ࡱ> LNK` 0 bjbj h28\ \ \ $ DDDP, &. !&#&#&#&#&#&#&$(h+G&\ pp^G&\\&!!!R!&!!&!!$: "% p"̸Di i%%lr&0&%+ j+,%+\ % !vtG&G&a!^& D D   12 September 2005 Mr David Mason Director Disability Rights Policy Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Level 8, Piccadilly Tower 133 Castlereagh Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Dear Mr Mason Exemption Application by Australasian Railways Association We write in reply to your call for initial submissions in response to the abovementioned application. 1. 鱨վ PWD People with Disability Australia Incorporated (PWD) is a national cross-disability rights and advocacy organisation in Australia. PWD represents the rights and interests of people with all forms of disability. PWD is a non-profit, non-government organisation whose vision is of a socially just, accessible and inclusive community, in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution, potential and diversity of all people with disability are respected and celebrated. PWDs core membership is made up of people with disability and organisations primarily constituted by people with disability. PWD also has a large associate membership of other individuals and organisations committed to the disability rights movement. 2. This submission This submission is a preliminary response to the application of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) under section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (DDA) for a temporary exemption from certain provisions of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport (DSAPT). PWD notes that the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) has called for initial submissions, and that it may also conduct public forums in relation to the application for exemption. PWD wishes to express its interest in participating in such further forums, and in providing further submissions on this matter. 3. The application for exemption The application involves an almost total re-writing of the DSAPT, has extensive implications for non-rail transport providers, and would substantially diminish access to public transport for people with disability. For these reasons, consideration of all matters the subject of the application should await the formal review of the DSAPT, which should commence at the earliest time permissible under the DDA and be conducted with the greatest expedition in the interests of all stakeholders. On this basis, PWD recommends that HREOC should therefore reject this application for exemption. The major concern of PWD regarding the application for exemption is with those aspects of the application that would diminish access to public transport by people with disability and others in the community. The intention of the DSAPT is to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against people with disability, and to make public transport accessible to all including people with disability, older Australians, parents with strollers etc. Certain of ARAs proposals that would diminish levels of access to public transport for all these people serve to undermine this clear and appropriate intention. These include: reduction of internal dimensions of facilities in conveyances; use of the space between bus wheel arches to reduce the width of allocated spaces, boarding ramps, doors, etc, in rail and all other conveyances; minimising the number of access ways to boarding points; extrapolation of technical material from Australian Standards (AS) clauses not relevant to a facility in order to diminish the requirements of AS clauses specific to the facility; halving the number of berths and allocated spaces in a conveyance; relocation of signal buttons from allocated spaces; reduction of dimensions for doors, allocated spaces etc; increased width of gaps between conveyance floors and boarding points; mobility and disability aids are not to be handled by staff despite a direct need to do so in other transport modes (eg taxis). some of the recommended changes would also create an unsafe environment (narrower boarding ramps, for example). 4. Recommendations PWD recommends that, in the light of the issues identified in this submission, consideration of the subject matter of ARAs application should be undertaken within the formal review of the DSAPT to take place in or by 2007. The Commonwealth should commence the review at the earliest time permissible under the DDA, and should conduct the review as expeditiously as possible in the interests of all stakeholders. PWD suggests that the Productivity Commission may be an appropriate agency to undertake the review of the DSAPT. PWD therefore recommends that HREOC not grant ARAs application under section 55 of the DDA for a temporary exemption from certain provisions of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport. We thank you for this opportunity to comment. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Matthew Keeley, Senior Legal Officer. Yours sincerely ALANNA CLOHESY Deputy Director, Advocacy      PAGE 2   Our vision is of a socially just, accessible and inclusive community, in which the human rights, citizenship, contribution and potential of people with disability are respected and celebrated. ABN 98 879 981 198 People with Disability Australia Incorporated Postal Address: PO Box 666 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012 Street Address: Ground Floor, 52 Pitt Street Redfern NSW 2016 Phone: 02 9319 6622 Toll Free: 1800 422 015 Fax: 02 9318 1372 TTY: 02 9318 2138 Toll Free TTY: 1800 422 016 Email:  HYPERLINK "mailto:pwd@pwd.org.au" pwd@pwd.org.au TIS: 13 14 50 NRS: 1800 555 677 NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations  p } T g l 23689;<>?ABDEKLMNP̿򿤓{ph]0JmHnHu h~f40Jjh~f40JUjh~f4U h~f45CJOJQJ\^JaJh~f4CJOJQJ^JaJh~f4OJQJ\^JaJh~f45OJQJ\^Jh~f40J5OJQJ\^Jh~f40JOJQJ^Jh~f45OJQJ^Jh~f4OJQJ^Jh~f4%0Jx o p } ~ R S V W S T  ^ (x8 T g h FG~1yk & F & F & F & F & F & F & F  ^klab^_ 2345678: $a$:;=>@ACDOPTUW12`{  (  ^`  ($$a$$a$PQRSUV12o -;KQTUhvxyzԬԟwkccTkjh~f4CJU^Jh~f4CJ^Jjh~f4CJU^Jh~f45CJOJQJ\^Jh~f4CJOJQJ\^Jh~f4CJOJQJ^Jh~f45CJOJQJ^Jh~f4@OJQJh~f40JCJ^J&jh~f4CJU^JmHnHsH uh~f4jh~f4Ujh~f4UmHnHu"jh~f4CJUmHnHsH u -K      x (   z ؿh~f4 h~f4CJh~f4CJOJQJh~f45CJOJQJ\^Jh~f4CJOJQJ^Jjh~f4CJU^Jh~f40J>*B*CJ^Jph 2 0 0&P . 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