BY JACOB GAMBLE

Disability advocates are calling on the state government to make Melbourne’s tram network fully accessible for people with disabilities.

A report published by the Auditor General in Victoria found only 15 per cent of tram stops in 2018-19 were wheelchair accessible.

Wheelchair user Martin Leckey said his inaccessible local tram had been a grievance for more than 30 years.

“All over Melbourne we rely on trams to get around whether it be for work, or education, or socialising,” he said. 

“It really is restricting for all of us with a disability who need that level of access.”

Attempting to board the tram at his local inaccessible tram stop in Carlton North, Mr Leckey has staged a protest during each sitting day of state parliament this year. 

Joined by supporters, he has asked the state government to upgrade the tram system by installing more level access stops and introducing more low-floor trams. 

These actions are a part of the Transport for All campaign run by a coalition of organisations, which is lobbying for a public transport system that is "reliably and independently accessible to everyone". 

Disability activists have been lobbying for this change for more than 40 years.

Youth disability advocate Jessi Hooper uses a wheelchair, but also has autism and other sensory issues. She said transport was often a difficult and costly endeavour.

“I can't actually use public transport because it is so inaccessible. I have to use my carer’s car, even taxis,” Ms Hooper said.

Mr Leckey is frustrated by the lack of progress given a promise was made for a fully accessible network by December 2022, under the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT).

“The rate of building the stops has slowed to a crawl, only two per year on average have been completed,” Mr Leckey said. 

The total number of stops is about 1700, we’ve still got another 1500 left to make accessible," he said.

Wheelchair accessibility has been a key focus of the campaign, but other members of the disabled community are urging for sensory and intellectual disabilities to be accounted for in the discussion.

Ms Hooper said, due to her disabilities, the excessive noise and bright lights within trams caused her anxiety.

“I went on it [the tram] for the first time last week and had a massive panic attack because of all these people on it,” she said. 

“I was still able to get a wheelchair on, but we forget about all the sensory disabilities that often come with people with wheelchairs, with a lot of other disabilities.”

The logistical challenges of being in a wheelchair within a moving vehicle and locating the level platforms and routes that use low floors trams, were also concerns for Ms Hooper.

“The wheelchair slipped around and we had my carer and me holding onto my chair and all the handrails, because I just kept slipping up and down the tram the entire time,” she said.

For people with disabilities, mobility is essential in retaining a sound quality of life, connecting them to employment, healthcare, education, and community. 

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report said there were substantial differences in health outcomes between adults with disabilities and adults without disabilities. 

The report said 24 per cent of adults with disabilities rated their health as "very good or excellent" compared to 65 per cent of those without. 

Victorian Greens Transport spokesperson Sam Hibbins said the issue of tram inaccessibility impacted a wide range of groups. 

“This really impacts people with a disability, mobility issues, people with prams, the elderly,” he said. 

“They all need access to our tram network to help them get around our community and without it, it leads to increase in isolation and inability to truly be apart of the community, and society, at large.”

A federal review of the DSAPT in November 2021 said that there had been no significant improvement in labour force participation rates for people with a disability in more than a decade. 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 53 per cent of working-age people with a disability were in paid employment in July 2022.

This is a small increase from 47.7 per cent in 2012.

Mr Hibbins said the Victorian government was well-intentioned in its approach to upgrading the tram network, but was not delivering outcomes.  

“This year in the budget, there was just a handful of tram stops slated for upgrades. Next to nothing, barely an improvement on the last term,” he said. 

“They’re just not putting their money where their mouth is, and it’s really disappointing.”

In May this year, the Victorian state budget included a $68.1 million investment in six new level access tram stops on La Trobe Street in the CBD, in addition to $5.5 million to develop future corridors of level tram stops.

The cost of fully upgrading the tram network is estimated to be nearly $2 billion. 

Mr Hibbins said this cost is considerably smaller than several other transport projects. 

“The reality is, a modern world-class public transport network should be accessible to all,” he said. 

“It’s part in parcel with having a public transport network, it’s been neglected for far too long, and it’s time the government actually invested in upgrading it.”

With a state election looming in November, political parties are set to announce their public transport policies in the coming weeks.

Mr Leckey said candidates should make specific funding commitments and timelines, so voters know their stance on the issue. 

“We’re calling upon the government and all the parties and candidates for this coming election in November to make a commitment to how much money they’re going to put in over the next few years and over what period they will promise to roll out the tram stops and the trams,” he said.

Greens MP Mr Hibbins encouraged anyone passionate about transport accessibility to “write to your local candidates”.

Ms Hooper said anyone looking to support the disabled community could show solidarity by attending the protests.

“It would really be great to see some people who are able-bodied who are supporters to go and help out at those rallies,” she said.

For more information on the Transport for All campaign, visit the Disability Resource website, or follow them on Instagram @drc_au