2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

           Platinum level – meets enhanced standards for all of the core liable housing design
            elements and achieves all of the additional design elements.

Despite the national guideline and strategic plan being endorsed by the Council of Australian
Governments (COAG) and included in the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020, and a
commitment to meet the guidelines by the national dialogue members, in December 2014 it was
noted that no interim targets had been met and it is unlikely that even 5% of the 2020 target for
the provision of new universally designed dwellings will be reached with the current voluntary
approach (Australian Network for Universal Housing Design 2016). This minimal response was
considered to indicate market failure and bring the voluntary approach into question.

As a result, the Australian Network for Universal Housing Design have argued that it is time for
responsible government to intervene in the form of regulation within the National Construction
Code. In a proposal10 submitted to Standards Australia to review AS4299-1995 Adaptable
housing to align with the 2010-2020 National Disability Strategy (Livable Housing Design), the
network suggested that all new housing in Classes 1a and 1b, 2, 3 and 4 should provide a
minimum set of universal housing design elements being:

1.        A safe continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and parking area to a
          dwelling entrance that is level;
2.        At least one level (step-free) entrance into the dwelling;
3.        Internal doors and corridors that facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between
          spaces;
4.        A toilet on the ground (or entry) level that provides easy access;
5.        A bathroom that contains a hobless (step-free) shower recess;
6.        Reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath to support the safe installation of
          grabrails at a later date.

Among other benefits, the authors of the proposal suggest that this initiative could increase the
cost-effectiveness of the National Disability Insurance Scheme and aged care reforms by
decreasing the demand for home modification assistance and specialised residential care.

Economic Development Queensland has also created a guideline for accessible housing (2015)
which outlines a small number of key design elements to achieve accessibility for dwellings
constructed in Priority Development Areas (PDAs). The guideline suggests that for development
within PDA areas in Queensland, unless otherwise mandated, accessible dwellings will make up:

           10% of dwellings for all multiple residential dwelling projects;
           20% of dwellings for all multiple residential dwelling projects that are seeking superior
            design outcomes in Bowen Hills and Northshore Hamilton.

While not currently supported by legislation in Queensland, a trend in other States (especially
NSW) is for a minimum of 10% of dwellings of various types to be adaptable (as currently defined
by Australian Standard AS 4299-1995), and this has been widely used elsewhere as a standard.
Some Councils in NSW have requirements ranging from 30 to 50 percent of multi-unit


10
     Australian Network for Universal Housing Design, 2016, See Appendix 1 for Proposed Deemed-to-Satisfy
provisions (draft)



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