Melbourne’s tram network is a crucial public transport mode, with 205 million trips taken each year.
In Victoria, 17 per cent of the population lives with some form of disability.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) requires that all tram stops must be fully compliant with the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT) by 31 December 2022 and all trams must be DSAPT compliant by 31 December 2032.
This dashboard is an interactive tool that provides information about the distribution of Regional Development Victoria’s (RDV) Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RJIF) and Regional Growth Fund (RGF) grants to each regional local government area (LGA). It also provides a snapshot of economic and social indicators for those LGAs.
We have taken the grant data from RDV’s database and made it public for the first time through this audit and dashboard.
The economic and social indicator data comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
We analysed the experience of tram users based on data from the tram network for the 2018–19 financial year, which was the most recent data available for the audit.
We looked at the customer experience of mobility-restricted passengers in terms of:
Figure D1 shows DoT’s stated level of compliance with DSAPT requirements for existing tram infrastructure and tram vehicles as at April 2020.
The DSAPT targets (for example, 25 per cent by 2007) refer to the percentage of tram stops or trams on the network that must be compliant by that date. For example, by 2007, 25 per cent of all tram stops on the network must have satisfied the DSAPT access paths requirements.
DoT’s data shows that it is only meeting one of the target requirements.
| Who we audited | What we assessed | What the audit cost |
|---|---|---|
| DoT YT
|
| Acronyms | |
|---|---|
| ABS | Australian Bureau of Statistics |
| AHRC | Australian Human Rights Commission |
| ARA | Australasian Rail Association |
| AVM | Automatic Vehicle Monitoring |
| DDA | Disability Discrimination Act 1992 |
We have consulted with DoT and YT, and we considered their views when reaching our audit conclusions. As required by the Audit Act 1994, we gave a draft copy of this report, or relevant extracts, to those agencies and asked for their submissions and comments.
Responsibility for the accuracy, fairness and balance of those comments rests solely with the agency head.
DoT does not have conclusive plans for how it will create an accessible tram network, 18 years after DSAPT was established.
DoT is developing a strategy to rollout level-access stops, but the strategy will not be complete until June 2021. This means DoT will only have 18 months to upgrade up to 1 215 stops to level access at an estimated cost of at least $2 billion, although this does not guarantee full DSAPT compliance.
DoT has not met the targets set by DSAPT and there is no realistic prospect that DoT can meet the target of 100 per cent DSAPT compliant tram infrastructure by 31 December 2022. If DoT continues the current low-floor tram delivery rate, it will not meet the 31 December 2032 target of 100 per cent accessible trams.
Accessible public transport is important for people living with disability or temporary injury, the elderly, and people travelling with young children.
DSAPT sets targets for when public transport operators and providers must provide fully compliant transport services. The next milestone is 31 December 2022 for transport infrastructure. The final milestone for rolling stock is on 31 December 2032.
DoT and YT are responsible for ensuring the tram network is accessible for all and complies with relevant accessibility standards and anti-discrimination legislation.