The New South Wales government’s refusal to enforce basic accessibility standards for new homes is “salt in the wound” for people with disabilities and will force more than 1 million Australians to continue living in ill-suited dwellings, advocates say.
Australia’s building ministers finalised the new national construction code (NCC) last week, which included much-lauded changes to energy efficiency standards as well as mandatory “silver” level accessibility standards, as described by Liveable Housing Australia.
But Australia’s most populous state confirmed it will opt out of implementing the clauses that would require new homes to have basic accessibility features such as at least one step-free entrance, a toilet on the entry level and reinforced walls in the bathroom.
These features were added to the NCC after a push from advocates highlighting the difficulties that disabled people, older people and others face in finding homes that meet their basic needs. The standards also include a walk-in shower recess and wider door frames and corridors to facilitate ease of movement.
“To say that we are disappointed is an understatement,” Serena Ovens, the chief executive of the Physical Disability Council of NSW, said on Monday.
“The salt in the wound is that NSW has failed to give us anything as an alternative. It’s just radio silence. There’s no engagement with community stakeholders on this at all, despite years of pushing for this.”
It wasn’t just an issue for people with physical disabilities, Ovens said, but a matter for all families. “If you’ve ever had to think about whose home to host an event at because a relative can’t manage stairs, installed a baby gate, or made modifications to your home to avoid slips and falls, this reform would benefit you.”
The Western Australian government also confirmed it would opt out of adopting the accessibility standards, saying in a statement to media on Friday that WA was “not in a position to adopt the accessibility provisions in the short term” and would “continue to monitor this situation”.
“It doesn’t make any sense from a community perspective or an industry perspective,” said Tim Naughtin, the director of the Building Better Homes campaign.
“We are very disappointed in the decision of the NSW and WA governments. They have put politics ahead of people. And the result is people in NSW and WA will have to continue living in homes that they can’t properly use.”
Approximately one in five people in Australia have a disability.
The minimum standards would benefit ageing Australians too, said Karen Appleby, the acting CEO of Council on the Ageing NSW.
“It would enable people to stay in their homes throughout their life course, allowing people to age in place, host visitors and provide easier access for parents.”
A spokesperson for the NSW government said: “While the NSW government supports improved accessibility design in new housing stock, it will not be adopting the minimum accessibility provisions contained in the updated national construction code at this time.”
The former Liberal government of South Australia had previously indicated that it would not support the inclusion of mandatory accessibility standards in the NCC.
But Peter Malinauskas’s recently elected Labor government changed the state’s position, with the SA housing minister Nick Champion saying last week that the accessibility standards would “play an important role in improving the everyday lives of South Australians with a disability”.
The NCC will come into effect from 1 May 2023 but states opting into the accessibility requirements will have until 1 October to implement them.
