Free-to-air TV
New TV regulations in 2001 saw captions become compulsory for all programs broadcast between 6pm and 10.30pm, but there was no mechanism for this quota to be increased. The DDA provided that mechanism. With the help of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), Deaf consumer groups made agreements with the free-to-air networks which saw caption levels on programs between 6am and midnight increase by 5% each year from 2005. This process was superseded by legislation last year which continued the quota increases, and will see 100% of programs between 6am and midnight on primary channels captioned in 2014.
Subscription TV
The DDA played a vital role in bringing captions to subscription TV. With no legislation requiring captioning in place, the HREOC brokered agreements between Deaf consumers groups and the subscription TV providers FOXTEL and AUSTAR which saw an initial 20 channels providing captions in 2004.
Thanks to these agreements, levels of captioning steadily increased over the decade. As with free-to-air TV, subscription TV caption quotas are now legislated, but the process would have been far slower without the DDA.
Web Accessibility
SOCOG vs Maguire was a landmark case which established that under the DDA, organisations have a legal obligation to make their online content accessible. In June 1999, Bruce Lindsay Maguire, made a complaint to the HREOC about the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games for their failure to provide information in Braille and on a website that is accessible to someone who is blind or vision impaired.
Fourteen years on, Australian governments are in the process of providing accessible websites under the National Transition Strategy. Our initiative, Access iQ, was established last year to support this.
DVD access
In 2007 the HREOC held an enquiry into DVD access, bringing all DVD distributors together to find new ways to improve levels of captioning and audio description. Thanks to this collaborative approach Australia has the highest levels of audio description on DVD in the world.
Cinema access
Australia is a world leader in cinema access, with a comprehensive plan to introduce captions and audio description across the major chains. The first discussions about cinema access started in 1999 and led to captioned cinema being introduced in each capital city in 2001. There are currently 90 cinemas across the country showing captioned and audio described movies.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (formerly the HREOC) is marking the anniversary of the DDA with the 20 Years, 20 Stories campaign which features 20 accessible short films from individuals and community organisations.
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