Homes for Every Body

Everyone has the right to a home - so why do we still build homes that not everyone can live in?

Most states and territories have committed to a new National Construction Code that will require basic accessibility for every new home built - like at least one entrance without steps, and a toilet on the entry level. But the NSW Government won’t commit to ensuring new homes built in our state meet these standards, leaving the tens of thousands of older people and people with disability who have mobility issues without the safety and security of accessible housing.

Three in four people with a mobility impairment currently live in a home that does not meet their needs, but most Australian states and territories are working to change that. Ageing, living with a disability, and sharing our lives with people with mobility issues should not be made harder in NSW than elsewhere in Australia.

Write to the Ministers for Disability, Housing and Better Regulation now to urge them to commit to minimum accessibility standards in new homes.

Tell the Government to implement the national minimum accessibility standards for all new homes!

Dear Minister,

I am writing to urge New South Wales to commit to implementing the new mandatory minimum accessibility standards included in the 2022 National Construction Code, as agreed by the majority of Building Ministers across Australia.

Everyone has the right to a home, so why would we continue to build homes that not everyone can live in?

Everyone experiences some form of mobility impairment during their life, whether it’s a temporary injury, a physical disability, or decreased mobility that accompanies ageing. Whether or not we have mobility issues ourselves, we all also have friends and families with mobility impairments that we share our lives with and welcome into our homes. With a rapidly ageing population and one in five people in NSW having a disability, it makes sense to future-proof our housing stock, and to ensure that all new homes meet the basic accessibility standards included in the 2022 National Construction Code.

Having a nationally inconsistent approach to building standards will also wreak havoc on industry. With five of eight states and territories having agreed to implement the new minimum accessibility standards, the construction industry is left with inconsistent standards applicable across the country and in particular in our border communities. Unless NSW gets on board, businesses operating in communities bordering Victoria, Queensland and the ACT will soon be left to juggle two different construction standards, creating extraordinary inefficiencies.

Ageing and living with a disability should not be harder in New South Wales than in other parts of Australia. We have the opportunity to join the rest of the nation in changing the lives of millions of people and future proofing our housing for generations to come.

I urge you to join other states and territories and be a part of this important reform.

I would like to BCC myself

HOMES FOR EVERY BODY