New features on the way for the National Relay Service

The National Relay Service (NRS) is an essential phone service that supports people in every corner of the country who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing and/or have speech communication difficulty, as well as Australians wanting to communicate with them.

It provides a range of different types of call services, depending on needs and preferences, and Relay Officers are specially trained staff who help with every call. Relay Officers will:

• change voice to text or text to voice
• change Auslan to English or English to Auslan
• stay on the line throughout the call to help you, without getting in the way or changing what is said.

To ensure the continued success of the service as a pillar in the disability community, important features will be introduced and expanded upon over the coming years, including:

• a user assistance function to help train and upskill users
• a community engagement function to create, maintain and develop better links with users and the broader d/Deaf community
• regular surveys to test satisfaction with the service.

Following a successful tender process—Concentrix—the current supplier—has been awarded a new three-year contract, and has committed to introducing these crucial improvements.

Concentrix has also committed to continue the trial of the Video Relay Service on Saturday mornings and will look to introduce a new, simpler VRS platform in coming months.

The Australian Government will also establish a Communications Accessibility Consultative Committee, bringing together key organisations that represent people with a disability, such as the Australian Disability Network, Deafness Forum Australia and Vision 2020 Australia.

This will provide a forum where the experiences, perspectives and concerns of Australians with a disability can assist the Government to identify broader communications accessibility issues and develop policies to increase access to communications services in the short, medium and long term.

The Committee will also inform implementation of Recommendation 6.1 of the Disability Royal Commission which advocates for development of a national plan to promote accessible information and communications.

For more information on the NRS visit Helping you connect | Access Hub.

Find out more

1. Read the Minister's media release—Improved services on the way for the National Relay Service
2. Auslan translation Youtube video—NRS tender announcement
3. Auslan translation Youtube video—Government to establish Communications Accessibility Consultative Committee