Transport for NSW issued its Disability Action Plan 2012–2017 in December 2012. The Action Plan confirms that Transport NSW has not met the Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 target of having 55 per cent of stations accessible by 2012. Under the Act, 90 per cent of stations are to be accessible by 2017 and 100 per cent by 2022.
Currently 131 stations (42.7 per cent) on the Sydney network are Easy Access wheelchair accessible stations, compared with 98 stations (32 per cent) in 2007. Of these stations, 68 (22 per cent) are fully accessible.
The Action Plan proposes another 29 stations will be made accessible by 2015 bringing wheelchair accessibility to 52.1 per cent. The report does not mention if, or how, a further 38 per cent of stations will be upgraded in the following two years to meet the 2017 target.
Early documents released under a GIPA request to Lift Redfern show no plans to upgrade Redfern Station in the near future. The documents do make public the selection criteria and prioritisation process for the three programs that could apply to Redfern – the Easy Access, Station Upgrade and Interchange Upgrade programs. Redfern seems to tick most of the boxes and should be a priority.
