NSW — The State
Government has been accused by an inner western community
group of letting disability issues slide off its agenda.
The NSW Physical Disability
Council, based at Glebe, spoke at Parliament House last
Tuesday of the daily problems disabled people face with
equipment and transport.
While declaring it as Decency Day,
the council's president Ann-Mason Furmage said there was
not much point having accessible trains when stations
were inaccessible.
"I live in Newtown and there is no
accessible station anywhere near Newtown," she said.
The problem was highlighted in last
week's The Glebe by the Newtown Neighborhood Centre's
petition for disability access at Newtown station.
At the end of 2007, the
Disabilities Discrimination Act has a deadline for
all public transport services to be at least 25 per cent
accessible.
The council's vice president John
Moxon said not all services would meet the target by the
end of next year.
"In Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth
train services are far more accessible than they are in
NSW," Mr Moxon said.
"It would appear that government
buses may be up to the 25 per cent target by the end of
the year, but in the private sector, buses are no where
near it."
By Kate
Sikora
