NSW Government accessibility intelligence
A strategic snapshot of digital accessibility across 15 NSW Government agencies, grouped by cluster. Indicative WCAG 2.1 AA risk scores, common issue patterns, and priority remediation focus.
How to read these numbers. Scores are indicative, derived from automated WCAG 2.1 AA scans of public homepages and selected high-traffic pages for each agency, snapshotted in November 2025. Automated testing finds about 30 to 40 per cent of WCAG issues. Manual and assistive-technology testing typically uncovers more. Treat scores as a directional signal of risk, not a final compliance verdict. A full audit is the only reliable way to confirm conformance.
How accessible are NSW government digital services?
Across the 15 NSW agencies sampled, indicative WCAG 2.1 AA scores average 63.2 out of 100, with four agencies in the high-risk band and one (Digital NSW) leading the field at 86.2. The most common issues are colour contrast, missing image alt text, and unclear link names, present across every agency tested. Planning Portal, NCAT, icare NSW and Courts and Tribunals show the highest concentration of critical and high-severity barriers.
Risk distribution
Cluster performance
Most common accessibility issues
| Agency | Cluster | Score | Risk | Critical | High | Priority | Remediation scope |
|---|
Select any row for the dimension breakdown. Remediation scope is an indicative effort band based on issue count and severity, not a quote. Request a scoped estimate.
Issue prevalence across agencies
Counts are aggregate instances detected across the 15 agencies sampled. Use the WCAG Criteria Search to identify the success criterion behind each issue.
WCAG 2.1 principle breakdown
Perceivable
- Colour contrast
- Image alt text
- Video captions
Operable
- Keyboard access
- Link names
- Button names
Understandable
- Form labels
- Error messages
- Language tags
Robust
- ARIA roles
- Valid HTML
- Name, role, value
Common questions about the NSW accessibility intelligence
Plain answers to how the data was produced and what it means.
How was the NSW accessibility data collected?
The intelligence is based on automated scans of 15 NSW Government agency homepages across seven clusters, snapshotted in November 2025, scored indicatively against WCAG 2.1 AA. Automated scans are a starting point and do not replace a full manual and assistive-technology audit.
Which NSW agency scored highest for accessibility?
Digital NSW led the sampled agencies with an indicative score of 86.2 out of 100. The sample average was 63.2, and four agencies fell into the high-risk band.
What are the most common accessibility issues in NSW government sites?
The most common issues across the agencies tested were insufficient colour contrast, missing image alt text, and unclear link names. These appeared across every agency in the sample.
Are these scores an official compliance rating?
No. The scores are indicative and derived from automated scans of homepages, not an official rating. A full WCAG 2.2 audit with manual and assistive-technology testing is required to confirm an agency's real conformance position.