Govt upgrades online services for Australians with disabilities
Australians with disabilities will soon find it easier to access Government information online.
Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner, and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities, Bill Shorten, said the Rudd Government had endorsed new website accessibility standards, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.
“This is an important step in making democracy more open, accessible and accountable for all Australians,” Mr Tanner said.
“It will encourage and enable people living with disabilities to more fully interact with, and get services from Government online.”
The new standard replaces WCAG 1.0, a mandated requirement for agencies since 2000.
“The Australian Government is progressively implementing new online technologies and looking to connect with more people online. These new standards will improve the ability of people with a broad range of disabilities to take up those opportunities and engage with the Government via the Internet,” he said.
The standards contained in WCAG 2.0 were in line with internationally recognised best-practice and stipulated that all Government websites adhere to these new standards by 2015.
Information about the guidelines and upcoming National Transition Strategy will be made available on the Web Publishing Guide http://webpublishing.agimo.gov.au/
