Image Description: A white tile graphic with 2 light blue text boxes on the left. The light blue text inside the first one reads 'The Disability Discrimination Act Review colon.' The second text box with black text inside continues 'Modernising protections and access.' The easy read dot tech logo is in the bottom left corner. There is a blue blob shape on the right behind an illustration of 2 women, with light skin and wearing red t-shirts, sitting at a desk with a computer screen. The woman on the left with blonde hair and who wears a hearing aid is looking at the screen, while the woman on the right, with dark hair in a ponytail, is holding up and reading a white document. 

By Malana Treulieb-Berk

Graphic by Justin Olivares

The Australian Government is currently reviewing the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth), working to strengthen protections for people with disability. 

This is the first major review of the legislation in 15 years, and the Government is seeking public feedback to help shape the reforms. 

The goal is clear: the DDA will be modernised to enact changes that will accurately reflect the current needs of Australians with disability. 

What is the DDA?

The DDA is an important piece of legislation focused on furthering equality and human rights for Australians with disability. 

Introduced over 30 years ago, the Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against people because of their disability. 

The DDA aims to provide protection across many different aspects of life, ensuring that people with disability are not treated unfairly in areas including employment, education, housing, access to services and public spaces, and club activities. 

The Act provides protection for a wide range of disability types, whether temporary or permanent, including: 

• Physical disability

• Intellectual disability

• Sensory or neurological disability

• Learning disability

• Psychosocial disability or mental health conditions

The Australian Human Rights Commission notes that the DDA protects people with disability from both direct and indirect discrimination, as well as  harassment. 

Why is the Act under review?

While the DDA aims to prevent disability discrimination, many claim that it is ineffective in practice and no longer properly meets the needs of people with disability. 

The 2023 Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability gathered input from over 10,000 people on their experiences, deriving 222 recommendations that could vastly improve the lives of Australians with disability. 

Of these recommendations, 15 were directed towards reforming the Act. 

People with disability in Australia continue to face discrimination and systemic barriers. 

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, people with disability are twice as likely to be unemployed compared to those without disability.  

Sometimes this exclusion can be linked to inaccessible information. 

A person may miss out on a job interview because the application form is not available in Easy Read or a screen reader compatible format. 

The DDA review aims to strengthen legal protections for people with disability, so they can equitably participate in society. 

What aspects of the DDA are under review?

In response to the Royal Commission’s recommendations and disability advocates’ suggestions, the Government has identified  7 key areas for possible reform. 

In the issues paper summary, these are outlined as:

• Updating the definition and understanding of disability and disability discrimination 

• Including ‘positive duty’ to prevent discrimination before it occurs

• Better inclusion within work, school, and public life

• Stronger legal protections within the justice system

• Exemptions (when actions that may otherwise be considered discrimination are  permitted by law)

• Updates to legislation for assistance animals, action plans, and standards

• Other ideas for reform

Another key goal of this review is to help make the Act itself more inclusive. 

People with disability will have varied experiences on discrimination depending on their gender, age, culture, sexuality, race, and other aspects of their identity. 

By understanding how disability intersects with other identity categories to create unique, overlapping discrimination experiences, the Act can also be improved to work more effectively with other anti-discrimination legislation . 

The role of accessible communication

As the DDA is designed both to prevent discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity, accessible communication is essential.

As an organisation with the aim of ‘better access to information and inclusion for all’, easyread.tech believes that it is crucial that the DDA will highlight the importance of inclusive and accessible information. 

Communication is vital for survival.

When we exclude accessible communications, many people, especially those with intellectual disability, are cut completely out of the conversation. 

Accessible information should not be optional.

It is vital for inclusion and participation. 

A person with intellectual disability may be unable to respond to a housing application if it is full of jargon; someone who is blind or has low vision may not be able to read a PDF if it is not tagged for screen readers; a Deaf person or someone who is hard of hearing may miss important updates if there is no Auslan version of a video or closed captions are unavailable.

Easyread.tech is a strong advocate for inclusive and accessible communications. 

Whether it is Easy Read and Plain English documents, accessible website content, tagged PDFs, Auslan videos, or animated videos, easyread.tech understands the importance of information in an inclusive format that works best for your target audience. 

We work with organisations to remove barriers and ensure information is available to all.

So, how do we get involved?

This review is an opportunity to ensure the law reflects the lived experience of people with disability and properly protects them—not just by stopping discrimination after it occurs, but by preventing discrimination from ever occurring. 

Submissions are anonymous and open until 24 October 2025. 

You can contribute by visiting the Government's DDA Review webpage and answering the Issues Paper questions or filling out the Community Survey. 

Submissions are available in multiple formats, including Easy Read, Auslan, and tagged PDFs.

Your input matters. 

People with disability deserve to participate in society with the same respect and rights as everyone else.

To learn how easyread.tech can support your organisation with accessible communication and inclusion, please reach out to us here.