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Deaf groups warn of TV complaints | The Australian
COMMERCIAL television networks face the possibility of potentially embarrassing discrimination lawsuits by the deaf after failing to renew an agreement that covers the captioning of programs.
Under a five-year deal signed with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 2003, the networks committed to increase the captioning of their content to 70per cent in exchange for an exemption from claims of discrimination.
The agreement, which runs out on Wednesday, included a promise to begin negotiations for a new exemption beyond 2008, which did not occur.
The networks have lodged a request for an interim six-month exemption to allow time for a federal government review of captioning to finish. Until that application is ruled on, an opportunity exists for deaf people to complain under the Disability Discrimination Act about any program not being captioned.
That could ultimately lead to a Federal Court order for the station to caption the program, and for damages, as well as adverse publicity.
Support groups for the deaf, upset that the commercial networks have given no indication they are willing to provide more captioning, believe someone will make a complaint.
"We want the networks to make a public commitment now, before the end of the current agreement, to achieving 100per cent captioning," Deaf Australia chief executive Karen Lloyd told The Australian.
"If they won't do this, we will probably send a submission to HREOC opposing the granting of an exemption, and there will very likely be a complaint lodged during the window between the end of the current agreement and HREOC's decision on the exemption."
One in six Australians has some form of hearing loss, a figure projected to increase to one in four by 2050 as the population ages.
Federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graham Innes said Australia lagged behind other developed countries such as Britain, the US and Canada in the captioning of television programs for the deaf.
Dr Innes said he was disappointed the networks had lodged their application so late for an extension to the exemption. "It's also disappointing they have given no public commitment to extend captioning further, given that in overseas countries there is a clear acceptance of a progression toward 100per cent."
Nicole Lauder, chief executive of the Deafness Forum, said her group was prepared to lodge an objection to the commercial networks' bid for an extension to their exemption, because the application did not make a commitment to increase captioning.
"We feel the spirit of the DDA is to increase access or reduce barriers to access. So by merely extending what's currently there, that's not doing that," Ms Lauder said.
Free TV Australia, which acts on behalf of the commercial networks, declined to comment.
COMMERCIAL television networks face the possibility of potentially embarrassing discrimination lawsuits by the deaf after failing to renew an agreement that covers the captioning of programs.
Under a five-year deal signed with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission in 2003, the networks committed to increase the captioning of their content to 70per cent in exchange for an exemption from claims of discrimination.
The agreement, which runs out on Wednesday, included a promise to begin negotiations for a new exemption beyond 2008, which did not occur.
The networks have lodged a request for an interim six-month exemption to allow time for a federal government review of captioning to finish. Until that application is ruled on, an opportunity exists for deaf people to complain under the Disability Discrimination Act about any program not being captioned.
That could ultimately lead to a Federal Court order for the station to caption the program, and for damages, as well as adverse publicity.
Support groups for the deaf, upset that the commercial networks have given no indication they are willing to provide more captioning, believe someone will make a complaint.
"We want the networks to make a public commitment now, before the end of the current agreement, to achieving 100per cent captioning," Deaf Australia chief executive Karen Lloyd told The Australian.
"If they won't do this, we will probably send a submission to HREOC opposing the granting of an exemption, and there will very likely be a complaint lodged during the window between the end of the current agreement and HREOC's decision on the exemption."
One in six Australians has some form of hearing loss, a figure projected to increase to one in four by 2050 as the population ages.
Federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graham Innes said Australia lagged behind other developed countries such as Britain, the US and Canada in the captioning of television programs for the deaf.
Dr Innes said he was disappointed the networks had lodged their application so late for an extension to the exemption. "It's also disappointing they have given no public commitment to extend captioning further, given that in overseas countries there is a clear acceptance of a progression toward 100per cent."
Nicole Lauder, chief executive of the Deafness Forum, said her group was prepared to lodge an objection to the commercial networks' bid for an extension to their exemption, because the application did not make a commitment to increase captioning.
"We feel the spirit of the DDA is to increase access or reduce barriers to access. So by merely extending what's currently there, that's not doing that," Ms Lauder said.
Free TV Australia, which acts on behalf of the commercial networks, declined to comment.