I welcome the government’s commitment to introduce the second phase of new building regulations to support Tasmanians with disabilities and the elderly.
The new Liveable Housing Design rules to take effect on October 1 in Tasmania under the National Construction Code (NCC).
It was a relief to hear Minister Guy Barnett tell parliament last week: “We remain steadfast in our support for Tasmanians with disabilities and the elderly. We are delivering the provisions of the liveable housing initiative.”
The requirements are designed to make new home builds more accessible for older people and those who are living with disability, with the first stage – introduced last year – mandating step-free shower access, front door width, and the reinforcement of bathroom and toilet walls.
The new phase will impose provisions relating to internal doors and corridor width, as well as unobstructed space around toilets.
It is vital more housing is made accessible to the elderly or people living with a disability, allowing them to stay living at home.
Our talented builders deal with rules and standards changes all the time.
The second phase comes as the Tasmanian Council of Social Services adds disability housing indicators to its housing dashboard.
Almost one-in-three Tasmanians have a disability (29%), the highest proportion anywhere is Australia, however accessible housing options in the state remain inadequate.
The dashboard shows one-quarter of applicants on the social housing waitlist have accessibility needs (23%).
Despite this level of need, there is still a significant undersupply of social housing built to accessibility standards.