Methodology

The survey data was curated to isolate all responses to each question separately. The data was quantitatively coded by recurring themes, providing an understanding of the proportion of respondents who mentioned each topic or idea.

This enabled the team to understand the broad responses to each question and iteratively update a rich description of each theme.  

The qualitative approach involved reading the written submissions and meeting notes to understand the broad themes and nuances of concepts reflected in the quantitative analysis.  

Quotes were taken only from the online survey to ensure word for word reflection of what was shared with us. Quotes with identifiable information were not shared, as quotes were not changed in anyway, including in grammar or spelling.

In some cases, extracts of responses were shared, where the other ideas in the response were distinct and not relevant to the topic being discussed.

Basic identifiers (connection to the disability community and region) were shared with the quote to highlight the breadth of responses and give context to the quote.  

Privacy 

The Privacy Act 2020 applies to all submissions. Any personal information supplied to DSS while making a submission will be known only to the team working on this project. Submissions may be requested under the Official Information Act 1982.

Personal information, not deemed to be in the public interest, will be withheld from any information releases and publications. 

Limitations 

There were some limitations on the information collected through the consultation process. In some instances, a submitter’s initial answer to a proposal would differ from their following response.

This may result in the statistics not always accurately reflecting the sentiments of submitters. 

Analysis recorded the frequency of responses, not the intensity. An idea may have been important to only a small portion, yet this nuance was not captured in our analysis. These statistics should be read considering the contextual comments to ensure a clear understanding. 

As submissions were received in a range of formats (including Word, PDF, handwritten, and email), there were some formatting errors in the submissions. Where required, submissions were reformatted to be analysed.  

When referring to respondents, the report quantifies support for positions based on the classifications in the table below.

Some questions had larger response uptake than others, yet all were statistically analysed into percentages of respondents who mentioned a topic or idea. Hence whether a question received several hundred responses or less than 100, the same percentages and terms are used relative to the proportion of responses to that question. 

Submission classification