I Trevor Carroll do not support the request for exemption under the DDA Transport Standard by the ARA and urge HREOC to reject this request.

 

As a person with a physical mobility disability who needs to use public transport including rail and bus, I object to any further delays in making such transport accessible.

 

Getting around the community like everyone else is a fundamental right of mainstream inclusion for people with disabilities and the cost of using taxis for transport is becoming increasingly out of reach for people like myself on a Commonwealth Disability Support Pension, especially with the current cost of petrol and the likelihood of increased taxi fares to compensate.

 

Public transport like trains and buses is cost effective, efficient and less polluting on the environment and ought to be available and accessible  to people with disabilities like myself on the same basis as anyone without a disability.

 

To grant an exemption to the Australian Railways Association would make a mockery of Australia's human rights obligation and weaken the intent of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992. Not to mention, make it difficult for me to access my community like everyone else.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Trevor Carroll