Article: State fails call to upgrade transport

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From the Melbourne Age click here!

State fails call to upgrade transport

State fails call to upgrade transport

    * Reid Sexton
    * February 22, 2009

PARTS of Victoria's ageing public transport network are in breach of federal anti-discrimination law, leaving the State Government liable to compensation payouts or court orders to improve the system.

In 2007, federal law required Australian transport operators to have 25 per cent of their networks safe and accessible for disabled users.

The State Government, which owns Victoria's public transport vehicles and infrastructure, failed to upgrade and did not meet this target.

Melbourne's trams are the worst offenders, but some tram stops and regional train and bus stops also fall short of the target. The Victorian Council of Social Service says the Government must produce a timeline for meeting the targets in the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport, part of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, to show it is serious about ensuring access.

The council is preparing material to help disabled public transport users take the issue to the Australian Human Rights Commission. If the issue cannot be resolved, it could end up in the Federal Court.

The Sunday Age reported earlier this month that the Government was set to fail the 2012 targets.

A Transport Department spokesman said it would spend $130 million on disability upgrades in the three years to mid-2010, with a further $150 million proposed for beyond 2011.