First Access: Defining the standard

Usually, when people talk about "accessibility," they’re talking about how easy a product or a building is to use. It’s a dry, technical term. But the context is much deeper than that.

Accessibility is about making sure our people can show up, participate, and lead on their own terms.

Beyond the Checklist

Standard venue management treats access like a chore. For Mob, it’s a political act of reclamation. You can’t talk about "opening doors" without acknowledging that those doors were often designed to be closed to us.

True access can’t be separated from the reality of systemic racism. It’s not just about a ramp; it’s about acknowledging the full spectrum of what we navigate every day.

Setting the Non-Negotiables

It's about building a foundation of knowledge and resources that actually speaks to the experience of First Nations people in a practical way.

Access is embedded by being selective. It means working with venues that are physically accessible. It means hiring services that actually reflect what our audience needs. It means working closely with artists to make sure everyone is aligned with the core non-negotiables.

Guided by Community, Not Just Compliance


YIRRAMBOI’s Access and Inclusion Advisory Group, alongside trusted industry peers and collaborators, shapes how we approach access in practice. Their guidance helps us test, challenge, and refine what “good access” looks like for our community. This is about developing access our way: informed by community and culture, grounded in lived experience, and responsive to the artists and audiences we serve.

Everyone Gains

The truth is, when you design for the most marginalised, you design for everyone. Access isn't a zero-sum game. No one loses anything when a space becomes more welcoming, more legible, and more supportive.

First Access is about more than just "inclusion." It’s about setting a new standard where our community’s needs are the priority, not an afterthought. We’re moving from the clinical checklist to a first-person protocol of care and responsibility.