Disability Discrimination Act Review – Community Survey

Closes 24 Oct 2025

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Part 3 – Encouraging inclusion of people with disability in employment, education and other areas of public life

This section asks questions about encouraging inclusion of people with disability in areas of public life. There are proposed changes to:

  • make the rules clearer around making adjustments for people with disability.
  • what duty holders need to think about when deciding if making an adjustment is too difficult (unjustifiable hardship).
  • make the rules clearer that schools and universities cannot exclude or suspend a student because of their disability.
5. Should the rules around providing adjustments be made clearer?

Click here for more information about reasonable adjustments

Duty holders must do things that people with disability need so they can take part in activities like having a job or going to school. This is called making 'reasonable adjustments'.

To help make sure people with disability are receiving the adjustments they need, the review is looking at: 

  • Changing ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ‘adjustments’, to accurately reflect how the law already works. It will make it clear that helping people with disability is the standard. 
  • Making sure employers talk to people with disability. This will make them think about what adjustments they will need to help them do their job.
  • Clarifying who is responsible for providing adjustments.

(Please select one)

6. How much do you agree or disagree with these statements about making adjustments and when it creates an 'unjustifiable hardship'?

Click here for more information about reasonable adjustments and unjustifiable hardship

Duty holders must do things that people with disability need so they can take part in activities like having a job or going to school. This is called making ‘reasonable adjustments’.

Duty holders do not need to make adjustments if it is too difficult, which is called unjustifiable hardship.
7. How much do you agree or disagree with these statements about the ‘inherent requirements’ of a job?

Click here for more information about inherent requirements

Inherent requirements means the qualifications, skills, tasks, and the way in which tasks must be performed, that are essential for a job.

The law currently states that an employer needs to consider the following factors to determine whether a person with disability would be able to carry out the ‘inherent requirements’ of a role:

  • the person’s past training, qualifications and experience relevant to the particular role
  • if the person is already employed
  • the person’s performance in their current role
  • any other relevant factors.
8. Should the Disability Discrimination Act be changed to make it clear that educational institutions (including schools, universities and TAFE) are not allowed to discriminate against students because of their disability by excluding or suspending them?

Click here for more information

The Disability Royal Commission recommended that the Disability Discrimination Act should be changed to clearly say that excluding or suspending a student because they have a disability is discrimination.

(Please select one)