Australia’s Deaf community is facing a significant shortage of Auslan interpreters nationwide, according to Deaf Connect.
About 16,000 Australians use Auslan (Australian Sign Language) every day according to the 2021 Census. However, there are only 700 accredited Auslan interpreters, and even fewer trainers to teach Auslan to students.
That leaves a significant gap, and Deaf Connect CEO Mr Brett Casey says that a national approach is needed to address the shortage and bolster numbers of Auslan teachers, interpreters and translators to meet demand.
Deaf Connect is the largest, whole-of-life service provider and social impact organisation for Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of hearing Australians. It is also the nation’s largest provider of Auslan classes as well as qualification courses (RTO #41192).
The organisation delivers programs online nationwide and face-to-face in the ACT, NSW, NT, Queensland, SA and WA. Over 6,500 students learned Auslan via accredited and non-accredited training pathways at Deaf Connect last financial year.
Melbourne Polytechnic, which recently celebrated a decade of delivering Auslan courses, along with Deaf Connect and the Victorian Government have all made significant strides to address this workforce shortage.
To improve access to Auslan skills and qualifications, in 2023 the Victorian Government added the Diploma of Auslan, Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan) and Advanced Diploma of Interpreting (Auslan) to its list of free TAFE programs. This aimed to make Auslan education more accessible to Victorians across the state and bolster the interpreter pipeline.
In June 2024, Deaf Connect signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Melbourne Polytechnic to pave the way for enhanced collaboration. Casey says some of the greatest challenges facing Australia’s Deaf community in the future would come from increasing workforce training, sustainability and growth. Key focus areas of the MOU include Auslan training and workforce development.
“Our organisations engage with similar cohorts within the wider Deaf community,” he says. “This MOU provides us with the opportunity to explore various service delivery options, including accredited training in Auslan and Auslan translations, thereby enhancing the Auslan workforce.
“All these professions – Auslan teachers, interpreters and translators – require investment in that pipeline to bolster numbers into the future.”
Deaf Connect and Melbourne Polytechnic entered the agreement to share information on how they can support the pipeline and look at service delivery options to address this in the future.
“The introduction of the NDIS drastically changed the landscape for the Deaf community when it came to how and when they could access an Auslan interpreter – significantly increasing demand,” Casey adds.
“The training investment in a new interpreter is five years, across multiple diplomas and entrance exams – and that is before any on-the-job training and improvements which would qualify them for more complex appointments.”
Similarly, for Auslan teachers, the roles for a native Auslan user to teach sign language are expanding – from teaching students studying to be interpreters, to increased demand for Auslan teachers in mainstream classrooms.
“Auslan should be taught by native Auslan users, and there are simply not enough teachers for the ideal demand,” Casey says. “The demand for interpreters far outweighs supply and even medical appointments can sometimes be difficult to source interpreters for.”
Accessibility needs of deaf students in schools are also an element of this challenge. In addition to interpreters being required in primary and secondary classrooms, universities also add to this demand – significantly impacting the pool of available professionals.
From 2026, a new initiative in NSW will allow primary and secondary school students to have the option to learn Auslan as part of the school curriculum, from kindergarten to year 10.
Decisions about teaching Auslan will be made by schools and education sectors in consultation with the Deaf community. “This curriculum is a significant step towards inclusivity and bridging communication gaps,” says Deaf Children Australia.
Casey says Toowong State School in Queensland is a great example of teaching Auslan to all children, deaf and hearing. “When visitors go to the school, sometimes they can’t tell the difference between deaf and hearing students as they all sign so fluently,” he says.
However, he says teaching Auslan to all students does not automatically equate to inclusive education and is part of the bigger solution.
“True inclusivity means providing deaf students with genuine access to education in Auslan, not just teaching it as a subject to hearing students,” Casey explains. “A truly inclusive model would include hybrid options or schools that incorporate strategies to deliver education in Auslan and English, creating more inclusive environments for deaf students.
“We need an action plan from the Australian Government to address the shortage. This will ensure an ongoing strategy to attract more people to the profession and retain more Auslan teachers in the workforce.”
