While most other states and territories across Australia have agreed to make new buildings more accessible for those with a disability, WA refuses to do so.
abc.net.au/news/wa-building-accessibility-standards/101367756Retrofitting Andrew Fairbairn's home so he could get around it in his wheelchair cost the NDIS $100,000 and took him more than three years.Disability advocates want the state government to make the code mandatoryIt's a battle that will start to become less common around much of Australia, as changes to the National Construction Code take effect.
It's left disability and housing advocates furious and asking the government to change its stance – something it has ruled out in the short term. "This is increasingly complicated by the shortage of affordable housing options available and by the high cost of retrofitted modifications."Their pleas come ahead of a meeting of state and territory building ministers on Friday, where final decisions will be made.But a state government spokesperson last night confirmed WA was "not in a position to adopt the accessibility provisions in the short term".
It conceded though that "societal benefits" and other factors that "could not be reliably quantified" were not included in that analysis.Benefits outweigh the cost "People with disability, and particularly the ageing, have trouble in finding accessible housing or are unable to remain in housing for a long period of time.
"When you go to places that have got stairs and no lifts, or stairs and no ramps, it creates a sense of divide from the community, that these people don't want me there," he said.
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