From: Carmel Williams [carmelw@sportingwheelies.org.au]

Sent: Monday, 22 May 2000 18:00

To: disabdis@hreoc.gov.au

Subject: WE WILL RIDE - COMPROMISE OR COP OUT?

 

 1. The DDA has now been in existence since 1992 and Draft Accessible

Transport Standards were first approved by the Australian Transport Council

as 'technically feasible' back in June 1996 - four years ago.

2. Some State and Territory Governments have used those Standards as

benchmarks and have been purchasing only accessible buses since late 1994

early 95.

3. Why is it,given that NSW Dept of Transport knew in August 1994 that they

would be hosting the Olympics and paralympics, that they did not instigate

a similar purchasing policy as for example South Australia.

4. Since late 1994, South Australia has purchased only accessible buses.

Their total fleet is 750 and they re-stock at approximately 50 new buses

per year or 1 every week.

5.    You don't have to be real smart to work out that the total

replacement of the fleet will take about 14 &  1/2 years or that in 4 years

they will have approximately 200 accessible buses.

6. NSW has a much bigger fleet I understand, so the number of buses

purchased each year would be greater than a small State like South

Australia. Why is it that they have not purchased more accessible buses?

How many excuses have you heard about the terrain being very difficult or

not being sure about which ramps to purchase, or calming devices preventing

them from getting accessible buses??

7. I don't believe they have been genuinely trying to address accessibility

issues in transport and infrastructure to the full extent possible. In

fact, there has been considerable pressure from particular lobby groups on

the NSW Government to relax from the Transport Standards.

8. This same lobby has also been the same isolated group which has opposed

the Accessible Transport Standards moving forward even though all States

and territories approved the Standards in April 1999. This same lobby has

been very active in Canberra with Ministers and senior public servants.

 9. 8 years after the DDA, 4 years since the Transport Standards were

approved by the ATC as technically feasible and 12 months down the track

since they were 'finally' approved by ATC, we do not Accessible Transport

Standards in Australia.   Further, that this delay in one government

Department is due to 1 individual who is linked back to the lobby group

mentioned above.

11. The disability community is getting more frustrated and angrier by the

day as these long and discriminatory delays hinder the long term

development of a fully accessible transport system for Australia.

12. An accessible transport system is vital for our aging society where

there continues to be a proportional growth of our entire population with

mobility disabilities.

13. If we don't plan to cater for this expansion (in the same way we have

done so with superannuation etc to promote self funded retirees), transport

operators are ignoring their biggest growth market in off-peak travel and

at the same time cause long term isolation and waste of considerable human

resources.

 14. An accessible transport system is essential if this Commonwealth

government is serious about 'Welfare Reform' and enabling the

full participation of people with a disability in employment, education and

training and recreation.

 Summary

If the disability sector is being asked to comment on this proposed

exemption for the purpose of supporting this exemption, we believe there

will be a very negative response. Why should the disability sector support

this embarrassing situation where both the ORTA and the NSW government have

demonstrated a lack of real commitment to implementing accessible transport

and infrastructure? Why? The NSW government have also stated at ATC

meetings that they would only support the DDA Transport Standards

conditional to Commonwealth funding. This is seen yet again as a low

levelcommitment to accessible transport. This one opportunity to showcase

to the world via the Olympics, a fairer, smarter and equitable transport

system is now going to be lost.   That commitment could be demonstrated by

the immediate promulgation of the Accessible Transport Standards in Federal

parliament as they were approved by the Australian Transport Council (ATC)

on April 30, 1999.   therefore, do not support the granting of the exemption.

Perhaps consideration could be given to contracting some of the South

Australian buses for the period of the Olympics and Paralympics, as is

happening with buses from other Eastern states.

 

                   WE WILL RIDE - AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE!