The Office of Multicultural Interests has developed a new Western Australian Language Services Policy 2020 to ensure the public sector does not have a language barrier when accessing information and services from members of the public.
The revised policy includes supporting resources, practical advice and case studies to make it easier than ever for Agencies to implement.
Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Paul Papalia said people who might require assistance to communicate effectively included those from Aboriginal backgrounds, from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and who were deaf or hard of hearing.
“Many Aboriginal people, especially those living in regional and remote Western Australia, speak Aboriginal languages or Aboriginal English as their first language rather than Standard Australian English,” Mr Papalia said.
“More than 17 per cent of Western Australians speak a language other than English. Of those, more than 14 per cent do not speak English well or at all.”
He noted that the proportion of Western Australians who communicated through Auslan (Australian sign language) had risen over the past decade.
In a statement accompanying the release of the policy, the Office of Multicultural Interests said it was the obligation of all in the public sector to understand how to make services accessible to everyone.
“The Western Australian Language Services Policy 2020 is a key tool to do this,” the Office said.
“The policy is the result of extensive consultation with public sector and community stakeholders and is a guide to improving access to information and Government services including health, justice, education, training, housing and transport.”
It said the updated Policy Statement and Guidelines would assist public sector Agencies to implement the policy more effectively and be more responsive to the needs of people from linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Mr Papalia said he was confident that public sector Agencies were fully aware of the importance of the policy and would ensure its full implementation.
The 29-page policy can be accessed on the Office of Multicultural Interests website at this PS News link.
