"NSW
practices electoral apartheid"
says Ann-Mason Furmage, President of the
Physical Disability Council of
NSW.
Equality of access to the
democratic system is the basic right of every
eligible voter in NSW.
Voting is the fundamental
act and responsibility of citizenship in this
country; it is so fundamental that we fine those
who don't vote.
People with physical
disabilities are being discouraged from voting
by the State Electoral Office's inability to
place polling centres within accessible
community venues.
An audit of accessible
polling places in NSW today, reveals that
only 14% of polling places are
accessible. Four electorates have no
accessible polling places at all.
If you live in the
electoral districts of Bathurst or Goulburn and
have a disability requiring an accessible
polling place, you cannot vote on Saturday March
24th.
Postal voting and
pre-polling are inappropriate as they keep
people with physical disabilities out of sight.
People with physical disabilities are not
eligible for postal voting as they do not
satisfy the eligibility criteria.
The State Electoral Office
has had four years to plan for this election. In
spite of Access to Democracy consultations and
Disability Action Plans, the State Electoral
Office has failed to take into account the needs
of people with disabilities to vote as equal
citizens with and within their own local
communities.
One thing is certain;
any person with a disability who doesn't vote
will be fined.
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