From:
Sue Egan [pdca@ozemail.com.au]
Sent:
Friday, June 02, 2000 11:58
To:
disabdis@hreoc.gov.au
Subject:
application for Exemption from ORTA
The
Physical Disability Council of Australia (PDCA) is the national peak
organisation
representing the interests and views of people with a
physical
disability across Australia. PDCA has
been a long time
supporter
and major player in the development of DDA Standards and in
particular
a DDA Transport Standard.
We
are dismayed to read that ORTA has made an application for an
exemption
to HREOC to allow transfer of
accessible buses from areas of
Australia
to meet the transport needs of people with disabilities during
the
Olympic and Paralympic Games period.
This
application has come at a time when there is a delay to the DDA
Transport
Standards, a delay that has no information attached for the
sector
to understand, and a delay that angers the community because of
the
length of time it is taking, and in light of the efforts of the
disability
community to get the Standards this far.
Now
we are expected to accept that all the
problems and "put offs" that
have
held up the Standard development, no longer exist for the 8/9 week
period
of the games! For instance the
infrastructure, the 'hilly
terrain',
the cost to the industry, to name a few!
Now ORTA in
conjunction
with many industry players want to show off to the rest of
the
world how great our transport system is!
This phase has come with
no
consultation within the sector (Certainly not with PDCA) and no
consideration
of how this will inconvenience the rest of the community!
Obviously
people with disabilities who will not be going to the games
because
they cannot afford it, don't matter!
PDCA
does not support the application for exemption. We are
disappointed
that it is even being considered at this late stage and so
close
to the actual Games themselves.
This
was supposed to be a celebration for Australia, not just for
Sydney,
and whilst we support the games themselves and hope they are
successful,
they should not be at the expense of Australian citizens who
also
have rights! A little consideration
here, would have gone a long
way
- this will only leave a sour taste in the mouths of people with
disabilities
who will have have to do without!
Will
our taxis be next?
Physical
Disability Council of Australia Ltd