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Media ArticleDeaf Australia applauds investigation into access to electronic mediaMedia Release - 12th September 2007Deaf Australia is delighted with the announcement today by the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, of an investigation into access to electronic media for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing.Deaf Australia appreciates this initiative by Senator Coonan and Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, who raised the need for this investigation in the Senate in late August. Access to electronic media, which for Deaf and hard of hearing people usually means captioning on television, DVDs and the Internet, in cinemas, and in public places such as train stations and airports is vital for Deaf and hard of hearing people. Deaf Australia has for many years been advocating for improvements in captioning in a range of areas. We have worked with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), and with the TV, cinema, DVD and Internet industries to improve the level and quality of captions and have been actively involved in industry agreements brokered by HREOC. There have been some important improvements in the level of captioning in recent years, but a great deal still needs to be done. Deaf Australia initiated and lead a recent campaign by the Deaf community lobbying Senators to support an inquiry into issues affecting Deaf and hard of hearing people, including captioning. We are therefore very pleased with today’s announcement. Senator Stott Despoja has long been a strong supporter of Deaf and hard of hearing people, and we applaud her efforts. Senator Coonan has shown that she has listened and is prepared to take positive steps to help improve access to electronic media, and we appreciate her commitment to this issue. What is less well understood and was not specifically mentioned by Minister Coonan, is that for Deaf people, access to information in the electronic media in their own language, Auslan, is also vital. Deaf Australia has been advocating for many years, for a program in Auslan on national free to air television, and will be including this issue in our submission to the investigation.
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