Australia’s multilingual broadcaster, SBS, is keeping the deaf and hard of hearing community informed with accessible resources ahead of the referendum vote on an Indigenous Voice to Federal Parliament.
As part of SBS’s commitment to making news and information on the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament accessible to all Australians, the network has developed an Auslan collection for Australia’s deaf and hard of hearing community, as part of its broader referendum coverage.
The SBS On Demand Voice Referendum with Auslan collection includes more than 60 short form news and explainer videos from SBS News and across the network, with new content added daily, and captions where available. In addition to short-form factual programming and full episodes of NITV’s The Point: Referendum Road Trip with Auslan, content with a lighter tone rounds out the offering.
Victoria Hunt, Manager of Access Services at SBS, said: “Delivering accessible content and resources is part of what we do at SBS. In the lead up to this historic referendum, providing accessible information is more important than ever to ensure all Australians can fully engage with the debate and make informed decisions about the nation we live in.”
The collection features:
- SBS’s Uluru Statement from the Heart, re-expressed in Auslan for deaf communities across Australia, provided by Worimi and Dunghutti woman, Haley Martin.
- Newly interpreted in Auslan, The Point: Road to Referendum – Miss Information, hosted by Australia’s number one drag journalist challenges mistruths and goes in search of the facts in the debate.
- The Point’s JP’s History Bites, hosted by Wuthathi and Meriam man John Paul Janke, who reflects on the known and little-known moments on Australia’s path to this referendum.