With approximately 50,000 people commuting on any given
weekday, the railway station is the gateway to South
Sydney. Why is it that, only now, the redevelopment of the station
becomes a key concern for local government? Money.
Redfern station still has no ramps, no lifts, and no
wheelchair accessible toilets. According to the RWA’s Built Environment Plan:
“The stairway access to the platforms is inequitable for elderly, young
children and less mobile people.” Despite its significance as the 10th busiest
and 2nd most accessible train station in Sydney, the lack of amenities for less
mobile passengers proves yet another obstacle for the less mobile.
This poses a physical disincentive for less mobile people
coming to the Redfern-Waterloo area and has the follow-on effect of restricting
access to businesses, social networks and organisations.
Mathew Bowden, acting CEO of the Disabled Complaints Service
situated on Pitt Street in Redfern, claims that Redfern station’s failure to
provide for the less mobile has forced many colleagues and visitors to alight
at Central station and make their way up Chalmers Street – “a very tiresome
detour for someone with impaired mobility”.
For residents of the Redfern-Waterloo community with
disabilities or limited mobility the railway station’s lack of easy access
effectively confines the pursuit of employment, education and leisure to their
immediate surroundings. Thus “indirect discrimination”, as defined by the
Disabled Discrimination Act 1992, directly impacts on the living standards of
many people in and visiting the community.
The construction of disabled access facilities at Redfern
Railway Station has been promised to the South Sydney
community for over 10 years now, and according to Bowden should not be
considered as a “special upgrade or feature.
“Access is a right, not a privilege. It’s a basic
requirement of all public services as much so as the installation of lighting,
toilets and signage.”
In spite of this, the Department of Commerce’s 2004 report
on the redevelopment of Redfern station found: “It is important that the
redevelopment of the station occurs in parallel with the redevelopment of the
general area” in order to secure and maximise commercial returns for investors,
which could not be achieved by redeveloping the station in isolation. By
applying authority planning rules, that bypass normal planning rules and
heritage laws, the Government would make almost $18 million profit on the
upgrade of Redfern station, the documents say.
This line of reasoning brings the commitment to social and
moral imperatives, like human rights and sustainability, of local government
into question. Doesn’t the aim to secure and maximise returns for investors
undermine the capacity for a community-based redevelopment of South
Sydney? Why are the sales of government land/commercial
redevelopment of Redfern and access to fundamental utilities by all members of
the community mutually exclusive?
Photo: Bill Sheridan – Local resident, Poppy, finds access
to Redfern station difficult
Source:
South Sydney Herald August 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au