Kelly Vincent – 5RPH Interview on Planning Laws and Disability Pride Parade
02/12/2015
On 2nd December 2015, Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent was interviewed on radio station 5RPH to discuss Dignity for Disability’s views on the Government’s Planning Bill that is currently being debated in the Legislative Council. Kelly Vincent also discussed the Disability Pride Parade. Here is the audio and transcript from the interview.
Pam Green: Time to welcome to 5RPH, Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent. Hi Kelly.
Kelly Vincent: Hi Pam.
Pam Green: Well I understand the Legislative Council is debating a huge change to the planning laws in South Australia. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Kelly Vincent: Sure, well the Attorney-General set up an expert planning review panel about three years ago and there’s certainly been a great deal of consideration and confrontation on the issue of planning, but unfortunately not all of that work is now translating into the bill we see before us in parliament. It’s essential that a once in a generation change considers the complexity of our current planning system and can grow and adapt to changing circumstances over the next 30 years and hopefully even beyond.
Pam Green: It sounds like a monumental change. Have the government given you plenty of time to consider the bill?
Kelly Vincent: Well that’s a very good question Pam. The bill is over 200 pages long, it’s very lengthy and complex, and I think it’s the longest bill by quite some length that we’ve dealt with this year in parliament. It is also very complex legal reform and on top of that the government itself have hundreds of amendments. Dignity for Disability also have amendments, Mark Parnell has more than one hundred of his own, as do other members of the cross bench in parliament. So despite having established this expert planning review panel three years ago, and introducing this bill in February we’re now told all of a sudden that this bill is a priority for the government and we have to pass it before the end of the year. Now of course planning is a very important issue and we have to deal with it as though it were an important issue, but that also means that we need to have adequate time and despite the debate in the Legislative Council only commencing yesterday on this bill, the government are trying to tell us that the bill needs to be passed this week. It’s unrealistic and it also disrespects us in not giving us the opportunity to properly consider this very complex and lengthy bill.
Pam Green: So what is Dignity for Disability’s perspective on the overall planning reform?
Kelly Vincent: Well certainly housing affordability and particularly building housing and venues that are going to be affordable and remain affordable now and into the future is an issue that should be of concern to all of us as Parliamentarians as it is an issue of concern to South Australians. And we think one way to tackle this issue is to incorporate more into legislation the concept of universal design and accessibility and our amendments reflect this. The word accessibility is currently only used once in the bill in its unamended form, and universal design that is venues, houses, buildings and so on which are designed to be automatically and inherently accessible to all people is not used at all. This needs to change. Australia is so far behind countries like Norway, Sweden and Denmark when it comes to implementing universal design and quite frankly given that we have an ageing population and I think that I’m right in saying that 20% of the population will be over the age of 65 by the age 2030. We need to get this in place now so that our homes and our public spaces can move and adapt with us as we age and as more people acquire disabilities through age, accidents or injury rather than having to do the very expensive and often ineffective retrofitting.
Pam Green: Now finally Kelly, as tomorrow is the United Nation’s International Day of People with Disability. I know that Barriers to Justice which is a collaboration between Dignity for Disability, DACSSA and the Victim Support Service are holding Australia’s first ever Disability Pride Parade on Friday. Are you able to give us those final details yet?
Kelly Vincent: Definitely, we want to hold this parade to show visibility, strength and unity in the disability community, but also to talk about the issues that still remain for us and the challenges of the disability sector. So we will be holding this pride parade to do that. Meet at 10.45am at Victoria Square on the northern end where the Christmas tree is, it’s hard to miss that Christmas tree so hopefully everyone will know where that is. Then at 11am we’re going to start marching down King William Street towards Parliament House and then at 12pm we’ll begin the rally out the front of Parliament House and all speeches will be from people with disability. So I will be a speaker; Bonnie Millen who is a deaf woman will be speaking; Esther Simbi who was a candidate for Dignity for Disability last year will be speaking, she represents women with disabilities from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds; Ben Paior-Smith who is a young adult with an intellectual disability; Phillip Beddall who is probably well known to some of your listeners; and Stevie Goldsmith who will be doing the welcome to country.
Pam Green: Should be a great day Kelly.
Kelly Vincent: Absolutely, so hopefully we’ll get lots of people out there. I’d love to see as many of your listeners possible out there.
Pam Green: Great. Once again, thanks for taking the time to talk to us Kelly.
Kelly Vincent: Thanks Pam.
Pam Green: Dignity for Disability MLC Kelly Vincent.
