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‘Distressing’ disability violence rates in Australia

Robbery and attack of wheelchair user and his wife in park

People with a disability are much more likely than other Australians to face violence, discrimination and poor health, a new report has found.

About 4.3 million Australians – nearly one in five – have a disability, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Four in five of those people have a predominantly physical disability, with one in five having a mental or behavioural disability.

Nearly half of people with a disability aged 15 or older, 47 per cent, have experienced violence compared with 36 per cent of Australians without a disability.

They are also more likely to experience psychological distress, with 32 per cent of adults with a disability reporting high or very high distress, compared to eight per cent of those without disability.

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