Page 553 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 19 February 2020
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MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (6.08): I thank Ms Lee for her motion. As she does not find surprising, the Greens will be supporting it, particularly given that, as she alluded to, these issues have been going on for some time and I had a related motion in 2012. I tabled a motion that called for an increase in the minimum disabled car park provisions in the parking and vehicular access code for town, group and local centre parking, as well as for parking at hospitals and other public facilities which the government is responsible for, to be four to five per cent disability parking. Currently the figure is three per cent, although I am informed that in some locations it is higher.
Needless to say, neither Labor nor the Liberals supported the motion. At that time the government reassured the Assembly and the community that the then figure of three per cent was enough and that parking for people with disabilities would be improved to ensure that people with mobility restrictions were able to park easily and that priority parking and drop-off points were safe, sufficient and conveniently located.
But any improvements to the code and any increase in the number of mobility parking spaces already do not seem to be enough to satisfy demand. Most town and group centres in Canberra had two to three per cent disabled parking spaces available in 2008, which was when the last substantial review was undertaken. It was clear when the review was undertaken that it was already inadequate. It is interesting that it was inadequate in 2008. The population of Canberra has been ageing since then, and we all know that as the population ages the number of disabled people increases. This is an issue which is going to become more and more of a problem as we age and as transport and parking pressures increase throughout Canberra.
Back in 2012 the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that 16.4 per cent of people in the ACT had a disability. In 2018 this had risen to 19.4 per cent. Back in 2012 there were 19,300 people in the ACT with profound or severe core activity limitation. In 2018 there were 25,800. This is an approximately 32 per cent increase. These figures reflect the increase in the number of people with a disability, and we all know that our aged population is also increasing. In 2018 more than 42 per cent of people over 65 experienced specific limitations or restrictions. I speak personally to say that over 65s are our fastest growing demographic.
Back in 2012 the government also indicated that they would respond to requests for additional mobility spaces on a case-by-case basis. The flaw with this, of course, is that it requires people to raise the issue of a lack of available mobility parking and then wait for the government to assess it before responding. I think that it should be possible for the government to plan according to population growth, demographics and the likely use of the facility that the parking is designed for.
It is pretty obvious that a flat rate across all parking in the ACT is probably not the best option. That is why I refrain from again tabling a request to increase the average disabled car park provisions in the parking and vehicular access code to between four and five per cent as an amendment to the motion currently before us. It was part of my 2012 motion.
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