Foreword

I am proud to endorse the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s (DPAC) new Accessibility Action Plan 2018-2021 (the Plan), which supports Tasmania’s third Disability Framework for Action, Accessible Island 2018-21. 

In our role leading the State Service, and as an employer, we continue to drive accessibility improvements for the broader Tasmanian community and employees alike. Some of DPAC’s key achievements to date include:

  • leading the cross-agency implementation of the NDIS in Tasmania
  • completing the review into Tasmania’s Structural Recovery Arrangements and drafting a revised State Recovery Plan, which considers accessibility issues and associated arrangements;
  • redeveloping the Glenorchy Service Centre, incorporating a new style of ‘sit down’ to assist accessibility;
  • converting the emergency evacuation procedure documentation of many key property holdings into an accessible PDF format;
  • coordinating a state-wide forum in conjunction with the  Department of Justice, the Local Government Association of Tasmania and councils,  promoting universal access, raising awareness of the accessibility barriers in the built environment for Tasmanians, and encouraging builders and designers to go beyond the minimum access requirements;
  • implementing a ‘HTML First’ strategy to simplify the production of compliant documents for staff and consultants;
  • implementing the Tasmanian State Service Diversity and Inclusion Policy and the Diversity and Inclusion Framework; and
  • conducting a mental health awareness campaign within DPAC to reduce stigma and increase support around mental health in the workplace.

Our 2018-21 Plan builds on the progress we have made implementing our two previous plans, and supports the underpinning principles of Accessible Island: access and inclusion; collaboration; and, employment. We are committed to building on past successes, and we recognise there is scope for improvement. We will sharpen our focus on consulting with people with disability in the design and implementation of Tasmanian Government services, policy and legislation.

We will also continue to improve accessibility of services and information, and collaborate with local government, business and the not-for-profit sector to share our experience and identify new opportunities to reduce barriers and improve accessibility.

In our capacity as an employer, we will continually strive to build a workforce that represents the broader Tasmanian community, and work to reduce barriers to employment, both across the State Service and within DPAC, so people with disability can access employment and career development opportunities. Across the State Service we will do this by continuing to support agencies to implement the Diversity and Inclusion Framework.

Our commitment to consultation and collaboration with people with disability extends to our workforce. After agency-wide consultation in 2017, we launched our Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2017-18, which includes a commitment to reviewing our recruitment processes, reducing the impact of unconscious bias in decision making, and ensuring our physical environment is inclusive for people with disability.

I believe this Plan provides DPAC with a sound foundation to deliver initiatives that will improve accessibility to information, services and programs, and ultimately achieve better outcomes for people with disability.

 

Jenny Gale

Secretary

Department of Premier and Cabinet

 


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