Submission Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into the delivery of outcomes under the National Disability Strategy 2010 2020 ...

Submission
Senate Community Affairs References
Committee

Inquiry into the delivery of outcomes under the National
Disability Strategy 2010 – 2020 to build inclusive and
accessible communities.
April 2017

CONTENTS

Introduction ............................................................................................................................3
1. Creating an accessible and inclusive workplace ............................................................. 3
2. Managing national parks.................................................................................................... 5
3. Communicating information .............................................................................................. 6

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INTRODUCTION

The Department of the Environment and Energy welcomes the opportunity to provide this
submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee.

Consistent with the Inquiry’s terms of reference, this submission focuses on the fifth outcome
of the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020, “Inclusive and Accessible Communities
Outcome: People with disability live in accessible and well-designed communities with
opportunity for full inclusion in social, economic, sporting and cultural life”, and its five policy
directions:

1. Increased participation of people with disability, their families and carers in the social,
   cultural, religious, recreational and sporting life of the community.

2. Improved accessibility of the built and natural environment through planning and regulatory
   systems, maximising the participation and inclusion of every member of the community.

3. Improved provision of accessible and well-designed housing with choice for people with
   disability about where they live.

4. A public, private and community transport system that is accessible for the whole
   community.

5. Communication and information systems that are accessible, reliable and responsive to
   the needs of people with disability, their families and carers.

This submission outlines how the Department contributes to building inclusive and accessible
communities, both as an employer and through the implementation of the Government’s
policies and programs, in three areas:

1. Creating an accessible and inclusive workplace – How the Department, as an
   employer, plays an active role in creating a culture that celebrates diversity and removes
   barriers to participation, including for people with disability.

2. Managing national parks – How the Department provides accessibility and inclusiveness
   principles in the management of national parks.

3. Communicating information – How the Department’s website, one of our primary
   communication tools, meets or exceeds mandated conformance levels for web
   accessibility.

1. CREATING AN ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

The Department employs over 2,800 1 people in a range of locations across Australia, including
in corporate offices in Canberra, Hobart and Darwin, and in regional and remote locations
such as Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park, Kakadu National Park, Christmas Island and
Antarctica.

The Department is committed to achieving a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture, where
people are valued and can realise their potential at work, whatever their race, gender, sexual
orientation, diversity or background.

1
    As at 1 December 2016.
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The Department’s Disability Action Plan 2016-19 contains initiatives aimed at increasing the
recruitment and retention of people with disability, raises awareness among supervisors and
managers on how to work with and support people with disabilities, and highlights key
legislation and policies such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Fair Work Act 1999 and
United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2008.

The Department has implemented a suite of strategies under the Plan aimed at increasing
participation for people with disabilities, including:

•   appointing a Senior Executive to the position of Diversity and Disability Sponsor to
    promote disability awareness across the Department and to participate in Commonwealth
    public sector disability-related forums

•   incorporating affirmative measures into the Department’s recruitment processes

        o   For example, the Department is a part of the RecruitAbility scheme, which supports
            the increased representation of people with disability in the Australian Public
            Service. This includes automatically progressing a job applicant with disability to
            the next stage in a selection process if they have been assessed as meeting the
            minimum requirements of the job.

•   adopting an online recruitment system, eRecruit, that is compliant with the Web Content
    Accessibility Guidelines, discussed in further detail under section three below

        o   eRecruit has an ‘accessibility’ mode available in the candidate portal which allows
            a user to opt-in to using assistive technology, such as screen readers and voice
            recognition software. If requested, a Departmental official can also submit a user’s
            application on their behalf.

•   offering paid internships to university students with disability

        o   During the 2016–17 financial year, the Department employed eight university
            students with disability in paid work placements. The interns gained valuable work
            experience in the Australian Public Service and an understanding of the
            Department’s purpose and priorities.

•   continuing to deliver individual workplace adjustments for staff under the Department’s
    Reasonable Adjustment Policy, such as the provision of assistive technology solutions or
    sit stand workstations

•   promoting awareness of disability issues and support services by recognising and
    observing key events in Department-wide communications, such as Mental Health Week,
    R U Ok? Day, International Day of People with Disability and Hearing Awareness Week

•   establishing ‘5-plus-5 forums’ where five employees with disabilities and/or caring
    responsibilities share their stories and ideas with five senior leaders in the Department in
    order to promote awareness of the day-to-day challenges facing affected staff and to
    inform future actions

•   providing ongoing support to staff through the various services delivered by the
    Department’s Corporate Work Health and Safety team, Health and Safety
    Representatives, Workplace Contact Officers and the Department’s Disability Coordinator

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•   supporting the Department’s Professional Employees Network for Disability, which brings
    together staff from across the Department to develop systems, policies and strategies
    aimed at enhancing opportunities for people with disability

•   delivering mental health first aid training to Workplace Contact Officers, Health and Safety
    Representatives and First Aid Officers in order to increase their knowledge, awareness
    and ability to respond to mental health issues

•   regularly promoting the Employee Assistance Program – a professional, confidential
    counselling service – to all staff

•   for Department-sponsored social and cultural events, ensuring those with a disability are
    included.

The Department is committed to improving the accessibility of its tenancies for people with
disability, for example, by making buildings wheelchair accessible. Prior to undertaking
refurbishments or making significant adjustments to its buildings, the Department consults
those with disability in the early stages to ensure all accessibility matters are addressed.

Where possible, the Department complies with the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings)
Standards 2010 – standards under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 – in work designs,
workplace restructures and office refurbishments, and when undertaking cyclical audits for
compliance with the standards.

The Department ensures that the emergency evacuation plans in its tenancies make
provisions for people with disability. For example, the Department liaises with people with
disability in establishing appropriate individual Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans. These
plans include preferred methods of communication to suit an individual’s requirements, such
as visual alarms, and nominated officers to provide personal assistance to the individual in an
emergency situation.

2. MANAGING NATIONAL PARKS

The Department, through Parks Australia, is responsible for the management of six national
parks, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and 59 marine reserves. Parks Australia
strives to enhance the inclusivity and accessibility of the places it manages, including some of
Australia’s most iconic natural and cultural destinations such as Uluru–Kata Tjuta National
Park and Kakadu National Park.

‘Amazing destinations’, one of the three goals contained in the Director of National Parks
Corporate Plan 2016-2020, seeks to “offer world class natural and cultural experiences,
enhancing Australia’s visitor economy”. Refreshing and upgrading visitor infrastructure – to
ensure all members of the community have the opportunity to experience the beauty,
inspiration and health-giving qualities of nature – is a priority action under this goal and, where
feasible, this work incorporates the needs of people with disability.

Examples of recently improved tourism infrastructure include the spectacular and wheelchair
accessible viewing platform, Talinguru Nyakunytjaku, at Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park, as
well as new boardwalks at the Booderee and Christmas Island National Parks. In addition,
Parks Australia is currently planning for extensive upgrading of walking tracks throughout
Kakadu National Park and, where possible, these tracks will incorporate universal design
principles.

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3. COMMUNICATING INFORMATION

The Department communicates vast amounts of information through reports, communiques,
media releases, web pages, fact sheets, databases and many other products. Under
the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Australian Government agencies are required to ensure
information and services are provided in a non-discriminatory and accessible manner. One of
the Department’s primary communication channels is its website which undergoes continuous
improvement to ensure a high degree of accessibility, including for those with disabilities.

The Department’s website complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version
2.0 (WCAG 2.0) standard, which requires a website to meet a minimum standard of website
accessibility to achieve a compliance rating of A, AA or AAA. The Department’s website is fully
compliant to Level A rating in all areas, and the majority of the Department’s digital content is
AA compliant. Practical examples of how the Department’s website meets or exceeds the
standard include publishing documents in multiple formats (PDF and Word) to ensure assistive
technologies can be used to interpret information, and providing text descriptions to
complement any charts or diagrams.

In addition to WCAG 2.0 compliance, new online services are built in accordance with the
Australian Government Digital Service Standard. Accessibility is a core principle within the
Standard, ensuring that digital services are available to all. The Department’s recently
released Online Services portal is an example of a system designed with the Standard’s
accessibility considerations at the forefront. The portal is able to be operated using assistive
technology, contains a simple sitemap overview to assist with navigation, and provides email,
telephone and mail contact details to provide assistance to those encountering accessibility
difficulties with the site. Over time, new services such as permit applications and public
consultation processes will be added to the portal to create an accessible, easy to use, ‘one
stop shop’ for users to access various services offered by the Department.

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