Autistic twins found starving as father lay dead in next room at Brisbane home: Details emerge in Disability Royal Commission

The Queensland government has apologized and promised to consider recommendations made in an investigative report into the abuse of two autistic teenagers.

Child Protection Minister Craig Crawford said the abuse, neglect and violence suffered by teenagers known by the pseudonyms Kaleb and Jonathon should never have happened.

Both were found in 2020 naked in a bedroom with door handles removed, in dirty diapers and with their deceased father in a nearby room.

A year earlier, one of the boys was witnessed gnawing a dog bone when a public tip prompted authorities to visit their Brisbane home.

These details were unearthed at a public hearing of the Royal Disability Commission in May.

“This should never have happened. This shouldn’t be happening in our country and it shouldn’t be happening in our state,” Crawford told reporters on Tuesday.

Child Protection Minister Craig Crawford said the abuse, neglect and violence suffered by teenagers known by the pseudonyms Kaleb and Jonathon should never have happened.

The fate of the teens was likened to “torture” by Commissioner John Ryan, with commission counsel Kate Eastman saying government agencies were aware of the risks to the boys.

In three findings made Tuesday, the report says that between 2000 and May 2020, Kaleb and Jonathon experienced violence, abuse, neglect and the deprivation of their human rights while in the care of their father.

The abuse they suffered was preventable and the government could and should have done more so that Kaleb and Jonathon would not have experienced the deprivation of their human rights, the report said.

Five recommendations have been proposed, including an apology and compensation from the government, which should examine whether current policies and practices are sufficient to prevent children with disabilities from being deprived of the scope of human rights.

Better training and resources for relevant government departments are also part of the recommendations to address the influence of unconscious and conscious bias, and how discrimination against children with disabilities arises.

The photo shows the room in which the neglected brothers were found by the authorities in May 2020

The state should also consider whether or not mandatory reporting by persons involved in certain activities – a provision of the Child Protection Act – should apply to all police officers in Queensland.

Mr Crawford said a recommended independent review of the findings will be considered, as will compensation.

“As a government, we need to give time to go through the report, to talk to all these agencies,” he said.

“We need in-depth analysis from various government agencies on this point.”

Opposition spokesman Amanda Camm said the shocking treatment of the two boys will reverberate across the state.

“Today Minister Crawford must explain to the people of Queensland what will be done to make sure this never happens again,” she said.

The final report of the Royal Commission on Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disabilities is due on September 29.