You can see the full list of organisations that contributed on our Acknowledgements page.
A summary of the Consultation Report is available on the Engage Victoria website.
Four key themes emerged from the consultation activities:
- Education
- Communication
- Accessibility
- Inclusion.
These four themes set the foundation for the development of the goals and actions in this plan.
In conjunction with the DPRG we also undertook a Lessons Learned Review of our previous plan, the Accessibility Action Plan 2021-2023, ensuring we were learning from and building on experience.
We worked with the DPRG when developing this plan including its vision, goals, monitoring and accountability. DPRG members took part in, and in some cases ran their own, consultation activities.
This plan is our blueprint for continuing to become a more inclusive, accessible, and disability confident organisation.
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: Goals and actions
Objective
Victoria Police strives to be an inclusive, accessible, and disability confident organisation that supports the safety and human rights of people with disability.
Goal one: Victoria Police members are disability confident
| DAP 2025-2030 action | Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–2027 systemic reform alignment | A Safe Victoria, Victoria Police strategy alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1. Work with people with disability to co-design and develop education and training resources for police that improves workforce understanding of disability. This includes general resources, in addition to content specific to neurodiversity and acquired brain injury. | Co-design with people with disability. Disability confident and inclusive workforces . | Our Principles: Prevention mindset. Our Priorities: Enable our people. |
| 1.2. Increase engagement with people with disability to build trust and confidence in their interactions with police. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Build trust and confidence. |
| 1.3. Embed accessibility considerations into the Education Design Process to ensure consideration is given to including accessibility in training scenarios. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Enable our people. |
| 1.4. Develop collaboration and information sharing arrangements with relevant safeguarding bodies. This will include frontline capability uplift to support the safety of people with disability using disability services. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Operating Model: Community first. Our Priorities: Enable our people. |
| 1.5. Rollout and promotion of the updated Voluntary Disclosure Process. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Principles: Prevention mindset. Our Principles: Intelligence informed. |
Goal two: Victoria Police services are accessible
| DAP 2025-2030 action | Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–2027 systemic reform alignment | A Safe Victoria, Victoria Police strategy alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1. Work with people with disability to identify accessibility gaps in police services and information. | Accessible communication and universal design. Co-design with people with disability. | Our Priorities: Build trust and confidence. Our Priorities: Reduce crime and harm. |
| 2.2. Continue to maintain Police Station Locator tool data to enable accessible public facing information. | Accessible communication and universal design. | Our Priorities: Build trust and confidence. |
Goal three: Victoria Police members are proactive when supporting people with disability and they have the right skills and resources
| DAP 2025-2030 action | Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–2027 systemic reform alignment | A Safe Victoria, Victoria Police strategy alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1. Ensure disability awareness training and education within the Police Foundation Training Program remains current. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Enable our people. Our Principles: Leadership at every level. |
| 3.2. Promote education and training resources to employees working on public transport networks to increase awareness and knowledge of disability and accessibility supports. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. Accessible communication and universal design. | Our Priorities: Enable our people. Our Principles: Leadership at every level. |
| 3.3. Provide and promote communication resources and supports to all 24-hour police stations to reduce communication barriers between police and people with disability. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Build trust and confidence. Our Priorities: Enable our people. |
| 3.4. Strengthen the governance of the Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) program to ensure longevity, sustainability, outcomes and increased proactive community engagement activities. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Build trust and confidence. Our Priorities: Enable our people. Our Principles: Leadership at every level. Our Principles: Victim focus. |
| 3.5. Technical support will be provided on the implementation of the Disability Action Plan. | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Enable our people. Our Principles: Intelligence informed. |
Goal four: Victoria Police is an inclusive and accessible employer
| DAP 2025-2030 action | Inclusive Victoria: state disability plan 2022–2027 systemic reform alignment | A Safe Victoria, Victoria Police strategy alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1. Deliver all actions and commitments in the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2025-2027 (GEDI). | Disability confident and inclusive workforces. | Our Priorities: Enable our people. |
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: How will we know the Plan is working
We will be evaluating success of this plan by using an outcomes framework. We will know the actions are impactful, as we will measure the outcomes each action is linked to.
We will create and maintain an outcomes framework that will tell us what success looks like.
The outcomes framework structure will be set out like this:
| Example Action | Example Outcome | Example Measure | Example Indicator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 Increase engagement with people with disability to build trust and confidence in their interactions with police. | People with disability can access exceptional police services when and where they need them. | Reducing barriers to accessing police services. | Proportion of people with disability who report they have found it hard to access police services (Victoria Police Disability Action Plan Consultation Survey). |
Disability Action Plan Committee
The Disability Action Plan (DAP) Committee is made up of employees across all Victoria Police regions, departments, and commands.
The DAP Committee supports the delivery of the goals within the plan, in addition to providing a strategic governance structure to ensure accountability.
DAP Committee representatives will provide Executive Director or Assistant Commissioner level endorsed updates against actions they own within bi-annual reporting mechanisms.
Reporting
We will report on the progress of the plan every six months to the Victoria Police Executive Leadership Board, DPRG, and to the DAP Committee. We will report outcomes of the plan annually in the Victoria Police Annual Report.
Progress from this plan will inform our contribution to whole of Government progress reports on the implementation of Inclusive Victoria, State Disability Plan.
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: Acknowledgements
Victoria Police is grateful to the many Victoria Police and community allies, groups, and organisations that support and share our vision and objectives and have contributed to the successful development of this plan.
We would particularly like to acknowledge the work of the Law Enforcement Torch Run Victoria. The Law Enforcement Torch Run Victoria is an organisation that includes many Victoria Police employees.
Through a partnership with Special Olympics Australia, they champion acceptance and inclusion for athletes with disability.
Contributors
We would like to acknowledge the support of the Disability Portfolio Reference Group. The individuals and organisations that make up the DPRG help us build a strong connection to the disability community.
The DPRG reflects the lived experience of people with disability and their support networks. Their willingness to share their experience is critical to us becoming more inclusive and accessible.
Thank you to the Victorian community for taking part in the Community Consultation via the Engage Victoria platform.
Victoria Police would also like to thank individuals from the following organisations who took the time to share their thoughts and experiences with us through attending one-on-one consultations.
Victoria Police Disability Action Plan 2025–2030: Glossary
Abbreviations
Term/ abbreviation | What it means in the Plan |
|---|---|
| AAP | Accessibility Action Plan. |
| CPRD | United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. |
| DAP | Disability Action Plan. |
| DLO | Disability Liaison Officer. |
| DPRG | Disability Portfolio Reference Group. |
| GEDI | Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan. |
| Inclusive Victoria | Inclusive Victoria state disability plan 2022–2026. |
| NDIS | National Disability Insurance Scheme. |
| Disability Royal Commission | The Royal Commission into the Abuse, Violence, Neglect and Exploitation of people with Disability. |
| VPeR | Victoria Police e-Referrals. |
Key terms
Term/ abbreviation | What it means in the Plan |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal self-determination | The ability for Aboriginal people to freely determine their political status and pursue their economic, social and cultural development. |
| Accessibility | The extent to which people with disability can access something like an office, worksite or public area. |
| Co-design | The process of involving people with disability in designing, delivering and evaluating a policy, program, product or service. |
| Discrimination | The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, sex, or disability. |
| Identity-first language | Identity-first language puts a person’s disability identity before the person. For example, ‘disabled person’. |
| Intersectionality | A way of describing overlapping forms of discrimination or disadvantage based on attributes such as age, disability, sexuality, ethnicity, Aboriginality, and religion. |
| Person-first language | Person-first language puts the person before their disability, for example, person with disability. |
| Systemic reform | These are areas of focus with Inclusive Victoria that help the Victorian Government work differently to deliver inclusion and access and uphold rights. |
| The Disability Act 2006 | Legislation that provides a whole-of-Victorian-government and community response to the rights and needs of people with disability. |
| Universal design | Making spaces, policies and programs that are inclusive and accessible so they can be used independently by everyone. |
| Objectives | What we hope will happen if the actions in this plan do what they are meant to do. |