The halls of power not for the disabled
Steep walkways, heavy doors and too few lifts make Parliament difficult to access
The Beehive and Parliament Buildings are mostly offlimits for disabled people, a damning review has found, because of their steep walkways, heavy doors, and the absence of lifts and mobility parks.
In some cases, visitors or workers in wheelchairs had to take long routes and several elevators in Parliament House because a few steps blocked their path.
The review by the Government Administration Select Committee made a raft of recommendations for improving facilities for the deaf, blind, elderly or people with limited mobility.
Committee chairwoman and Labour MP Ruth Dyson said the review found problems with nearly every aspect of disability services, many of which were “simple fixes” which had been singled out before.
“If it is difficult for a person to access a place they are likely to stay away. Every submitter who commented on physical access to Parliament expressed concern about how difficult Parliament was to navigate for disabled people,” the report said.
The walkways from Parliament’s main gate to the public entry were too steep and wooden doors in Parliament House were “very heavy and almost impossible” for some disabled people to open.
Some MPs’ offices could not be reached by people in wheelchairs, and there were no designated spaces in the public gallery for wheelchairs.
One of the most urgent requests was to install a portable lift to allow disabled people to access select committee rooms, which were blocked by eight steps. A person in a wheelchair was forced to turn around, take an elevator up in the Beehive, travel to the House, and take another elevator down.
Much of the precinct was difficult to navigate for blind or partly blind visitors because of poor lighting and obstacles.
Deaf and hearing-impaired people were disadvantaged because audio in the Chamber was poor and there was no budget to provide sign language interpreters for debates or oral submissions. The report noted that Parliament House and Parliamentary Library were listed as Historic Place Category 1 and modifications were complex or expensive.