Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission,

 

It is with disappointment and frustration that we noted the application from the ARA for exemptions in relation to a number of provisions of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport – particularly as the exemptions seemed to apply to so many issues - large and small.

 

The Australian government and the various states and territories all have policies promoting the rights of people with a disability to be part of community life. All of these jurisdictions have programs in place to make this a reality for more and more people.  Over the years, physical access to public transport has emerged as one of the persistent obstacles to community inclusion, limiting how people with a disability can make  choices about how they live their lives, are able to be employed and so on.  It is difficult to understand how governments at all levels, and the community more generally, could be endorsing the rights of people with a disability on the one hand,  while at the same time allowing persistently slow progress on the fundamental issues of physical access to public transport to be so comprehensively delayed as this ARA exemption suggests.

 

Delaying implementation runs the risk of compromising the intent and reality of a raft of other policies and practices championed by government.  

 

Ironically, improved physical access to public transport has implications for wide sections of the community – from older people, parents with prams and pushers to people with disabilities or people of all ages with other temporary or chronic mobility problems.  It is difficult to see how delaying access could further the rights of this wide sector of the community.

 

Improving physical access to public transport is a big task which needs to be tackled - delaying implementation won't make the task any smaller, less costly or easier.

 

Disability Consultants

Jeffrey McCubbery & Dr Chris Fyffe

47 Fadersons Lane

Mandurang 3551

AUSTRALIA

ph 61 (0)3 54395305

fax 61(0)3 54393534