Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697633890487.pdf (Australia)
Appendix 4 Australian Prose Literacy Australian Numerical Literacy Australian Digital Literacy Page 1.

Page 3.

Page 4.

Australian Prose Literacy data.

The Australian adult literacy data derived from an international project between the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (0ECD) and 40 member countries highlights the significant numbers of Australian adults with limited or low literacy skills.12 It is called the Programme for the International assessment of Adult Literacy Skills (PIAAC).
The research in 2013 was the third iteration of this data.

It demonstrated that adult literacy skills had not changed across the previous 12-15 years in Australia.

Further analysis has been processed and released in 2016 and 2019.

IN that time there have been no changes to the basic data.

Plans are underway for the next version of this data in 2022-23.

The data was for adults from 16 years to 65 years.


However, it did not include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, nor people in institutions.

(Consider prisons, group homes, institutional care, hospitals, community residential services, mental health facilities, nursing homes).

These individuals are known to have significantly poorer literacy than the participants identified in this research.
This data does not specifically include people with disability, including the Deaf community, people with an intellectual disability or an acquired disability such as following a head injury, stroke or with dementia.

Nor does it specifically include people with mental illness.

1 Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (2013, 2016, 2019) Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Literacy Skills.

http://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/ 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) #4228.
Programme for the International assessment of Adult Literacy Skills www.abs.gov.au 1 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 Participants in the study were placed in categories of ‘below level 1’ to ‘level 5’ based on their results of a wide range of day to day reading tasks.

The data indicates: - • 44% of the adult Australian population do not have the literacy skills to manage a range of day to day reading tasks.
This is the 7.3 million Australian adults.3 In the graph below this is - below level 1 (grey); - - level 1 (orange); level 2 (green); • 56% of the adult Australian population can manage a range a day to day reading tasks.

For these adults Plain Language is very useful.

In the graph below this is - - level 3 (black) level 4/5 (blue).
The development and access to Easy English is so more of the 44% of the adult Australian population may have access to meaningful written information they can read, understand and relate to.

The description of Proficiency of the PIAAC for Below Level 1 says “Individuals at this level can read brief texts on familiar topics and locate a single piece of specific information identical in form to information in the question or directive.
They are not required to understand the structure of sentences to paragraphs and only a basic vocabulary knowledge is required.“ 4 3 ABS #4228 4 OECD, 2013 p67.

2 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 When English is a second language, the data suggest up to 53% (10% higher) of these members of our community, do not have the literacy to manage a range of day to day reading tasks.

Numerical Literacy Anything that includes numerical information, i.e.
not just counting numbers, but knowing dates, distance, measurement, times and concepts such as before, after, less or more are less well developed than general prose literacy.

For the general community this is at least 10% less well developed.

Therefore 53% (63% for people with English as a second language) of adult Australian population do not have the numerical literacy to manage a range of day to day reading tasks.
Of significance in the COVID19 communication environment is the information provided about social distancing.

We heard information such as - stand 1.5 metres apart, or 2 square metres per person; - 3 weeks between vaccines, 6 weeks between vaccines, 6 months to your booster shot; - stay within 5 kms of home.

These different phrases are confusing for many people, in trying to determine limits for people, spaces and distance.
3 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 Computer Literacy/Digital Literacy This data is also from the PIAAC research, and further studies from the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) and CSIRO.

It is critical in the context of the COVID19 response, as all information including updates, vaccine information and how to book them, permits to cross borders and new rules have only been available via this means or messages via radio or television.
There are no hard copy documents being distributed by the Federal Government that I am aware of.

So, why is that important?

Firstly, the computer and use of the internet is based in literacy.

Knowing that at least 44% of the adult Australian population do not have the literacy to manage a range of day to day reading tasks, this added element of using the internet makes this even more challenging for many people.
You need to be able to know about the keyboard, and location of letters on the keyboard, to be able to spell or at least copy letters into the address menu when searching the internet.

When you land on a website there are significant skills required to navigate and locate what you may be looking for.

It is common to have no phone number readily available, instead a chat box or email is the primary means to access that service, which relies on literacy once again.
It may appear to professionals who use computers daily, that computer access, use of them and the internet is well developed through all our communities.

The data below demonstrates this is certainly not the case.

The Federal Government must address this in how information is disseminated and provided to the community.

A 2015 CSIRO5 investigation is one of a number of pieces of data on use of the internet and computers in Australian households.

One in five households do not have access to computers.
Where are these households likely to be?

Low socio-economic groups, institutions and other congregate care including nursing homes.

In the work I do with clients providing Speech Pathology services in community residential units (group homes) it is rare to see a computer available to clients there.

5 Campbell, S., Mason, C. M., Griffith, C., Dane, S. K., Reeson, A., O’Brien-McInally, B.
A., Kimber, J. D. (2013) Broadband Impact and Challenges: Realising the benefits from the digital economy, Australian Centre for Broadband Innovation, CSIRO EP1312215.
4 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 There is evidence households with older people (65+) have changed some of their access and use of the internet over the previous 6 months (to May 2021) during the pandemic.7 This includes • 93% of older Australians have an internet connection at home in 2021, compared with 68% in 2017; • activities in the previous 6 months - video conference/calling - started to use 34%; increased use 41% - telehealth – started to use 50%; increased their use 29%; - using legal, financial type services online – started to use 15%; increased use 15%; - watching video content – started to use 4%; increased use 27%.
• an uptake of use of the internet, but at a lower rate than younger population groups; Note the activities the majority of older people do not do include: • accessing government services; • accessing health information.

The report notes the uptake in internet use has mostly been in the categories of entertaining (streaming) and staying connected.

It also notes many negative feelings by this age group in using the internet.
Although the ACMA data above on older people and digital use has increased during the pandemic, this does not equate to using the internet for a multitude of tasks including navigating a complex website to locate content they need.

A third study from ACMA, the adult (18+) Australian Digital Inclusion Index, 20208 reflects much of this data also.

This index weights aspects such as access, affordability (in relation to income) and digital ability to find what you need, to do what you want on the technology.
7 Australian Communications and Media Authority (2021) Communications and media in Australia.

The digital lives of older Australianshttps://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-05/apo-nid312412.pdf 8 Australian Communications and Media Authority (2020) Measuring Australia’s Digital Divide.
Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2020. https://digitalinclusionindex.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TLS ADII Report- 2020 WebU.pdf 6 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 The average Australian Digital Inclusion Index in the report at March 2020 was 63 (out of 100).

A Digital Inclusion index of less than 53 (out of 100) is considered to be a low Digital Inclusion Index.

Across the previous 7 years the average index had increased from 53 to 63, so 10 points in 7 years.
Below is a summary of their findings, which were released in March 2020, as the early stages of the pandemic reached Australia.

- People who were offline – more than 2.5 million people; - People with a mobile only – limits data availability – 4 million people.

These are more likely to be people who are marginalised and be a significant part of vulnerable communities.

This is the list of groups with a Digital Inclusion Index of less than 53.
- House hold income Q5 (under $35k) - Aged 65 + - Less than secondary education - Disability - Household income Q4 ($35K- $60K).

Other marginalised groups just over the threshold of 53 on the Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) were - Not in labour force (ADII score 54.3); - Indigenous Australians (ADII score 55.1).

A new report of the adult (18+) Australian Digital Inclusion Index (2021)9 based on data collection during 2020 and early 2021 has identified some changes.
Firstly, this data does not include data from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, nor does it include any data from the Northern Territory.

It appears the average Australian Digital Inclusion Index has increased to 67.

However, further investigation of the data shows those who were already considered to have a high or very high Digital Inclusion Index have increased further.
This can be seen in increased skills for these people in working remotely, although there are many who still have challenges.

9 Australian Communications and Media Authority (2021) Measuring Australia’s Digital Divide.

Australian Digital Inclusion Index https://h3e6r2c4.rocketcdn.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ADII 2021 Summary-report V1.pdf 7 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4 Those who previously had low Digital Inclusion Indexes continue to score low on their Digital Inclusion Index.
The gap between those who do and can, and those who cannot and donot have good Digital Inclusion continues to widened.

There is one exception, which is the parent who was trying to assist their children with remote learning.

In Summary COVID19 is a health emergency and has an enormous response from government services, including additional payments and services people can access.
This includes additional supports from the NDIS and support payments, access to retirement funds, access to vaccination information and places to get it.

The OECD/ABS data shows 44% (7.3 million) of the adult Australian population do not have the literacy to manage a range of day to day reading tasks.

This is worse when it is about numerical information, like we have had during the pandemic.
This is not just one specific group of people in our community, but covers diverse populations from all parts of our communities.

Content in Plain Language or the limited content in Easy Read has not been good enough for a large number of people in our community.

All written content from the Federal Government has been only available via the Federal Government websites.

Only 30% of adult Australians have the digital literacy to navigate complex websites such as all the Federal Government websites.
The Australian Digital Inclusion Index reinforces that this continues up to and including the current years of the pandemic of 2020 and 2021.

The Federal Government needs to plan for and include all members of our community in their communication with the public.

Cathy Basterfield, Owner Access Easy English.

Email: cathy@accesseayenglish.com.au Website: www.accesseasyengl;ish.com.au 8 COVID-19Submission 550 - Attachment 4