We launched the engagement phase at a national webinar with Dr Ben Gauntlett, the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, as key speaker. 143 people from the building industry, disability sector and government participated.
The 3 priorities for change that emerged from the webinar were:
- the importance of improving knowledge and understanding across all aspects of the Premises Standards and their application
- improving auditing and enforcement of the Premises Standards
- strengthening specific requirements in the Premises Standards.
The review sought feedback from many different disability communities as well as their families, carers and friends. Focus groups allowed more targeted engagement and ensured the review could reach people with disability and their families or carers.
Nine focus groups were held with:
- local, state, territory and federal government officials
- building industry professionals
- people living with vision impairment
- people living with sensory processing issues
- people living with intellectual disability
- people living with physical disability in regional Australia
- young people with disability
- deaf First Nations people
- people living with physical disability in metropolitan Australia.
Seventeen participants provided detailed responses during 14 in-depth interview sessions. These interviews let us to ask follow-up questions to obtain additional information. Interviews also let us capture views from audience groups that did not have the chance to participate in the other consultation activities.
In-depth interviews were held with:
- First Nations people with disability (regional)
- First Nations people with disability (remote)
- culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability
- a deafblind person
- people with physical disability and complex communication needs
- people with a special interest in the building codes
- People with a special interest in disability issues.
We used 3 online discussion boards to draw on lived experiences and specific accessibility issues, as well as to facilitate more technical discussion. Discussion boards consisted of:
- building industry professionals
- people with disability
- formal and informal carers.
Finally, we conducted 3 workshops for individuals, organisations and peak bodies from different disability backgrounds to discuss the Premises Standards. The workshops aimed to summarise the problems raised during the review and brainstorm possible solutions to improve the effectiveness of the Premises Standards. A full breakdown of the activities list is listed in Appendix B.