Education is presented as a cornerstone of equality where every child, regardless of background or ability, can learn and thrive. Yet, for thousands of students with disabilities, this promise remains unfulfilled. Despite decades of reform and commitments to inclusion, systemic barriers continue to exclude and disadvantage those who need support the most. In Australia, a coalition of 21 disability advocacy groups is calling for a National Roadmap for Inclusive Education, urging the government to turn talk into action, realized in every classroom.
Australia’s Unsteady Path Toward Inclusive Education
Australia’s education system has long struggled to deliver on the promise of inclusion. For much of the 20th century, children with disabilities were segregated into special schools or denied access altogether. The global disability rights movement of the 1970s began to shift this paradigm.
Equality legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992, prohibited discrimination in education and laid the foundation for more inclusive approaches. In 2005, the federal government introduced the Disability Standards for Education under that Act. This was the first national framework requiring schools to make “reasonable adjustments” for students with disabilities. These reforms were informed by international commitments, such as the 1994 UNESCO Salamanca Statement and were strengthened after Australia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008.
Yet, despite these milestones, progress in implementation has consistently fallen short of the promises. In 2023, the Disability Royal Commission exposed deep and persistent inequalities, including students with disabilities continuing to experience exclusion, bullying, and isolation at far higher rates than their peers. Despite policy commitments, schools frequently limit inclusion in practice.
A 2025 study found that Australian education policy often uses the language of inclusion as mere rhetoric while maintaining exclusionary structures such as selective enrollment, inadequate teacher training, and insufficient funding. The result is a widening gap between policy and reality, where students’ right to education is conditional rather than guaranteed. Genuine inclusion requires more than aspirational statements. Instead, it depends on sustained, needs-based investment. Therefore, investing in more inclusive funding means that resources would follow students’ needs, enabling schools to hire specialist staff, train teachers in inclusive practices, and create accessible environments.
Inclusive Education Policy Without Practice
Evidence from a variety of sources continues to demonstrate that students with disabilities and their families face exclusion, and in some cases, victimization in schools. For example, in a survey conducted in 2016, over 70% of families of a student with a disability reported experiencing gatekeeping—when schools discourage or delay enrolment of children with disabilities. Many also reported that, once enrolled, their children faced isolation within the school environment.
In Victoria, the government’s Inclusive Education Policy aims to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or ability, have access to high-quality education. The policy affirms the Department of Education’s commitment to embedding inclusive practices in every school environment and to supporting students with disabilities and additional needs. Still, implementation remains slow and inconsistent.
The gap between principle and practice has troubling consequences. Behind every report of exclusion in education are children who have been isolated, restrained, or denied appropriate support. Families have shared deeply distressing accounts of how these practices affect their children. One parent described how her son with autism was repeatedly shut alone in an empty room. The mother likened the experience to being punished “simply for being different.” Educators say they feel unsupported due to a lack of training and resources to create inclusive classrooms.
These incidents reveal that when inclusion is deprioritized exclusion becomes the norm. Without proper support, teachers are left with impossible choices, and students pay the price.
Learning From Inclusion That Works
Across Australia, proactive schools are proving that genuine inclusion is possible. Wentworth Public School is a small primary school located on the border between New South Wales and Victoria. The school has built a strong reputation for providing every student with the support they need to reach their full potential.
This success stems from a school-wide commitment to inclusivity, where a shared framework guides teaching, learning, and support across all levels. The school’s philosophy is captured in its three strategic directions: first, I learn; second, we learn; third, we learn together. The first direction reflects the school’s emphasis on recognizing and responding to each student’s individual needs. The second highlights the commitment to building a skilled, passionate staff through significant investment in professional development. Finally, the third direction demonstrates the importance of strong partnerships with families and wider communities, acknowledging that inclusion depends on a collective approach.
A parent described the school’s learning and support team as “really on the ball,” praising it ensures that “no one falls through the gap.” Students’ needs are identified early, discussed in team meetings, and addressed through swift and tailored action plans. Inclusive education is not only achievable—it is transformative.
A National Blueprint for Inclusive Education
The National Roadmap for Inclusive Education, championed by advocacy groups like Children and Young People with Disability Australia, outlines what structural change could look like.
Building an inclusive education system in Australia requires more than isolated funding or new frameworks; it requires transformative change, shaped through active consultation with students with disabilities and their families, to inform policies that directly affect their lives. Decision-making processes should reflect lived experiences rather than bureaucratic assumptions.
Early intervention lays the foundation for inclusion. When schools identify and support children with disabilities from their earliest years, those students build their confidence and engage alongside their peers. Teachers must be trained to recognise diverse needs.
Without adequate preparation, even the most well-intentioned educators are left to navigate complex needs on their own. Universities and professional development programs need to integrate inclusive education as a central, not optional, part of teacher training. This shift would equip teachers with the skills to create learning environments where every child feels valued and supported, not managed or restrained.
Finally, progress must be transparent and accountable. National data collection and public reporting should track whether reforms are improving students with disabilities’ experiences. This analysis would account for reduced isolation and exclusion, improved attendance, and fostering a sense of belonging. In Victoria, for example, early evaluations of the Disability Inclusion rollout show schools beginning to adapt through new funding models, personalised learning profiles, and staff training initiatives. But these early steps must evolve into a consistent national standard.
An effective roadmap is a living commitment to equity, participation, and justice. Only through sustained collaboration among governments, educators, families, and students can Australia move from policy to concrete and meaningful inclusion.
Edited by Gabrielle Andrychuk
