Legislative Council, Wednesday, 7 September 2022

Ms FORREST question to LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Mrs HISCUTT

With regard to the Government's policies around access to affordable and accessible housing and the response related to the construction of social housing, including housing for those with a disability, the response last week included the fact that no houses are being constructed on King Island.

(1) Can the minister confirm whether any homes are currently being built or are planned to built in the next five years on King Island; and

If so, the number of properties that are suitable for residents with disability, including the availability of hoists.

(2) The previous response provided by the Leader stated: "

Where practical, all new social houses built under the Government have adhered to the design policy which is comparable to silver level on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG). The policy states that all new homes will be constructed to meet the changing needs of the residents across their lifetime, including easy and cost-effective adaptation for the specific needs of people living with disabilities.

As I understand it, hoists need to be considered in the construction of the building to ensure structural integrity that is required to a ensure a hoist can be safely installed and used by the resident, not retrofitted.

Can the Leader confirm that silver level on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines ensures adequate structural integrity to ensure a hoist can be retrofitted?

ANSWER

(1) Under the current stage of the Community Housing Growth program - properties to be delivered by June 2023 - there are no dwellings committed for construction on King Island.

A further expression of interest process for new social housing supply will be released by the end of 2022. This will be seeking proposals for construction of new supply in areas of demand, as informed by the social housing waitlist. This will include both King and Flinders islands.

(2) The silver Livable Housing Design Guidelines focus on seven key structural and spatial elements that are critical to ensure future flexibility and adaptability of a home. These core elements do not necessarily accommodate the needs and abilities of all people living with disability, but are considered to be of most widespread benefit and use in the majority of circumstances.

The seven core elements include:

(1) A safe, continuous and step-free path of travel from the street entrance and/or 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 shower recess;

(6) Reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath to support the safe installation of grab rails at a later date;

(7) Stairways are designed to reduce the likelihood of injury and also enable future adaptation.

The inclusion of hoists or infrastructure to enable easy adaptation to include a hoist when required are not core elements of any level, either silver, gold or platinum of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. This infrastructure is a customisation option for specialist disability accommodation based on identified individual's needs for those with more significant levels of physical disability. Assistive products such as portable hoists can offer an alternative to fixed ceiling hoists to provide opportunities for aging in place.

The development of higher-level specialist disability accommodation is supported through project specific briefing with specialist consultants and allied health professionals.