Source : Perth Now news
Justice is said to be blind, but a chronic shortage of Auslan interpreters has also rendered it deaf.
More than 3.6m Australians suffer from a form of hearing loss, with many relying on the services of interpreters to help them communicate and navigate processes such as court appearances.
Two years after it was revealed there are only 747 fully-accredited interpreters servicing more than 30,000 people nationally with total hearing loss, advocates said little has improved and they are calling on the issue to be urgently addressed.
Deaf Australia CEO Shirley Liu said deaf Australians faced a “range of challenges when interacting with the court system”.
“It is our experience that courts and tribunals do often fail to book an interpreter and then deaf people can experience lengthy delays in their cases,” Ms Liu told NewsWire.
“A refusal of a reasonable adjustment like deaf interpreting is direct discrimination,” she said.
“Other common barriers include booking an inappropriate type of Auslan interpreting such as booking video remote interpreting instead of face-to-face.”
She said at its core, a lack of access to proper resources meant those who needed it the most lost their ability to “participate equally in the justice system”.
One person who knows that first-hand is Philip Waters.
She is one of the six Victorians in an ongoing battle to sue movie giant HOYTS for failing to provide open captions at its cinemas.
The group first launched their legal action in 2024, but have since been stymied by a series of delays – often linked to a lack of certified Auslan interpreters.
“We have the right to access court, government services and in society, yet it is so sad to feel less than human when it comes to accessibility,” Mr Waters told NewsWire.
What ensued has been a long arduous process involving interpreter booking issues which left him feeling “hopeless”.
The court is responsible for organising equal access to justice, yet Mr Waters said certified interpreters being inadequately briefed led to delays and cancellations on the day of formal mitigation meetings.
“The lack of interpreters takes our power away and makes us hopeless,” Mr Waters said.
“I feel like a second-class citizen, frustrated that our ideas for solutions are ignored or dismissed,” he said.
“It is 2026, yet we have to continually advocate for access.
“We have advocacy fatigue of having the pressure on ourselves that we need to make a complaint every time we experience barriers with interpreter access,” Mr Waters said.
“While technology has improved, attitudes of people continue to be discriminatory against people who use Auslan or people who rely on captioning.”
Ms Liu called on the federal government to establish a Royal Commission into “language and interpreting services” and called for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee the sector.
“The number one change needed is stronger government investment in the Auslan workforce, alongside language and accessibility policies that recognise Auslan as a vital part of an inclusive society.”
“Auslan interpreters are essential for accessing healthcare, education, employment, legal services, and public information so Deaf people can make informed decision-making, communicate and participate on an equal basis.”
