Open Letter to Commerce Minister, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA

A group of 18 housing, ageing and disability advocacy organisations, as well as Shelter WA, have signed an open letter calling for Commerce Minister, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA to adopt the updated accessibility requirements for residential buildings.

Read the Open Letter here.

In Western Australia, one in five people live with a disability and our ageing population is continuing to grow. Despite this, we continue to accept that a significant proportion of our population must either reside in homes that they cannot easily enter, move around in, or be forced to move into alternative accommodation.

State and territory building ministers will meet today as hosts to the Albanese government to review the provisions for residential housing and apartments in the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 based on Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) silver standards.

Key Asks:

  • The Minister to support the adoption of the Liveable Housing Design Guideline (silver standard) for new homes at the Building Ministers Meeting on the 26 August 2022.
  • Adopt the updated accessibility requirements for residential buildings in the NCC 2022 update and to commit to a 12-month transition period to ensure time for industry training and education.