From: Jeremy.Muir@ntu.edu.au

Sent: Friday, 19 May 2000 11:51

To: disabdis@hreoc.gov.au

Subject: ORTA

 

I will be attending the Olympics!  I use a wheelchair for mobility!  I will be

using public transport as requested if not demanded, by  SOCOG!  I support no

exemptions!

 

 

Exemption Application by ORTA Individual Comment

I  support the following comments and submit my comment regarding the

proposed exemption to the Olympic Road Traffic Authority.

 

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.

 

10. Our understanding is that all Federal government Departments

supported the Accessible Transport Standards moving forward except 1.

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 level commitment 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.

 

The only way that the disability sector could be persuaded to support

the exemption would be for a real commitment by the NSW and Commonwealth

governments to accessible transport.  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.

 

I  therefore, do not support the granting of the exemption.

 

                  WE WILL RIDE - AND WITHOUT COMPROMISE!

 

Jeremy Muir

Student Facilitator, Equity & Projects

Equity & Student Access

NTU

Casuarina Campus

Darwin NT 0909

Ph 08 89466288

Fax 08 89466654