A federal watchdog has revealed thousands of reports of sexual misconduct, injury, abuse and neglect in disability group homes. 

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards Commission has released a new report showing there have been more than 7,000 serious incidents - including sexual misconduct, serious injury, abuse and neglect - in disability group homes over the past four years.

The incidents include a person with disability being exposed to pornography by a support worker, the alleged sexual assault of a person with disability by a support worker, and the emotional or psychological abuse of a person with disability through coercion or undue influence.

There have been more than 7,340 reportable serious incidents in a supported accommodation setting between July 2018 and September 2022; a grim figure made worse by the fact that there are fewer than 20,000 people with disability living in group homes.

The report follows an inquiry into disability group homes that found the “negative attitude and aptitude” by some in the workforce was driving a high number of issues in group home settings.

The latest inquiry called for changes to the regulation of group home settings.

NDIS Minister Bill Mr Shorten says he supports that call.

“We've got to do much better at educating the individuals in the homes, about their rights, and making sure that we check in on them,” he said. 

“It's important to make sure that they're not getting ignored by the systems, and obligations to make sure that they're safe.

“We seem to be learning the same lessons that we should have already learned.

“We've got to be much better at communicating directly with people with disability in supported accommodation, otherwise they're vulnerable.”