Legislative requirements

Legislative requirements

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA)—At its core this DAP is intended to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against persons on the ground of disability in the areas of:

• work, accommodation, education, access to premises, clubs and sport;
• the provision of goods, facilities, services and land;
• existing laws;
• the administration of Commonwealth laws and programs;
• to ensure, as far as practicable, that persons with disabilities have the same rights to equality before the law as the rest of the community; and
• to promote recognition and acceptance within the community of the principle that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights as the rest of the community.

Section 3 of the DDA states that a disability action plan must include provisions relating to:

• the devising of policies and programs to achieve the objects of this DDA;
• the communication of these policies and programs to persons within the action plan; • the review of practices within the action plan with a view to the identification of any discriminatory practices;
• the setting of goals and targets, where these may reasonably be determined against which the success of the plan in achieving the objects of the DDA may be assessed;
• the means, other than those referred to in paragraph (d), of evaluating the policies and programs referred to in paragraph (a); and
• the appointment of persons within the action plan to implement the provisions referred to in paragraphs (a) to (e) (inclusive).

It is important to note that most of the focus for disability access and inclusion has historically focused on the built environment. The DDA also covers the systematic processes and protocols that impact accessibility. Therefore, the Shrine will adopt an organisation wide approach to ensuring disability discrimination is mitigated and, ultimately, eliminated.

Further to the DDA there are other National Codes, Acts and Australian standards that prescribe minimum requirements for what is deemed to be an acceptable level of accessibility. Where this DAP aims to address access barriers and the like, these minimum requirements will guide and underpin the strategies and actions for the provision of equitable disability access.