Motor Vehicles Act (Amendment)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:10): 

I rise today to support the amendment of the Motor Vehicles Act to redefine the disability parking permit (DPP) scheme. The bill updates terminology to use more inclusive and representative language. Terms such as 'disabled person' will be replaced with 'person with a disability', and 'disabled persons parking permit' will become 'disability parking permit'.

Currently, the DPP scheme is limited by criteria that do not fully encompass the needs of all individuals with disabilities. Inclusive and representative language is important in all aspects of life and community. However, when we are talking about a person with a disability, it is even more so. The change to the language to be more inclusive aligns this bill with modern practices and with other jurisdictions. It is important that the changes that are made here are fit for purpose and encompass the need to broaden the scope of the permits to include neurological conditions, where the condition impacts a person's ability to mobilise safely from a vehicle to their destination.

My own personal experiences with my late father-in-law highlight the necessity of these permits to the lives of not only individuals with a disability but also their families and caregivers. By enabling closer parking to entrances with wider spaces for easy access, we ensure that my father-in-law, for example, can be assisted more readily to move safely from the car park to places such as a medical clinic, pharmacy or shopping centre. This allows people with a disability to continue participating in daily life, remain an active part of their community and significantly lessens the challenges that caregivers have to deal with when caring for people with different disabilities.

Experts in disability policy emphasise that expanding the criteria for disability parking permits to include neurological or cognitive conditions is essential for ensuring fair access for all individuals with disabilities. This change recognises the varied challenges faced by people with different types of impairments and supports a more inclusive society.

These changes will also significantly impact carers of persons with disability. Caregivers often face challenges in ensuring the safety and accessibility of their loved ones. By broadening the scope of the DPP scheme, not only are we supporting individuals with disabilities but we are also easing the burden on their carers and allowing them to provide better care and support.

It is pleasing to note that these changes will ensure that the outdated requirement that an applicant's ability to use public transport must be significantly impeded is being removed and that all legally blind applicants will be eligible, removing ambiguity from the act. With those remarks, I fully support the bill.