A new campaign has been launched to stop the New South Wales Government discriminating against people with disability and older Australians.
The NSW Government is one of only 2 state governments that have refused to sign up to mandatory accessibility standards for new houses.
“We’re not asking for much…we’re just asking to make sure we get our wheels in the front door,” said NSW resident Declan, who has cerebral palsy.
“It would change my life to have a fully accessible home. I feel abandoned by the NSW Government – they are disregarding the needs of people with disability and the basic human rights we have as citizens of NSW,” said Julie, a queer disability and youth advocate.
Declan and Julie have joined the campaign to stop housing discrimination in NSW.
While the government unveiled an ambitious new housing plan in its 2024-25 budget, it is refusing to sign up to national mandatory design standards that require new developments to offer basic accessibility.
This means there are fewer houses available in NSW for people with disability and older Australians.
Both the Disability Royal Commission and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Review recommended NSW (and WA) adopt the design standards as soon as possible.
The Building Better Homes campaign is now asking the community to sign an open letter to NSW state political leaders.
The letter will be handed to NSW leaders during a day of action in the NSW Parliament on 6 August.
The design standards are not difficult or expensive: they simply require developers to include things like a step-free shower and level entry to new houses. The Australian Building Codes Board modelling for these standards shows they would only add about 1% to the cost of a new build.
In contrast, inaccessible housing leaves people isolated, at an increased risk of injury and unable to age at home. It will also cost the government more in the future to retrofit housing to make it accessible.
Building Better Homes is a coalition of peak bodies and agencies working to secure mandatory accessibility standards in new developments across Australia.