University of Tasmania, Australia

The Australian Government has mandated that all government websites (this includes UTAS) must comply with WCAG 2.0 Single A by December 2012 and Double A by December 2014.

Compliance with WCAG 2.0 has been mandated by the Australian Government. In its Web Accessibility National Transition Strategy, the Australian Government has defined a government website as one that:

• is either fully or partly owned and/or operated by a government agency;
• is registered on a domain name, sub-domain or sub-directory; and
• has a distinct look and feel (design), audience and purpose.

Universities web presences, because universities fall under the federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for funding and reporting, may therefore be government websites, and may be required to comply with WCAG 2.0 Single A by December 2012 and Double A by December 2014.

Before this requirement existed and whether or not it applies to universities, all universities need to make their websites accessible because they fall under the definition of services provided for education under the Disability Discrimination Act (1992). The Australian Human Rights Commission, which enforces this Act, endorses WCAG 2.0.