Accessibility
Australian government sites must meet WCAG 2.2 AA, and most of what that asks of a site is in the theme and components already. What is left depends on the content, and that is the editor's part. The habits below cover nearly all of it.
Images
Every image needs alternative text that says what it shows, written for someone who cannot see it: Minister opening the bridge, March 2026, not photo or the file name. Set it on the media item, once, and it applies everywhere the image is used.
A purely decorative image — a texture, a flourish — gets empty alternative text, not a description.
Never put text in an image. If a graphic contains words, repeat them in the page.
The Images missing alt text report under Manage → Content lists what still needs doing.
Headings
Headings are how screen-reader users move around a page, and what the On this page list is built from. Use Heading 2 for sections and Heading 3 beneath them, in order, never skipping a level; the page title is the only Heading 1.
Do not make a heading out of bold text, and do not use a heading for emphasis. Every component's Heading counts as a section heading, so give each one a real heading — Hide heading keeps it for assistive technology while hiding it visually.
Link text
Link text must make sense on its own: download the annual report (PDF, 2 MB), not click here or read more. Screen-reader users often jump from link to link without the surrounding sentence.
Links to files say what they are. Links that open another site are marked automatically by the theme, with an "opens in a new window" note for assistive technology.
Data tables
Use tables for data, never for layout, and always set the header row in the editor's table toolbar. For anything large use the Datatable component, which is keyboard-navigable and sortable.
Media, charts and embeds
Video needs captions; audio needs a transcript. Attach the transcript as a document or put it in the page.
A Chart is a picture to a screen reader: fill in its Transcript field with the numbers or the finding.
An iFrame needs an iFrame title saying what is inside it.
The Video Background modifier adds a pause button automatically and does not autoplay for visitors who have asked for reduced motion; the animated components and modifiers (Scroll Reveal, Colour Palette Swap, Parallax Background, Slider, Stats) respect the same setting. You do not need to do anything, but do not add motion the design does not need.
Colour and contrast
Choose colour with palettes, not by hand. Every palette's text and link colours are checked for contrast when the Themer sets them up (see Colours), so text on a palette background is safe; text on a custom gradient or image is not, which is why backgrounds get an overlay.
Never convey meaning by colour alone — an alert's Type sets its colour and its icon, and a table cell that is red needs a word that says why.
Language
Plain English, short sentences, one idea per paragraph. Spell out an abbreviation the first time.
Say what a page is for in its Description; it is read out in search results and cards before anyone reaches the page.
Checking
Before sending a page for review, tab through it with the keyboard: every link and control should be reachable and visibly focused. Then read the headings alone, as the On this page list shows them — if they tell the story, the structure is right. Approvers repeat the same checks before publishing; see Approvers.
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