Curtain to close on disability abuse, neglect inquiry

The disability royal commission will hold a ceremonial closing in Sydney on Friday in the lead-up to its final report being released.

Chair and former Federal Court judge Ronald Sackville and his five fellow commissioners plan to attend the sitting, but the report's contents will not be discussed.

The sitting will instead be used as an opportunity to reflect on the inquiry's work and acknowledge those who shared their experiences.

"The royal commission could not have undertaken such a far-reaching inquiry without the immense contributions of so many people with disability, their families and supporters," Mr Sackville said.

Since the commission was established in April 2019, almost 10,000 people have shared their experiences of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation through submissions or private sessions.

More than 30 blocks of public hearings have been held across the country, including during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In its final substantive hearings in May, the commission was told two autistic brothers, then aged 17 and 19, were found in their Brisbane home in May 2020 in a room with no door handles.

The pair were malnourished, unclothed and in soiled nappies, with their father dead in another room when emergency services arrived.

A year earlier, one of the boys was witnessed gnawing on a raw dog bone when a public tip-off prompted a visit by authorities.

Queensland's former Department of Child Safety chief Meegan Crawford conceded the incident was distressing but said the department was not legally mandated to intervene and follow-ups had occurred.

The commission's final report is scheduled to be delivered to the governor-general by September 29.

It will make recommendations on ways to improve laws, policies, structures and practices to help people with disabilities to live free from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

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Australian Associated Press