Consultations for the second review of the Premises Standards

The Social Deck was engaged by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources to undertake a phase of consultation for the second review of the Disability (Access to Premises – Building) Standards 2010 (the Premises Standards).

We engaged with stakeholders from the Australian building industry and disability communities to identify priorities and areas for improvement in:

• awareness and understanding of the Premises Standards among the building industry, disability communities, and the general public, including the accessibility of materials and information
• suitability of the Premises Standards to practical application
• mechanisms for compliance with and enforcement of the Standards
• adaptability of the Premises Standards to developments in accessible design, technology and accepted practice
• gaps in addressing accessibility requirements.

The review focused on accessibility under the key areas of:

• access and egress, which includes size, location and design of entries and paths of movement
• communication and wayfinding, including signage
• toilet and change room provisions
• environmental sensitivities, including noise and acoustics and lighting.

Target groups representing different disability needs provided input on their perspectives, experiences and priorities, and additional impacts related to the intersections of different disabilities, backgrounds and identities were investigated.

Based on the consultations, we provided an analysis of the key challenges that were identified, with a focus on aligning them with ideas and solutions.

The Premises Standards Review 2021 report is available on the Department’s website.