Australian Standards
What are Australian Standards?
Standards define technical specifications or common requirements for a particular product, method or service, to promote consistency, efficiency and reliability.
Australian Standards are technical documents relating to a broad range of topics. They are developed by committees with extensive expertise and interests relating to the subject of each standard, and are published by Standards Australia, an independent non-government body.
Accessibility Standards
The main Australian Standards relating to access issues for people with disabilities are:
- AS 1428.1-2001 Design for access and mobility - General requirements for access - New building work
- AS 1428.2-1992 Design for access and mobility - Enhanced and additional requirements - Buildings and facilities
- AS 1428.3-1992 Design for access and mobility - Requirements for children and adolescents with physical disabilities
- AS/NZS 1428.4:2002 Design for access and mobility - Tactile indicators
There are ongoing efforts to establish more standards and improve existing ones,
Australian Standards and the Law
Australian Standards are not legal documents. However, many Australian Standards become mandatory under state and federal law.
Australian Standards may be incorporated into the Disability Standards under the Disability Discrimination Act. The DDA Disability Standard on Accessible Public Transport currently uses the specifications provided by a number of Australian Standards, including various sections of AS 1428.
The Building Code of Australia, which is mandatory in all states and territories, also refers to technical requirements outlined in Australian Standards, including AS 1428.1 for access issues.
For further information, see
Standards Australia.