Social Amenity

1 - Social Amenity

Social Amenity

Access for People with Disabilities

People who design, build, own, manage, lease, operate, regulate and use premises have responsibilities and rights under the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (DDA). The DDA is a Commonwealth Act which seeks to eliminate bias against people with disabilities and protect their rights. The DDA states that failure to provide equal access is unlawful, unless to do so would impose an unjustifiable hardship.

Objectives
  1. O.1To ensure that all people within the City are able to:
    • participate in community life; and
    • access all public spaces and premises and utilise all goods, services and facilities provided in these spaces and premises.
  2. O.2To ensure that applicants are aware that they have obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992.
Design Principles
  1. P.1The siting, design and construction of premises available to the public are to ensure an appropriate level of accessibility, so that all people can enter and use these premises. Access is to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (DDA), the relevant Australian Standards and the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

Note: Compliance with the BCA, the Australian Standards and this DCP does not mean that a development will be compliant with the DDA and provide protection against a complaint under the DDA.

Further Information
  • Disability Discrimination Act, 1992
  • Advisory Notes on Access to Premises (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1998)
  • Transport Standards (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 2002)
  • Building Code of Australia
  • Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission web site, www.hreoc.gov.au.
  • Relevant Australian Standards, eg:
    • AS 1428.1 to AS 1428.4 - Design for Access and Mobility
    • AS 2890.1 (2004) - Off-street parking
    • AS 2890.5 (1993) - On-street parking
    • AS 1735.12 (1999) - Lifts for persons with Disabilities
    • AS 4299 - Adaptable Housing
    • AS 4586 (2002) - Slip resistance classification of new pedestrian surface materials
    • AS 4663 (2002) - Slip resistance measurement of existing pedestrian surfaces
  • Standards Australia web site, www.standards.com.au