Accessible housing: disabled people left behind by ?shameful? building code stance in NSW, WA and SA

Disabled Australians are being left behind in three major states after governments failed to make minimum accessibility standards mandatory for new houses, disability advocates say.

New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia say they will opt out of clauses in the forthcoming revised National Construction Code (NCC) that would require all new buildings 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 and others, such as a walk-in shower recess and wider door frames and corridors to facilitate ease of movement, were added to the NCC earlier this year after a push from advocates highlighting the difficulties disabled people have in finding homes that meet their basic needs.

The clauses mandate all new homes adhere to "silver" level accessibility standards as described by Liveable Housing Australia, which advocates say make houses more liveable for people with and without disabilities.

The NCC sets safety, accessibility and sustainability standards for buildings in Australia, but each state and territory government can vary, override, delete or add to the code within its own legislation.

The other states and territories around Australia have agreed to implement these new standards as part of their building legislation, but NSW, WA and SA have elected to opt out.

"This is a whole of population issue, not a disability issue," said Serena Ovens, chief executive of the Physical Disability Council of NSW.