How Government Accessibility Requirements Affect Creative Production

Accessibility is not optional in government creative work. It's a legal and policy requirement, and for Queensland Government agencies it applies across digital content, broadcast material, and public communications. Understanding what's required and how it affects production is essential for any agency commissioning creative work.

What the requirements are

Queensland Government agencies are required to meet accessibility standards across their communications. For digital content, this means conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), currently at version 2.1 Level AA as a minimum standard. For video content, this includes captions, audio description where required, and transcript availability.

Broadcast content -- television commercials and cinema advertising -- is governed by the ACMA captioning obligations and relevant broadcast standards. Radio and audio content has its own accessibility considerations around clarity, reading level, and language complexity.

Plain language requirements apply across government communications. Content should be written at a reading level accessible to a broad audience, avoid jargon, and be structured to support comprehension rather than require it.

How this affects video production

Captioning for video content is the most commonly encountered accessibility requirement in government creative production. Open captions are burned into the video file. Closed captions are delivered as a separate file that can be turned on or off by the viewer. Government digital platforms typically require closed captions. Broadcast television requires closed captions for most content.

Captions need to be accurate, synchronised with the audio, and formatted to meet relevant standards. Auto-generated captions from platform tools rarely meet government accuracy requirements without review and correction. Budget for captioning as a production line item, not an afterthought.

Audio description is required for video content where visual information is not conveyed through dialogue or narration and where that information is essential to understanding the content. A video that shows a process without describing it audibly needs audio description for audiences who are blind or have low vision. Plan for this at the scripting stage rather than the post-production stage.

Easy Read versions of key communications are increasingly expected for government content directed at audiences that include people with cognitive disability or low literacy. This affects written content more than video, but for campaigns with significant print or digital text components it's worth planning for at the brief stage.

How this affects photography and print

Photography for government communications should reflect the diversity of the Queensland community. This is both an accessibility consideration and a representation one. Images that only show a narrow demographic range fail a significant portion of the audience the communication is intended to reach.

Print materials need to meet contrast ratio requirements for text and background colour combinations. Font sizes need to meet minimum legibility standards. Documents intended for digital distribution need to be structured for screen reader accessibility, which affects layout, heading hierarchy, and alt text for images.

The practical implication for agencies

Accessibility requirements need to be built into the production process from the start. Adding captions to a finished video is straightforward. Redesigning a campaign concept because the visual approach doesn't support audio description is expensive. Reshaping a photography library because the talent selection didn't reflect the audience is more expensive still.

Brief your creative supplier on accessibility requirements at the outset. A supplier experienced in government work will know what's required and factor it into their approach. A supplier without government experience may not, and the gap will show up at the approval stage.

Welcome to the Fold

We've been producing accessible government communications for more than twenty years. Captioning, audio description, plain language, and WCAG compliance are built into our production workflow rather than added at the end. We're appointed to the Queensland All-of-Government Creative Services Panel (GGS0120-25) and six other government panels. If you want to talk through accessibility requirements for your project, get in touch.