Australian policy and legislation

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Eyes-free viewing: Australia’s first audio described TV

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Australia’s first audio described TV was switched on on Sunday evening, as the ABC commenced its technical trial. Audio description (AD) is a secondary audio track which provides description of the visual elements of a piece of media for the benefit of people who are blind or vision impaired.

Audio description is offered on almost half of DVDs released in Australia and in some cinemas and theatres. Many countries, including the UK, New Zealand and Canada, broadcast several hours of audio described television each week. The trial is Australia’s first step towards catching up.

Lauren Henley, of Blind Citizens Australia, gathered with friends to share the historic moment and watch the David Attenborough documentary Nature’s Great Events.

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Australian policy and legislation
Television
Audio description
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Blind/vision impaired TV, DVD, Cinema & the Arts news
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Audio description trial dates announced

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The long-awaited trial of audio description on Australian television will commence on 5 August on ABC1, and run for 13 weeks between 5pm and midnight. A list of which TV and set top-box brands will be able to receive audio description has also been released.

The trial commencement date was announced in a joint media release issued by Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE), and Senator Jan McLucas, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers.

“This audio description trial is an Australian first,” said Senator Conroy. “It is being funded by the Gillard Government and will cover drama, documentaries and other content broadcast on ABC1.”

Taxonomy: 
General
Australian policy and legislation
Television
Blind or vision impaired
Audio description
Research & policy
News
News alert taxonomy: 
Blind/vision impaired TV, DVD, Cinema & the Arts news
Research & Policy news

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Australians with disabilities pay too much for IT

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has published a report outlining how Australians pay too much for technology and that people with disability are being hit hardest.

ACCAN’s submission to the Inquiry into IT Pricing, which is being conducted by the House Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications, investigated how much Australians pay for software and hardware compared to the rest of the world. In particular, assistive technology costs more here than elsewhere in the world, yet Australians with disability are more likely to be under financial pressure.

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Australian policy and legislation
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Deaf/hearing impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news
Blind/vision impaired Digital Technology & Online Media news
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Government releases draft changes to caption legislation

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Yesterday the Federal Government released a draft bill to amend the Broadcasting Services Act to include caption quotas and caption quality requirements. These are changes that deafness organisations and advocates have long been calling for.

For the first time, subscription television caption quotas will be included, and the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, will be equipped to introduce properly defined quality standards. Free-to-air television channels will also have additional captioning quotas.

Taxonomy: 
General
Australian policy and legislation
Captions
Television
Deaf or hearing impaired
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News alert taxonomy: 
Deaf/hearing impaired TV, DVD, Cinema & the Arts news

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