The National Seniors Australia has joined disability groups in calling for changes to new building legislation that would create basic accessibility features mandatory in future developments.
National Seniors Chief Advocate, Ian Henschke, told Inside Ageing better access to accessible housing meant older Australians could stay in their homes longer, calling for ‘minimum accessibility standards’.
Accessibility features, such as adaptive equipment and larger doorways for wheelchair access, aren’t mandatory under the current Livable Housing Guidelines.
The Building Better Homes alliance is also supporting the calls from National Seniors, saying there is a shortage of accessible housing which has an impact on older Australian’s quality of life.
Government ministers speaking at the Building Ministers Forum agreed with calls for more work to be done on accessible housing in Australia.
The new national Construction Code is expected to be finalised and implemented by the end of 2022, as lobby groups say it’s an important step in progressing home care packages.
