Royal commission into disabled abuse backed

A motion supporting a royal commission into the mistreatment of people with disabilities has passed federal parliament, with the Prime Minister vowing to seek further advice from the states and territories on the issue.

The Coalition government backed the motion in the House of Representatives yesterday, four days after it passed the Senate without their support.

‘‘I take the issue of abuse and neglect of people with disability very seriously and so does the government I lead,’’ Scott Morrison told parliament.

‘‘We take it seriously because abuse and the neglect of our most vulnerable is abhorrent.’’

Despite backing the motion, Mr Morrison stressed the states and territories had previously rejected a call for a royal commission. He will be seeking further advice from them.

‘‘These are hurdles that will have to be addressed,’’ Mr Morrison said.

Labor has accused the government of dragging the chain on setting up an inquiry, considering it voted against it last week.

But Opposition leader Bill Shorten welcomed the motion’s success yesterday and called for a decision on the inquiry’s timeline.

‘‘It has been on the books for too long, this proposition,’’ he told parliament.

Mr Shorten stressed royal commissions — which can only be called by the executive — had previously been called without the support of states and territories.

Greens leader Adam Bandt agreed with the Labor leader on the need for a timeline.

‘‘What we need now is action. People have been waiting for a very, very long time,’’ he said.

Mr Morrison said at no point he opposed the royal commission. That came after he allowed the longest question time on record on Thursday, avoiding a potential vote on the motion.