• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content

Spinal Life Australia

For the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) updates, resources and service impacts, click here.

Menu

Main navigation

Close menu

  • Home
  • NDIS
    • Support under the NDIS
  • Our services
    • Allied Health Services
    • Supports Coordination
    • Personal Support and Home Care Services
    • Community Nursing
    • Physiotherapy
    • Training Solutions
    • Back2Work
    • Accessible accommodation
  • Your community
    • Advocacy
    • Peer support
    • Peer Support Groups
    • SEAT – safety education in schools
  • Get involved
    • Membership with Spinal Life Australia
    • Upcoming Events
    • Donate
    • Support us
    • Our sponsors and supporters
  • Your resources
    • Your spine
    • The Advocate magazine
    • Our publications
    • The Disability Royal Commission
    • Late effects of polio
    • Transverse Myelitis
    • Useful links
  • About us
    • About Spinal Life Australia
    • Our Patron and ambassadors
    • Our Board and leadership team
    • Services for Western Australia
    • Work for us
      • Current opportunities
      • Corporate and Allied Health vacancies
      • Personal Support Worker vacancies
  • Contact us
  • 1300 SPINAL
  • DONATE

Spinal Life call for right decision in train pain debacle

January 30, 2018

The New Generational Rollingstock (NGR) train.
The new NGR series of trains have been criticised over lack of accessibility.

Spinal Life Australia is calling upon the Australian Human Rights Commission to uphold the rights of Queenslanders with a disability with its imminent decision on the State Government’s New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) trains.

The Commission is currently deciding whether to approve the State Government’s application for a three-year discrimination law exemption to place the NGR trains into service, despite major accessibility concerns.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Powell said he had faith in the Commission to support Queenslanders with a disability by rejecting the application.

“If the exemption request is granted, it sends a message that it’s acceptable to leave behind Queenslanders with a disability and our laws of inclusiveness and equality are free to be ignored,” Mr Powell said.

“The right to accessible and reliable transport services should be mandatory, not an optional extra.”

A petition launched by Spinal Life Australia calling on all future Queensland transport services to be fully accessible has received more than 1,400 signatures and counting in the five days since it was launched.

The NGR trains have been criticised for including toilets inaccessible to most wheelchair users and a guard cab located at the rear of the train, instead of the centre.

As passengers with a disability or aged passengers wait for boarding assistance mid-platform, the guard is placed at a lengthy 70 metre distance from passengers requiring assistance, greatly increasing the risk of passengers being overlooked or unassisted.

“A solution has been offered in the form of additional platform staff to help with passengers requiring boarding assistance, however ensuring staff members are available for all stations across all operating hours would come at a long-term cost that would be likely unsustainable,” Mr Powell said.

“Accessible transport services for Queenslanders with a disability and the aged should be a right, not a privilege.”

Mr Powell said Spinal Life Australia has lodged a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission urging them to reject the State Government’s application for a three-year exemption of discrimination laws.

The submission is available for viewing at www.spinal.com.au/ngr-trains-submission.

The petition can be found at http://chn.ge/2EjqwOK.

Filed Under: Our news

Reader Interactions

Quick links

  • Donate
  • Allied Health Services
  • Careers
  • PSW Resources/Login
  • Office Staff Login

Contact us

We’d love to hear from you! Leave a message on our contact page or you can call toll free on:

1300 774 625

Your feedback

Feedback is always welcome from our members, clients and the general public.

Leave Feedback

Copyright © 2021 Spinal Life Australia. All Rights Reserved.

Site built by Ad Agency Queensland Sitemap Admin Privacy