Source: ABC News – Nick McAllister
Christie Lewis has been on a waiting list for accessible housing in Western Australia for more than 7 years. Her existing rental is too small to accommodate her wheelchair. Christie feels “really, really isolated” in her Perth rental house.
If all new housing in WA met the minimum housing standards outlined in the National Construction Code, renters like Christie would have more options to live in a home that meets their needs. WA has not joined the rest of the country in adopting the required “silver” standard of livable housing design.
Mary Sayers, director of the Building Better Homes campaign said, “we want the NSW and WA governments to understand the costs of the accessibility standards at the time of build is negligible, and all other states and territories have commenced the transition to mandatory standards, so it is achievable.”