“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate:” Or: “You are calmer and more beautiful than a summer day.”
Maybe if Shakespeare had used easy English, we’d all get him on the first go. His impact on theatre is huge, but modern audiences can struggle with language written for the stage 400 years ago. The fact is that communication and engagement only work when people understand what you’re saying. For many organisations, that’s a bigger challenge than they realise.
Millions of Australians live with low literacy, cognitive disability, neurodiversity, English as another language, or simply have limited time and mental bandwidth. When corporate messages are jargon-heavy or overly formal with ‘gov-speak’, they can miss the very people they want to reach.
Australians and literacy: the facts
More than 300 languages are spoken in Aussie homes, making Australia one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. While English is the main language for close to 73% of us, the 2021 Census identified that 5.8 million people (22.8%) spoke another language at home. When asked how well they spoke English, 3.4% of this group said “not well”, or they do not speak it at all.
According to ABS and OECD studies, close to 14% of Australians have very low literacy, with 44% missing the basic skills to manage day-to-day.
What is easy English?
Easy English is a very user-friendly, clear form of writing made for people who struggle to read and understand English. This includes people with disabilities, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, First Nations groups, and older Australians. It uses:
- short sentences
- common, everyday words
- clear structure and headings
- active voice
- simple explanations for complex topics
- images or diagrams.
Easy English is different from “plain English”, which improves clarity for a general audience. More than plain English, it supports people with cognitive difficulties, low literacy, and neurodivergence. Easy English helps a much bigger audience.
Moving beyond compliance
In Australia, accessibility is not just a good thing to do; it’s the law. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities both focus on allowing everyone to find and use the information they need.
To achieve this, the Australian Government Style Manual suggests writing to an Australian year 7 standard (12 to 14 years old) – a level most people can use.
Beyond compliance, accessible communication makes information clear so everyone can understand it. This means:
- fewer complaints and misunderstandings
- greater trust and credibility
- improved engagement and service uptake
- a stronger reputation
- genuine inclusion.
In short: being clear saves time and money and builds relationships.
Easy English is good business
Corporate communications, policies, safety information, and customer notices are often written for readers assuming greater skills and experience with government language. That idea can leave people behind at every level.
Clear and simple internal messaging:
- reduces support calls and follow-up emails
- improves safety and compliance outcomes
- helps staff understand expectations
- supports smooth organisational change.
Accessible communication is not just good business; it’s the future of business. When people don’t understand, they disengage. When they do understand, they participate.
Where to start
Organisations don’t need to change everything right away. It starts with a few simple steps:
- identify high impact or highly accessed materials
- create easy English versions together with standard content
- use consistent structure and plain layouts
- test content with real users
- upskill communications teams with accessibility training.
If you need an independent review of your organisation’s current practices or materials, Articulous’ creative and communications specialists are uniquely placed to help.
