The new government has made some excellent disability inclusion commitments, but New South Wales has a long way to go to meet obligations under national law.

Being able to live independently, with who you want, safe from violence, abuse and neglect is a basic human right. Few homes are accessible and unlike most other states, we haven’t adopted the new building standard to require all new homes to meet minimum accessibility standards. Accessible build costs are tiny in comparison to retrofitting, which can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. We need more social and affordable housing to strengthen the housing safety net which is failing people with disability.

Access to transport to get to work, appointments and social commitments is a growing challenge after hundreds of disability taxis exited the market in response to deregulation. There is still no mechanism to restore this level of service. Meanwhile many train and ferry stations, and buses have not been upgraded.

Other priority areas include the need to employ more people with intellectual disability and ensuring government information and forms continue to provide face-to-face options for those who find electronic systems challenging.

Inclusive communities are socially and economically healthy and in Parliament I called on the government to move forward with work to ensure people with disability have real opportunities and choices in life.

My private members statement > HERE