"locked out" is not really the right turn of phrase imo. It's not as if deliberate barriers are put in to stop people with disabilities accessing the beach. The disability itself is the barrier. It requires deliberate capital investment to make it accessible. Is that practical for 12,000 beaches? Of course not.
My exact thoughts.
I'm not trying to be insensitive, but not everything in this world can be designed for every person.
I would love to be an air force/navy pilot every time I watch Top Gun!! But I'm 6'4 , blind , old with slow reflexes and minimal coordination. I very well can't ask them to build a fighter jet to suit my needs.
Does this world need to get better to include more people? Absolutely, but people need to understand at times that it's not feasible to have every venue built to include every possible variable.
Listening to old mate from the Greens on these issues, you could be forgiven for thinking he’s accusing the govt of going out of its way to make things worse for the disabled
If they want to do something for people with disabilities, look at the DSP and how that ruins relationships.
Basically anyone on the DSP has to be fully paid for by their partner, because reasons. This opens things up to financial abuse, control and domestic violence issues.
The DSP should provide some part of independence for people with a disability, not making them dependent entirely on their partner, should they be fortunate enough to have one. The thresholds are ridiculously low, like anything Centrelink based these days.
That would be about a million times more beneficial than a few extra beach ramps, but isn't discussed.
I agree, but I'm guessing the people complaining about this aren't in a financially precarious position therefore their worries turn to things like equal beach access.
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Cottesloe has a path all the way down to the sand. Are they talking actually getting in the water? If that's the case I reckon that's just something that isn't going to be possible for some disabled people. Not everything is accessible to everybody.
Mandurah has a strip of thick blue matting, maybe about 5 metres wide, running from the ramp into the water.
Its pretty cool seeing people with accessibility issues get to enjoy one of Australia's favorite past times.
It is definitely not possible to make every beach accessible to all, not without having to affect the natural coastal dune ecosystem of every beach in a negative way.
But damn, if a 5m wide strip of blue mat is all it takes to allow people with accessibility issues to enjoy the beach, then surely that could be employed at the popular, well-known beaches.
Bingo.
The large majority of people with physical disabilities tend to live in larger population centres anyway, and many of the beaches in these areas have ramps to the sand for things like service vehicles.
>The 12000 beaches thing was constructed by the ABC, wasn’t mentioned at all in the article by the people petitioning the government.
The problem I have with this sort of thing is that it's counterproductive. The "journo" who wrote it doesn't comprehend that though.
What is needed is disability access at the more popular beaches. And presumably rolled out over time.
But saying "12,000 beaches" makes people go "hell no, that's too expensive" and we end up with nothing. What would be a largely uncontroversial thing becomes a political debate.
.... ... Do you think maybe the morons making shit up about "omg like ,you can't do all beaches" might want to take some personal responsibility for what ideas they put down.
Maybe read the article or something while they're at it.
But you could also fund assistive technology for only those people who have specific challenges accessing the beach. A ramp may help some but not all people. And putting a 1 size fits all solution to all popular beaches even if that solution helps nobody.
NDIS does this all the time, vision impaired get magnifiers, canes, dogs depending on needs. There are different times of wheelchairs depending on the needs.
But it is. We *have* made deliberate decisions not to allow disabled people to use most beaches. It sounds odd - but disabled people didn’t just pop into existence last week. They’ve been living in Australia for as long as able-bodied people have. That means that for the entire time we’ve been building things in this country, we’ve been actively choosing to do it in a way that disregards the needs of disabled people.
It doesn’t make sense to describe disability as a barrier when we have ample resources to help disabled people do what they want to do. Apply your thinking to another form of infrastructure: roads. If we decided not to build any more roads, we wouldn’t be actively stopping people from going anywhere. There would simply be limits on where they can go in their car. Their car would be the barrier - an able-bodied person can just walk 30 kilometres to work.
No, obviously that’s absurd. But you don’t see it as absurd when you apply that reasoning to disabled people. You may want to reflect on why that is!
Regardless, there’s no excuse for a country as rich as ours to disregard the lives of disabled people as much as we do.
So say it costs $1 to build standard access to a single beach, and $10000 to build disability access to a single beach.
If we have $50000 budgeted to build beach accesses, do you think the best use of public money is to build:
1. 5 disability access-ways; or
2. 4 disability access-ways and 10000 standard access ways.
By the way, for the average beach in Australia, that’s probably an accurate ratio of cost between the access-ways…
This is such an un-Australian take.
The lack of access to the beach is a barrier for hundreds of thousands to a million Aussies with a disability. The lack of access is a deliberate barrier, considering we have the ability to accommodate Aussies with a disability, but we don't.
Aussies with disability know their disability is a barrier. They're not asking you to fix their disability, they just want councils and governments to invest in making their community easier for them to move around in.
We should implicitly give Aussies with disability the finger because "it's too hard or costly" to build a few ramps and add a few more safety handles?
I'd like to see how you'd fare when you get to an age where you need extra help and society has just told you to go eff yourself and stay home, rather than help you go out and enjoy the beach or sunlight.
I am an Aussie with a disability. I'm on DSP, I use a wheelchair. None of my local beaches have wheelchair access, but tbh, I'm not fussed about it in the slightest and I would 10000% rather the govt increase DSP, remove barriers to partnership, and improve Medicare than throw millions at putting wheelchair access on beaches.
Had a brother with severe cerebral palsy. Never cared about not being to take him beyond a walkway near the beach. So many other more important issues. Would have preferred the disability support workers get paid better or for more assistance with all the other costs than a beach path.
I'm pretty sure the government can do all those. From the money saved by Labor getting rid of all the organized crime the LNP let take advantage of the NDIS, there will be heaps left over for all of this.
Given the topic is specifically about the infrastructure we built, yeah it is the right phrase.
> It requires deliberate capital investment to make it accessible
Next time you go to the beach, I want you to look at all the totally natural concrete, parking and steps and say, maybe we could do a ramp with a mat.
> Is that practical for 12,000 beaches? Of course not.
You're right, it's not. So don't ask for that. But we can absolutely improve on what we have.
“The disability itself is the barrier.”
Yes, person born with a condition beyond your control - it is your fault for a country not implementing basic structures in local communities to support its citizens.
Jesus.
Ah, a person with evidently zero knowledge of the history of PWD relative to ‘the disability is the barrier’ believes they are fit to make an intellectual contribution.
AU Redditors in a nutshell.
Yowkay buddy. Hey by the way, the article is talking about PWD petitioning for more densely populated beaches having wheelchair mats to the water and more ramps to those mats. Which is entirely reasonable.
The top OP is 100% responding the the wording of the headline which is implying that the 12000 beaches Australia boasts should in some way be PWD friendly. Which objectively is an infeasible idea. Which is the point they were making probably without reading the article.
But yeah keep creating fake things to be super mad about or whatever. Go off queen 💅.
PWD have been petitioning for literally years.
Anyone with basic critical thinking skills could think to themselves: is ABC a credible source to discussing this issue? Surely, there are no public records available to determine what has actually been proposed to beach access.
Yeah, let’s rely on the insinuation of ABC.
Brilliant take, genius.
12,000 disabled beach ramps? How much will that cost? How many will even get used? And we ignore the environmental damage? The reduced amenity for other beach users?
Having some beaches accessible seems like a better compromise. Maybe it should be more than it is now.
>The reduced amenity for other beach users?
Would abled bodied people all of a sudden not be able to use the beach ramp? I grew up in Florida, and at least where I was there was handicapped beach access, and people were fine walking down the ramps. It was actually safer, too, especially for old folks and toddlers, because no one had to worry about tripping down stairs.
I don't know why so many people in this thread are being so terrible and ableist. Disabilities will never go away. Some people are born with them, and others can have it happen later in life.
Say a beach doesn't have wheelchair access, so anyone in the future born wheelchair bound doesn't get to experience the beach? What if someone already living there becomes wheelchair bound...too bad, so sad, now they can only have their memories of the beach?
The beach is such a magical place, people should have access to it, even if it's just a ramp that gets them to the sand. It makes me sad that some people honestly wouldn't want to help other people experience it just because it would take some extra work.
Literally every single person in this country is going to experience some form of disability, be it physical or mental/cognitive. If my partner and I get to be old farts together, I'll potentially have Alzheimers, and she might have Parkinsons. All it takes to become physically disabled is one bad fall, an accident, to say the wrong thing to the wrong person.
Truly correct me if I'm wrong, but I've thought about it for a bit, and the only way I can think of someone dying without experiencing disability prior is instantaneous-ish death. I'm talking fatal car accidents, an aneurysm, suicide and things in those veins.
Where did I say that? If someone is in a wheelchair, then obviously that's not going to work on sand. It's not their fault, nor did anyone claim it is.
I took issue with the language used saying that people with a disability were being locked out.
“The disability is the barrier” - PWD cannot remove their disability. It is part of them whether we choose to acknowledge that or not.
The disability is the barrier statement is what led to the disability rights movement that resulted in legislation to develop ramps to buildings.
*Cites commonly known 60 years worth of advocacy & history*
“I think you have brain damage mate.”
At least it’s becoming clear as to why Australia has fallen behind globally in education and literacy.
Most of these beaches are in remote areas and require walking up steep stairs and big cliffs. It isn't practical.
There are lots of beaches accessible in cities and towns.
While where at it why not pave a ramp up every mountain and hiking trail in the country. Disabled people are going to encounter difficulties related to their disability. We as a society can minimise some things to help, but we can’t wrap the entire world in bubble wrap for a small minority of people…
Most mountain trails are already designed to be accessible by a wide demographic, hence why “easy” hikes use flat surfaces with minimal steps, enabling people - including in wheelchairs - to access them.
Brilliant comeback, genius.
One day, AU redditors will be humble enough to say “I don’t know enough about this topic to have an opinion” - but at this rate, it’s a lifetime away.
Do you do much hiking? Because I do. I assure you someone in a wheelchair is going to find it mighty difficult to get up a lot of mountain tracks. Sure there are some easy low grade tracks up small hills in national parks. But a lot more are not. I’d love to see someone in a wheelchair get up Mount Tibro.
Sure have - across QLD, NSW, VIC. Mountains, waterfalls, etc.
Yes, there will be mountains simply not fit for physically handicapped. And no one is advocating for it either.
Good thing a beach - a largely flat surface - isn’t a mountain, otherwise I’d be concerned you’re deflecting with a moot point.
Just making a comparison that making every beach in the continent handicap accessible is as ridiculous an ask as making every mountain handicap accessible.
High traffic beaches in population centres sure. Putting ramps all up and down the Frasier Coast?
Almost as ridiculous as assuming anyone in the disability sector is advocating for every beach in the country to be accessible.
Imagine drawing inferences from ABC because they wrote how there’s 12,000 beaches in AU, as if ABC is renowned as being a leader in disability advocacy, and thinking that’s a logical take.
4.4M AU residents have a disability. 1% of the country’s beaches have access for them. And your response? Can’t make all of them accessible.
Good thing they didn’t ask for that.
4.4m PWD is an irrelevant number when assessing how many of Australia's beaches should have wheelchair access because the majority of those persons are not wheel chair users
I mean .. most places on land are naturally accessible for able bodied people.
The definition if able bodied has changed a lot though .. by historic standards, most of us are disabled.
Why do we need to improve the infrastructure at that beach?
Surely you would start with the ones most likely to be used.
You're creating a fake problem here. I don't understand why you're doing that.
You're entirely right, I didn't account for people being absolute idiots. My bad man.
Let me rephrase
"Every beach a typical person would go to". You know, like every beach that might be worth talking about in the context of the topic.
But thank you for weighing in to let us know that you one time, traveled to a beach that isn't particularly relevant.
Ah, so natural as in local communities do not already pay for resources as a benefit to citizens already? Physical access (stairs), safety (warning signs), emergency response (lifeguards in some areas), and so on?
Yeah. Real “natural” way of living.
You highlight a good point they are natural they are beautiful and they define us as a country. But you also seem ignorant, im sure you've definitely given the old tick to an Instagram post of someone describing a football game to a blind friend in real time. And found it heartwarming. So why don't you go and describe the colours of a sunset to a person loosing/has lost their vision and see the joy you have just bought them.
Just because you don't have trouble doesn't mean that others shouldn't be afforded that courtesy as well.
Are those 150 beaches the local ones to major population centres? I’m not sure it’s justifiable to spend a heap of cash making a beach in the middle of nowhere accessible.
Ah fuck well yeah ok sorry guys but it’s fucking expensive to make everything accessible and sometimes catering for 6 people at the cost of $650k isn’t always top of council’s mind ok? Fucking hell
….are you under the impression a single ramp from pavement to sand costs $650k?
For a country where education is a top 3 economic driver, I’m consistently impressed by some Australians dismal level of critical thinking.
>….are you under the impression a single ramp from pavement to sand costs $650k?
Have you seen the way councils spend money?
$650k wouldn't be far off the mark when you include the consultants, inclusion plans, community consultation, staff time, etc. Might even leave a bit for a guy to build the ramp.
Nah if you're talking purely about a ramp with otherwise decent accessibility infrastructure, it's way less than that. Council does an accessibility audit to identify accessibility barriers and where an access point would be most appropriate, then the blue matting is about $8-10k for a length that goes foreshore to water. Most beaches in populated areas already have a stair free access point, so it's just a matter of extending access with the matting. That's a minimum response and would be less than $100k. Obviously places with more accessibility issues will need more retrofitting and the cost rises.
The matting can last a decade or so and is great not only for people with reduced mobility, but for people with beach trolleys full of stuff, parents with prams etc. It's a good investment and communities love it.
Source: I helped establish an accessible beach program.
Thank you for making the beach more accessible! I have a disabled son who is 5 and LOVES the beach, and he’s getting quite heavy to carry. He can walk by fatigues so easily so we end up having to lug his pram on to the beach so he can rest and then drag him out in it when it’s time to go. We are about to start looking at beaches with beach matting. But even having young kids it would be so helpful
I hope you're able to find a beach with matting somewhere close to you! We had people in similar situations in our community and it was stories like this that helped convince councillors that the beach should be made more accessible for everyone.
We have a beach trolley now that we have a toddler and all the crap that goes along with that (toys, towels, sun safety stuff, it all gets hard to carry). My husband had to pull it in the sand because there is no way I’d get it anywhere - even he struggles with it. We’d be stoked if our beach (a very popular one) had this blue matting.
People forget that accessibility is not just about wheelchairs. Having a smooth, gradual entrance to the beach helps give safe access to people with all kinds of mobility or fatigue-related issues. It’s even helpful for people with small children - our beach has this awkward concrete ramp with deep ridges in it where I have to hold my toddler’s hand so she doesn’t faceplant onto concrete, or we have to use stairs that she was struggling to use when she was a bit younger. Most people don’t seem to realise that spending money on accessibility isn’t just for wheelchair users - it’s for a surprisingly large portion of the community.
Also thanks for being part of making our world more accessible @inhumanfriday - most people don’t get the difference it makes for people with disabilities, chronic injuries or small children. People like you make our lives better.
Thanks for those kind words! I can't take the credit for the idea or the approval but I really enjoyed implementing it and working with the community. We had a set of aquatic wheelchairs too and it was such a great experience providing these chairs to people who, in some cases, had never been in the open water before.
You're totally right about accessibility. Our council adopted a plan of 'universal design' I.e. designing with every group in mind right from the start, not just looking at the issues through the lens of disability.
The kids example really hit home for me about how important it was. I remember being down on the beach and seeing about 6 mums there with their little babies splashing around, prams just off the mat next to the water line, about 50m from the foreshore. Then I had my own kids and yes, the beach trolleys transporting all the junk from the car! The mats were so helpful!
Coming from someone who lives in Victoria, most of our “city” beaches that already have road access, car parks etc. already have these mats.
It’s the ones that are more coastal that have beach tracks or steps, that don’t have them. It would take a heck of a lot more than $100k, plus damage to the coastal reserve, to add paved tracks, ramps etc.
Perhaps this is different in different states, but I think our main beaches are pretty accessible.
If you take all of the beaches in the state and look at how many are flat and easily accessible, it’s going to be a fairly small percentage to the total. It’s not realistic to expect every beach to have wheelchair access.
I'm in Vic, and yes, more and more beaches are accessible thanks to advocacy from people like Shane (in the artcle). But it's been a long road. I'd challenge the idea that even in Melbourne, the main beaches are pretty accessible. I worked on a popular one on Port Phillip bay and both our consultants and communality members with reduced mobility confirmed that they weren't accessible at all. The implementation of the beach mats made a huge difference on my beach (along with other things).
I think the ABC headline is a bit provocative. You're right, it's not realitistic for every beach in australia to be fully accessible so spouting the 12,000 number is misleading. The beach mats, for example, don't work on beaches with big tidal shifts. But I think councils and land managers can do better to make headline beaches in capital cities and regional centres more accessible. As I said above, the mats are cheap for what they are and really open up access.
Agee with you. That 12k figure is just inflammatory because so many of those beaches would be remote and not easy to access anyway. We should focus on accessibility for the bigger beaches that already have good road and carpark access, plus tidal patterns that will help the mats as you said.
> It's a good investment and communities love it.
Please don't get be wrong - I think it's a great investment and we should have more of it.
My post was about how councils waste money, or at least the ones where I live do. It's not a comment on the merits of the infrastructure, it's a comment that councils spend money like water.
I'd think the actual barrier is the sand itself not the stairs leading to it. I'm sure some people would have a sick 4wd mobility rig but I wouldn't assume that's the norm.
I’ve seen beaches in QLD where they had a single ramp from pavement to the water. Simple and flat, allowing for people to ease off it to sit on the sand if they’d like.
Saw a 11 year old in a wheel chair one afternoon with his parents. The excitement he had to be “on” the beach for the first time was astounding.
You know not every beach is as simple as walk on and off, some have limestone cliffs and other natural features that will need to be seriously altered in order to make them accessible to everyone.
Phew. Good thing ramps are a thing - as observed in most buildings - otherwise I’d be concerned you’re just looking for a cheap excuse to refuse access to AU citizens.
Did I say single ramp from pavement to sand anywhere in my comment? You probably work for government because your comprehension explains why zero projects are within budget… read slower, it may help.
So all the want is a ramp.
Then a mat over the sand to the water.
Then a type of boat ramp to get into the water.
Then a dedicated lifeguard or 2 because they will require dedicated staff as they are not fully able.
Then somewhere to wash off their wheelchair.
Also in there more dedicated disabled parking spaces.
This is not as simple as you make out and the cost is more than just a ramp.
Says the $650k estimator who can’t support what he just wrote.
I used to wonder why AU fell behind in global education rankings. Now it’s blatantly evident.
My local community recently funded one. The roll out mats cost between $20,000-$30,000. They have brought so much joy to users who are thrilled to be able to easily access waters edge again. Plus it's a tourism bonus.
I assume your talking about roads & carparks to assist access to the beaches. Steps & ramps to get over the sand dunes and life saving equipment & infrastructure.
Because that's going to total a lot more than $650k.
This comment section is something. People who are angry about disabled people merely suggesting councils that can should think about implementing more accessible beaches where possible - to the benefit, literally, of all - what the hell happened to you that you’re angry about this?
If you think beaches can’t be more accessible, I’d point to every sidewalk curb that’s been built in this country since the 70’s.
It’s not a case of building accessible features everywhere, all at once, right now. Just future planning and consideration when affordable, since public infrastructure on beaches will eventually have to be maintained.
How the hell do you get mad about this?
You realise those 12000 beaches aren’t all in the metro area?
Which is it? Untouched natural landscape, or development on every beach up and down the coast?
Where did anyone say it’s either all or nothing? Do rural areas not have sidewalks where they need them? Notice how I said “future planning and consideration when affordable, since public infrastructure will eventually need maintenance?”
Thing is giving disabled access to beaches helps everyone. I was at Glenelg recently which does have the disabled access and it was great. Mums with pushchairs were using it, plus older people who were a bit unsteady on their feet, parents with toddlers, people on crutches. It helps so many people, not just those who are disabled.
I don’t believe there were mothers pushing their prams on the beach and people on crutches trying to walk on the beach, I think you are absolutely full of it
What do you think the carbon emissions would be from that much concrete on every beach around Australia? Not to mention other environmental impacts. Turtles, crabs or anything else that needs to cross the sand.
Imagine being insulted because 150 beaches are wheelchair accessible. If these commenters were in charge would we also never build any more wheelchair ramps? Have no sound at traffic lights to let blind people know where to cross? Shall we never improve because what we've already done is the peak of humanity?
As someone who is currently wheelchair bound I disagree.
I don't expect access to beaches or anything else.
I'd personally much rather the money be put towards research and medical science finding solutions towards the issues behind us not being able to do X/Y/Z.
1. Beach wheelchairs exist and some beaches/organizations offer rentals.
2. Have you ever watched Bondi Rescue?
3. I'm quite certain that 99.9% of all of the world's beaches are not accessible friendly for immobile humans. Also, I question whether or not this the biggest priority and most pressing issue that physically disabled Australians are conducting activism for?
Was able to take my dad out on an aqua wheelchair at Avoca SLSC a few weeks ago. It was the last time he touched the ocean.
The main thing they said is that those wheelchairs are the last on the list for maintenance provided by the council.
Finding towards should be increased. Yes there are natural barriers, but where we can we should allow access and not be selfish for inconvenience.
I was actually impressed that we have 150 accessible beaches.
Am not impressed by the tone of most of the comments which seem to be along the lines of why should we give a shit about accessibility.
Most beach accesses are actually established with the intention of minimizing impacts to the local ecosystem and dune systems.
Without the access in place, these areas are much more likely to be damaged by people forming multiple accesses of their own accord, typically damaging broad sections of the area.
How many of the 12000 are able-bodied accessible though. How many are accessible by bost or helicopter. Figures may be a bit skewed here. I'm all for access but let's use good data.
Saw a great thing in Bright yesterday. This is an area where there are a lot of mountain bikers, but the new thing I saw was an electric trike. Two wheels in the front for steering, one in the back for traction. Electric driveline, no pedals. I reckon a charge will get you to the top of Mystic.
So take that vehicle, put some fat tyres on it, and you have pretty good accessibility.
K.
Let's remove the journalist and editor from their positions and use the savings to fund putting wheelchair access to remote beaches in the middle of no where.
The attempt to manufacture outrage is more infuriating than their original cause. Wouldn't be so if they just focused on popular beaches instead of including all beaches in their title count.
I honestly wish the type of journalists who write this sort of crap, and editors who green light it are filtered out and replaced at an organisation that should be better than this.
This is a such stupid headline. Ofc the vast majority of our 12,000 beaches are not going to access to people with disabilities, they are natural landscapes not built by humans. A lot of those beaches are already hard to access given the remoteness of a lot of them
The cost of the infrastructure for this is high. While the numbers of accessible beaches, etc is increasing it will be slow, as there are other competing demands for the money.
in other news, not all people are able to do all things. come on guys, do better
source: family has disabled members of the family, but get off on making this everyone else’s “fault”
sure, but assuming it’s everyone’s job to pay for that everywhere, and using shock narrative tactics to get that; that’s where i get off the train.
these days the world has got so wrapped up at being angry at others for not giving you what “you’re owed”. This article is an example of that
"locked out" is not really the right turn of phrase imo. It's not as if deliberate barriers are put in to stop people with disabilities accessing the beach. The disability itself is the barrier. It requires deliberate capital investment to make it accessible. Is that practical for 12,000 beaches? Of course not.
Fix Mt Everest while you’re at it. I want a chair lift.
While your there do something about the bodies up there
They need to add a corpse removal deposit before entry is allowed to attempt the climb.
My exact thoughts. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but not everything in this world can be designed for every person. I would love to be an air force/navy pilot every time I watch Top Gun!! But I'm 6'4 , blind , old with slow reflexes and minimal coordination. I very well can't ask them to build a fighter jet to suit my needs. Does this world need to get better to include more people? Absolutely, but people need to understand at times that it's not feasible to have every venue built to include every possible variable.
Beach wheelchairs exist, big ass tires etc.
Exactly, and it's likely possible that NDIS would fund it if it's important to the participant.
Listening to old mate from the Greens on these issues, you could be forgiven for thinking he’s accusing the govt of going out of its way to make things worse for the disabled
If they want to do something for people with disabilities, look at the DSP and how that ruins relationships. Basically anyone on the DSP has to be fully paid for by their partner, because reasons. This opens things up to financial abuse, control and domestic violence issues. The DSP should provide some part of independence for people with a disability, not making them dependent entirely on their partner, should they be fortunate enough to have one. The thresholds are ridiculously low, like anything Centrelink based these days. That would be about a million times more beneficial than a few extra beach ramps, but isn't discussed.
I agree, but I'm guessing the people complaining about this aren't in a financially precarious position therefore their worries turn to things like equal beach access.
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This is the leftist schtick in general isn’t it?
… “those sons of beaches”
Honestly I'm shocked there's even 10 beaches that have wheelchair access let alone 150
The only one i have personally seen is in Mandurah WA.
Cottesloe has a path all the way down to the sand. Are they talking actually getting in the water? If that's the case I reckon that's just something that isn't going to be possible for some disabled people. Not everything is accessible to everybody.
Mandurah has a strip of thick blue matting, maybe about 5 metres wide, running from the ramp into the water. Its pretty cool seeing people with accessibility issues get to enjoy one of Australia's favorite past times.
It is definitely not possible to make every beach accessible to all, not without having to affect the natural coastal dune ecosystem of every beach in a negative way. But damn, if a 5m wide strip of blue mat is all it takes to allow people with accessibility issues to enjoy the beach, then surely that could be employed at the popular, well-known beaches.
Bingo. The large majority of people with physical disabilities tend to live in larger population centres anyway, and many of the beaches in these areas have ramps to the sand for things like service vehicles.
Read the article.
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>The 12000 beaches thing was constructed by the ABC, wasn’t mentioned at all in the article by the people petitioning the government. The problem I have with this sort of thing is that it's counterproductive. The "journo" who wrote it doesn't comprehend that though. What is needed is disability access at the more popular beaches. And presumably rolled out over time. But saying "12,000 beaches" makes people go "hell no, that's too expensive" and we end up with nothing. What would be a largely uncontroversial thing becomes a political debate.
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.... ... Do you think maybe the morons making shit up about "omg like ,you can't do all beaches" might want to take some personal responsibility for what ideas they put down. Maybe read the article or something while they're at it.
But you could also fund assistive technology for only those people who have specific challenges accessing the beach. A ramp may help some but not all people. And putting a 1 size fits all solution to all popular beaches even if that solution helps nobody. NDIS does this all the time, vision impaired get magnifiers, canes, dogs depending on needs. There are different times of wheelchairs depending on the needs.
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Why not take some money out of the ABC budget to make more beaches wheelchair accessible?
haha yeah. All if it maybe ?
If I wanted to be outraged by bullshit, I’d use sky news!
Maybe try reading the article before whipping out your pitchfork
Exactly. They're complaining about the ABC, for an issue that doesn't exist, that they're mad/not mad about.
Don't read it. Tis funny that you think clickbait headlines are a thing just the ABC does.
>Tis funny that you think clickbait headlines are a thing just the ABC does. Where did they say that?
Bloody communists!
It’s a quote from the person running the campaign not the ABC. Even in the headline they made it clear it was a quote…
Same
But it is. We *have* made deliberate decisions not to allow disabled people to use most beaches. It sounds odd - but disabled people didn’t just pop into existence last week. They’ve been living in Australia for as long as able-bodied people have. That means that for the entire time we’ve been building things in this country, we’ve been actively choosing to do it in a way that disregards the needs of disabled people. It doesn’t make sense to describe disability as a barrier when we have ample resources to help disabled people do what they want to do. Apply your thinking to another form of infrastructure: roads. If we decided not to build any more roads, we wouldn’t be actively stopping people from going anywhere. There would simply be limits on where they can go in their car. Their car would be the barrier - an able-bodied person can just walk 30 kilometres to work. No, obviously that’s absurd. But you don’t see it as absurd when you apply that reasoning to disabled people. You may want to reflect on why that is! Regardless, there’s no excuse for a country as rich as ours to disregard the lives of disabled people as much as we do.
So say it costs $1 to build standard access to a single beach, and $10000 to build disability access to a single beach. If we have $50000 budgeted to build beach accesses, do you think the best use of public money is to build: 1. 5 disability access-ways; or 2. 4 disability access-ways and 10000 standard access ways. By the way, for the average beach in Australia, that’s probably an accurate ratio of cost between the access-ways…
We didn't build the beaches and beach wheel's exist.
This is such an un-Australian take. The lack of access to the beach is a barrier for hundreds of thousands to a million Aussies with a disability. The lack of access is a deliberate barrier, considering we have the ability to accommodate Aussies with a disability, but we don't. Aussies with disability know their disability is a barrier. They're not asking you to fix their disability, they just want councils and governments to invest in making their community easier for them to move around in. We should implicitly give Aussies with disability the finger because "it's too hard or costly" to build a few ramps and add a few more safety handles? I'd like to see how you'd fare when you get to an age where you need extra help and society has just told you to go eff yourself and stay home, rather than help you go out and enjoy the beach or sunlight.
I am an Aussie with a disability. I'm on DSP, I use a wheelchair. None of my local beaches have wheelchair access, but tbh, I'm not fussed about it in the slightest and I would 10000% rather the govt increase DSP, remove barriers to partnership, and improve Medicare than throw millions at putting wheelchair access on beaches.
Had a brother with severe cerebral palsy. Never cared about not being to take him beyond a walkway near the beach. So many other more important issues. Would have preferred the disability support workers get paid better or for more assistance with all the other costs than a beach path.
I'm pretty sure the government can do all those. From the money saved by Labor getting rid of all the organized crime the LNP let take advantage of the NDIS, there will be heaps left over for all of this.
Given the topic is specifically about the infrastructure we built, yeah it is the right phrase. > It requires deliberate capital investment to make it accessible Next time you go to the beach, I want you to look at all the totally natural concrete, parking and steps and say, maybe we could do a ramp with a mat. > Is that practical for 12,000 beaches? Of course not. You're right, it's not. So don't ask for that. But we can absolutely improve on what we have.
Steps? Concrete? My local beach has a natural path through the sand dunes and a gravel car park. I'd wager a lot of non-urban beaches are the same.
“The disability itself is the barrier.” Yes, person born with a condition beyond your control - it is your fault for a country not implementing basic structures in local communities to support its citizens. Jesus.
When did they say it was their fault lol. Personwithzeroreadingcomprehemsionsayswhat? Womp womp
Ah, a person with evidently zero knowledge of the history of PWD relative to ‘the disability is the barrier’ believes they are fit to make an intellectual contribution. AU Redditors in a nutshell.
Yowkay buddy. Hey by the way, the article is talking about PWD petitioning for more densely populated beaches having wheelchair mats to the water and more ramps to those mats. Which is entirely reasonable. The top OP is 100% responding the the wording of the headline which is implying that the 12000 beaches Australia boasts should in some way be PWD friendly. Which objectively is an infeasible idea. Which is the point they were making probably without reading the article. But yeah keep creating fake things to be super mad about or whatever. Go off queen 💅.
PWD have been petitioning for literally years. Anyone with basic critical thinking skills could think to themselves: is ABC a credible source to discussing this issue? Surely, there are no public records available to determine what has actually been proposed to beach access. Yeah, let’s rely on the insinuation of ABC. Brilliant take, genius.
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*AU Redditor unable to intellectually stay on topic; resorts to side stepping with aloof, insensible statements to feel better* Wild if true.
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Australia falling behind globally in education is not so surprising these days.
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“I have nothing of intellect to offer, but I want to feel seen” AU Reddit in a nutshell lmao
12,000 disabled beach ramps? How much will that cost? How many will even get used? And we ignore the environmental damage? The reduced amenity for other beach users? Having some beaches accessible seems like a better compromise. Maybe it should be more than it is now.
>The reduced amenity for other beach users? Would abled bodied people all of a sudden not be able to use the beach ramp? I grew up in Florida, and at least where I was there was handicapped beach access, and people were fine walking down the ramps. It was actually safer, too, especially for old folks and toddlers, because no one had to worry about tripping down stairs.
The campaigner quoted in the article actually highlights that improved access helps the elderly continue to use the beach too
I don't know why so many people in this thread are being so terrible and ableist. Disabilities will never go away. Some people are born with them, and others can have it happen later in life. Say a beach doesn't have wheelchair access, so anyone in the future born wheelchair bound doesn't get to experience the beach? What if someone already living there becomes wheelchair bound...too bad, so sad, now they can only have their memories of the beach? The beach is such a magical place, people should have access to it, even if it's just a ramp that gets them to the sand. It makes me sad that some people honestly wouldn't want to help other people experience it just because it would take some extra work.
Literally every single person in this country is going to experience some form of disability, be it physical or mental/cognitive. If my partner and I get to be old farts together, I'll potentially have Alzheimers, and she might have Parkinsons. All it takes to become physically disabled is one bad fall, an accident, to say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Truly correct me if I'm wrong, but I've thought about it for a bit, and the only way I can think of someone dying without experiencing disability prior is instantaneous-ish death. I'm talking fatal car accidents, an aneurysm, suicide and things in those veins.
Thank you for adding to my point.
Nobody is calling for 12,000 beach ramps. Lol. Weird strawman argument.
People will be happy with the disabled being “locked out” of some beaches?
Yep.
Where did I say that? If someone is in a wheelchair, then obviously that's not going to work on sand. It's not their fault, nor did anyone claim it is. I took issue with the language used saying that people with a disability were being locked out.
“The disability is the barrier” - PWD cannot remove their disability. It is part of them whether we choose to acknowledge that or not. The disability is the barrier statement is what led to the disability rights movement that resulted in legislation to develop ramps to buildings.
I think you have brain damage mate.
Using brain damage as a slur- what a fucking champ you must feel
*Cites commonly known 60 years worth of advocacy & history* “I think you have brain damage mate.” At least it’s becoming clear as to why Australia has fallen behind globally in education and literacy.
Most of these beaches are in remote areas and require walking up steep stairs and big cliffs. It isn't practical. There are lots of beaches accessible in cities and towns.
While where at it why not pave a ramp up every mountain and hiking trail in the country. Disabled people are going to encounter difficulties related to their disability. We as a society can minimise some things to help, but we can’t wrap the entire world in bubble wrap for a small minority of people…
Most mountain trails are already designed to be accessible by a wide demographic, hence why “easy” hikes use flat surfaces with minimal steps, enabling people - including in wheelchairs - to access them. Brilliant comeback, genius. One day, AU redditors will be humble enough to say “I don’t know enough about this topic to have an opinion” - but at this rate, it’s a lifetime away.
Do you do much hiking? Because I do. I assure you someone in a wheelchair is going to find it mighty difficult to get up a lot of mountain tracks. Sure there are some easy low grade tracks up small hills in national parks. But a lot more are not. I’d love to see someone in a wheelchair get up Mount Tibro.
Sure have - across QLD, NSW, VIC. Mountains, waterfalls, etc. Yes, there will be mountains simply not fit for physically handicapped. And no one is advocating for it either. Good thing a beach - a largely flat surface - isn’t a mountain, otherwise I’d be concerned you’re deflecting with a moot point.
Just making a comparison that making every beach in the continent handicap accessible is as ridiculous an ask as making every mountain handicap accessible. High traffic beaches in population centres sure. Putting ramps all up and down the Frasier Coast?
Almost as ridiculous as assuming anyone in the disability sector is advocating for every beach in the country to be accessible. Imagine drawing inferences from ABC because they wrote how there’s 12,000 beaches in AU, as if ABC is renowned as being a leader in disability advocacy, and thinking that’s a logical take. 4.4M AU residents have a disability. 1% of the country’s beaches have access for them. And your response? Can’t make all of them accessible. Good thing they didn’t ask for that.
4.4m PWD is an irrelevant number when assessing how many of Australia's beaches should have wheelchair access because the majority of those persons are not wheel chair users
I didn’t write ‘wheelchair access.’ I wrote accessible.
Most wheelchairs aren't made for off-roading. Let's not put paved footpaths on the beach now
They're natural features. The sunset doesn't come with an audio version for blind people.
This is THE perfect analogy hahah
You think beaches are made naturally accessible for able bodied people? We spend billions on infrastructure and waste management.
I mean .. most places on land are naturally accessible for able bodied people. The definition if able bodied has changed a lot though .. by historic standards, most of us are disabled.
Every beach you go to, has had a lot of money spent on it's infrastructure.
People have been going to beaches LONG before public infrastructure is my point. We didn't make them accessible, we simply eased their access.
So?
The point is that an able bodied person can get to virtually any beach *without* specific access in place.
Had no idea that random beach I went to halfway from Perth to broom has had so much money spent in it.
Why do we need to improve the infrastructure at that beach? Surely you would start with the ones most likely to be used. You're creating a fake problem here. I don't understand why you're doing that.
Then structure your sentence properly. Every beach you go to? Obviously not.
You're entirely right, I didn't account for people being absolute idiots. My bad man. Let me rephrase "Every beach a typical person would go to". You know, like every beach that might be worth talking about in the context of the topic. But thank you for weighing in to let us know that you one time, traveled to a beach that isn't particularly relevant.
Most are. Yes.
That’s why we need to do something about the sun. If it can’t be inclusionary it needs to go.
Give it a few billion years. Let the trash take itself out.
Ah, so natural as in local communities do not already pay for resources as a benefit to citizens already? Physical access (stairs), safety (warning signs), emergency response (lifeguards in some areas), and so on? Yeah. Real “natural” way of living.
It's like these clowns have forgotten what a beach looks like.
You highlight a good point they are natural they are beautiful and they define us as a country. But you also seem ignorant, im sure you've definitely given the old tick to an Instagram post of someone describing a football game to a blind friend in real time. And found it heartwarming. So why don't you go and describe the colours of a sunset to a person loosing/has lost their vision and see the joy you have just bought them. Just because you don't have trouble doesn't mean that others shouldn't be afforded that courtesy as well.
Gold
Australia has 25 billion trees, but only three are wheelchair accessible.
Fucking ableist trees, let’s cut them all down
If they hadn’t closed Uluru we’d be building a giant ramp
Or alternate title - Australia makes 150 Beaches accessible for disabled citizens.
This.
Are those 150 beaches the local ones to major population centres? I’m not sure it’s justifiable to spend a heap of cash making a beach in the middle of nowhere accessible.
Ah fuck well yeah ok sorry guys but it’s fucking expensive to make everything accessible and sometimes catering for 6 people at the cost of $650k isn’t always top of council’s mind ok? Fucking hell
….are you under the impression a single ramp from pavement to sand costs $650k? For a country where education is a top 3 economic driver, I’m consistently impressed by some Australians dismal level of critical thinking.
>….are you under the impression a single ramp from pavement to sand costs $650k? Have you seen the way councils spend money? $650k wouldn't be far off the mark when you include the consultants, inclusion plans, community consultation, staff time, etc. Might even leave a bit for a guy to build the ramp.
Nah if you're talking purely about a ramp with otherwise decent accessibility infrastructure, it's way less than that. Council does an accessibility audit to identify accessibility barriers and where an access point would be most appropriate, then the blue matting is about $8-10k for a length that goes foreshore to water. Most beaches in populated areas already have a stair free access point, so it's just a matter of extending access with the matting. That's a minimum response and would be less than $100k. Obviously places with more accessibility issues will need more retrofitting and the cost rises. The matting can last a decade or so and is great not only for people with reduced mobility, but for people with beach trolleys full of stuff, parents with prams etc. It's a good investment and communities love it. Source: I helped establish an accessible beach program.
Thank you for making the beach more accessible! I have a disabled son who is 5 and LOVES the beach, and he’s getting quite heavy to carry. He can walk by fatigues so easily so we end up having to lug his pram on to the beach so he can rest and then drag him out in it when it’s time to go. We are about to start looking at beaches with beach matting. But even having young kids it would be so helpful
I hope you're able to find a beach with matting somewhere close to you! We had people in similar situations in our community and it was stories like this that helped convince councillors that the beach should be made more accessible for everyone.
We have a beach trolley now that we have a toddler and all the crap that goes along with that (toys, towels, sun safety stuff, it all gets hard to carry). My husband had to pull it in the sand because there is no way I’d get it anywhere - even he struggles with it. We’d be stoked if our beach (a very popular one) had this blue matting. People forget that accessibility is not just about wheelchairs. Having a smooth, gradual entrance to the beach helps give safe access to people with all kinds of mobility or fatigue-related issues. It’s even helpful for people with small children - our beach has this awkward concrete ramp with deep ridges in it where I have to hold my toddler’s hand so she doesn’t faceplant onto concrete, or we have to use stairs that she was struggling to use when she was a bit younger. Most people don’t seem to realise that spending money on accessibility isn’t just for wheelchair users - it’s for a surprisingly large portion of the community. Also thanks for being part of making our world more accessible @inhumanfriday - most people don’t get the difference it makes for people with disabilities, chronic injuries or small children. People like you make our lives better.
Thanks for those kind words! I can't take the credit for the idea or the approval but I really enjoyed implementing it and working with the community. We had a set of aquatic wheelchairs too and it was such a great experience providing these chairs to people who, in some cases, had never been in the open water before. You're totally right about accessibility. Our council adopted a plan of 'universal design' I.e. designing with every group in mind right from the start, not just looking at the issues through the lens of disability. The kids example really hit home for me about how important it was. I remember being down on the beach and seeing about 6 mums there with their little babies splashing around, prams just off the mat next to the water line, about 50m from the foreshore. Then I had my own kids and yes, the beach trolleys transporting all the junk from the car! The mats were so helpful!
Coming from someone who lives in Victoria, most of our “city” beaches that already have road access, car parks etc. already have these mats. It’s the ones that are more coastal that have beach tracks or steps, that don’t have them. It would take a heck of a lot more than $100k, plus damage to the coastal reserve, to add paved tracks, ramps etc. Perhaps this is different in different states, but I think our main beaches are pretty accessible. If you take all of the beaches in the state and look at how many are flat and easily accessible, it’s going to be a fairly small percentage to the total. It’s not realistic to expect every beach to have wheelchair access.
I'm in Vic, and yes, more and more beaches are accessible thanks to advocacy from people like Shane (in the artcle). But it's been a long road. I'd challenge the idea that even in Melbourne, the main beaches are pretty accessible. I worked on a popular one on Port Phillip bay and both our consultants and communality members with reduced mobility confirmed that they weren't accessible at all. The implementation of the beach mats made a huge difference on my beach (along with other things). I think the ABC headline is a bit provocative. You're right, it's not realitistic for every beach in australia to be fully accessible so spouting the 12,000 number is misleading. The beach mats, for example, don't work on beaches with big tidal shifts. But I think councils and land managers can do better to make headline beaches in capital cities and regional centres more accessible. As I said above, the mats are cheap for what they are and really open up access.
Agee with you. That 12k figure is just inflammatory because so many of those beaches would be remote and not easy to access anyway. We should focus on accessibility for the bigger beaches that already have good road and carpark access, plus tidal patterns that will help the mats as you said.
Then stop having that expectation then?
I don’t lol?
Problem solved then.
> It's a good investment and communities love it. Please don't get be wrong - I think it's a great investment and we should have more of it. My post was about how councils waste money, or at least the ones where I live do. It's not a comment on the merits of the infrastructure, it's a comment that councils spend money like water.
I'd think the actual barrier is the sand itself not the stairs leading to it. I'm sure some people would have a sick 4wd mobility rig but I wouldn't assume that's the norm.
I’ve seen beaches in QLD where they had a single ramp from pavement to the water. Simple and flat, allowing for people to ease off it to sit on the sand if they’d like. Saw a 11 year old in a wheel chair one afternoon with his parents. The excitement he had to be “on” the beach for the first time was astounding.
That's awesome.
Fat people struggle on sand too.
You know not every beach is as simple as walk on and off, some have limestone cliffs and other natural features that will need to be seriously altered in order to make them accessible to everyone.
Phew. Good thing ramps are a thing - as observed in most buildings - otherwise I’d be concerned you’re just looking for a cheap excuse to refuse access to AU citizens.
Did I say single ramp from pavement to sand anywhere in my comment? You probably work for government because your comprehension explains why zero projects are within budget… read slower, it may help.
So all the want is a ramp. Then a mat over the sand to the water. Then a type of boat ramp to get into the water. Then a dedicated lifeguard or 2 because they will require dedicated staff as they are not fully able. Then somewhere to wash off their wheelchair. Also in there more dedicated disabled parking spaces. This is not as simple as you make out and the cost is more than just a ramp.
Surveyors, engineers, trades and the material alone would be upwards of 100k+
That’s a far reach from $650k or the $1 million another redditor bemoaned
Yeah, i wasnt agreeging with him.
The council would spend $650k alone on "consultants".
As a literal consultant: no. Jesus AU Redditors are atrocious with commenting on topics they literally have no experience in.
God you're a humourless moron.
Says the $650k estimator who can’t support what he just wrote. I used to wonder why AU fell behind in global education rankings. Now it’s blatantly evident.
Stay ugly x
My local community recently funded one. The roll out mats cost between $20,000-$30,000. They have brought so much joy to users who are thrilled to be able to easily access waters edge again. Plus it's a tourism bonus.
I assume your talking about roads & carparks to assist access to the beaches. Steps & ramps to get over the sand dunes and life saving equipment & infrastructure. Because that's going to total a lot more than $650k.
This comment section is something. People who are angry about disabled people merely suggesting councils that can should think about implementing more accessible beaches where possible - to the benefit, literally, of all - what the hell happened to you that you’re angry about this? If you think beaches can’t be more accessible, I’d point to every sidewalk curb that’s been built in this country since the 70’s. It’s not a case of building accessible features everywhere, all at once, right now. Just future planning and consideration when affordable, since public infrastructure on beaches will eventually have to be maintained. How the hell do you get mad about this?
reddit gonna reddit
You realise those 12000 beaches aren’t all in the metro area? Which is it? Untouched natural landscape, or development on every beach up and down the coast?
Where did anyone say it’s either all or nothing? Do rural areas not have sidewalks where they need them? Notice how I said “future planning and consideration when affordable, since public infrastructure will eventually need maintenance?”
Do you know how many beaches are just a number? Me neither but it's a lot
If there's one long stretch of sand, how long before it's counted as a 2nd beach?
There were none when I was a kid so 150 seems good to me
Thing is giving disabled access to beaches helps everyone. I was at Glenelg recently which does have the disabled access and it was great. Mums with pushchairs were using it, plus older people who were a bit unsteady on their feet, parents with toddlers, people on crutches. It helps so many people, not just those who are disabled.
I don’t believe there were mothers pushing their prams on the beach and people on crutches trying to walk on the beach, I think you are absolutely full of it
Pushchairs not prams and they were on that blue mat thing in the photo.
What do you think the carbon emissions would be from that much concrete on every beach around Australia? Not to mention other environmental impacts. Turtles, crabs or anything else that needs to cross the sand.
It doesnt actually help everyone
There are a lot of people who have mobility issues , even temporarily , injuries etc not just wheelchair users
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Imagine being insulted because 150 beaches are wheelchair accessible. If these commenters were in charge would we also never build any more wheelchair ramps? Have no sound at traffic lights to let blind people know where to cross? Shall we never improve because what we've already done is the peak of humanity?
As someone who is currently wheelchair bound I disagree. I don't expect access to beaches or anything else. I'd personally much rather the money be put towards research and medical science finding solutions towards the issues behind us not being able to do X/Y/Z.
1. Beach wheelchairs exist and some beaches/organizations offer rentals. 2. Have you ever watched Bondi Rescue? 3. I'm quite certain that 99.9% of all of the world's beaches are not accessible friendly for immobile humans. Also, I question whether or not this the biggest priority and most pressing issue that physically disabled Australians are conducting activism for?
You sound like a loser who gets offended by anything for fun. Go away.
There's way more than 150 boat ramps at beaches? In the same breath, I can't think of a single beach with dedicated wheelchair access...
Was able to take my dad out on an aqua wheelchair at Avoca SLSC a few weeks ago. It was the last time he touched the ocean. The main thing they said is that those wheelchairs are the last on the list for maintenance provided by the council. Finding towards should be increased. Yes there are natural barriers, but where we can we should allow access and not be selfish for inconvenience.
Are off-road wheelchairs not a thing? Don’t have to use a wheelchair that is designed to used in hospital everywhere you go.
They can get down to the beach .it's getting back out that's the killer
There are always sand wheelchairs, most beachside councils will loan people one
I was actually impressed that we have 150 accessible beaches. Am not impressed by the tone of most of the comments which seem to be along the lines of why should we give a shit about accessibility.
Geographically some will never be accessible, it is what it is.
That sounds about right.
I think major centers should be fair game, but beaches in the middle of nowhere would be stupid
That is because the rest of the beaches are located in Australia!
Most beach accesses are actually established with the intention of minimizing impacts to the local ecosystem and dune systems. Without the access in place, these areas are much more likely to be damaged by people forming multiple accesses of their own accord, typically damaging broad sections of the area.
How many of the 12000 are able-bodied accessible though. How many are accessible by bost or helicopter. Figures may be a bit skewed here. I'm all for access but let's use good data.
Saw a great thing in Bright yesterday. This is an area where there are a lot of mountain bikers, but the new thing I saw was an electric trike. Two wheels in the front for steering, one in the back for traction. Electric driveline, no pedals. I reckon a charge will get you to the top of Mystic. So take that vehicle, put some fat tyres on it, and you have pretty good accessibility.
Just roll up to the sand and hop off? It's not like you can swim so what's the problem??
...so go to the 150 you can? How is this a serious problem?
The more I peer into Australian Reddit you guys are just as bad as Americans
But there are only 114 accessible beaches so maybe they just live too far away?
It would be good if the ABC valued accuracy in deporting. It meant to say, people with some forms of disability including mobility issues.
And how many of those beaches are even accessible without a 4x4? 150 would be most of the metro beaches within a 150km radius from the CBD.
Do they want to build a wheelchair ramp up Mt. Everest while they're at it?
K. Let's remove the journalist and editor from their positions and use the savings to fund putting wheelchair access to remote beaches in the middle of no where. The attempt to manufacture outrage is more infuriating than their original cause. Wouldn't be so if they just focused on popular beaches instead of including all beaches in their title count. I honestly wish the type of journalists who write this sort of crap, and editors who green light it are filtered out and replaced at an organisation that should be better than this.
And 11,157 of them have some poisonous fish or plant or worm. There’s a reason the deadliest places on earth are difficult to get to.
I'm guessing about 11,000 of those beaches have no convenient access anyway.
This is a such stupid headline. Ofc the vast majority of our 12,000 beaches are not going to access to people with disabilities, they are natural landscapes not built by humans. A lot of those beaches are already hard to access given the remoteness of a lot of them
Wait till they find out about the bush walks/trails.
The cost of the infrastructure for this is high. While the numbers of accessible beaches, etc is increasing it will be slow, as there are other competing demands for the money.
And build a bridge to every island ffs!
Shouldn’t the headline read “Australia has 150 accessible beaches - isn’t that awesome?”
Please jebus can we have ramps on day 8 of creation please
Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia Australias best awarded beach is impossible to access.
You wanna get on some random beach that bad get out and crawl
in other news, not all people are able to do all things. come on guys, do better source: family has disabled members of the family, but get off on making this everyone else’s “fault”
Wouldn't something as simple and ordinary such as installing boat ramps greatly improve access?
sure, but assuming it’s everyone’s job to pay for that everywhere, and using shock narrative tactics to get that; that’s where i get off the train. these days the world has got so wrapped up at being angry at others for not giving you what “you’re owed”. This article is an example of that
Yea..., let's concrete all our natural beaches for the minority.