Accessible Government Services for All Annual Report
Page 2
Preface
I am pleased to introduce the 2006 Accessible Government Services for All report. The report incorporates input from over one hundred Australian Government agencies, and contributions from state, territory and local governments.
Australia is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse nations in the world. This places a responsibility on all government agencies to ensure that their programmes and services are responsive to the needs of all Australians.
This report contains a number of examples where agencies have been innovative and resourceful in communicating information to people from a diversity of backgrounds. From the Family Court of Australia, which used playback theatre as a means of communicating information about family law to members of the Eritrean and South Sudanese communities in Tasmania, to Centrelink, which has 105 multilingual publications on its website in over 60 community languages, many agencies have demonstrated a real commitment to tailor their services to meet the needs of their clients.
I commend this report for showing how government services can be made accessible to all Australians. I encourage all Australian Government departments and agencies to continue putting the report’s important principles into practice.
KEVIN ANDREWS
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship