Standards & Guidelines
The functioning of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is supplemented by a series of Disability Standards and guidelines which provide more detail on rights and responsibilities about equal access and opportunity for people with a disability. Standards are legally binding regulations set by the Attorney-General under the DDA. The Commission may advise the Attorney-General on development of such standards.
Guidelines (or ‘Advisory Notes’) are issued by the Commission to assist persons and organisations to understand their rights and comply with their responsibilities under the DDA and accompanying Standards. Unlike the Standards themselves, they are not legally binding.
Standards and Guidelines can be made in the areas of employment, education, public transport services, access to premises, accommodation and the administration of Commonwealth laws and programs. See below for links and information for each of these areas.
- Premises Standards - Standards available at Comlaw
- Guidelines on application of the Premises Standards in PDF or Word
- Advisory Note on streetscape, public outdoor areas, fixtures, fittings and furniture in PDF or Word
- Frequently asked questions on Access to Premises (2014)
- Disability Standards for Education - download standards and information from the Federal Register of Legislation.
- Education standards review - Department of Education and Training (2010 and 2015)
Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport - download standards and information from the Department of Infrastructure & Regional Development
Links to the 2007 and 2012 reviews of the Public Transport Standards can be found here.
The Commission issued a revised advisory note on accessibility of World Wide Web pages in 2010.
Revised Guidelines on insurance and superannuation were adopted by the Commission in March 2005
Standards applying to disability services are not covered by the DDA. For convenience however the National Standards for Disability Services can be accessed here.