Accessibility Bill a 'step in right direction' - Poto Williams

The Minister for Disability Issues Poto Williams​ says the new Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill is a first step in the right direction, but admits more needs to be done.

“We have gone on such a new step but we’re on a journey and there’s much more that we can do,” Williams says.​

Her comments follow criticism from some disability advocates that the Bill does not go far enough.

Williams says her role now is to get the disabled community on board and working with government.

“My job now is really to talk to different government agencies and get them to examine their practices and see if they were a disabled person what is it that they need to improve to ensure that they are as enabling as possible as a government agency."

The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill passed its first reading in parliament on Tuesday with 108 votes in favour and 12 against.

If passed, the bill will allow a committee led by disabled people to provide feedback on accessibility issues across government departments. The committee would be made up of eight people, with the majority coming from the disability community and representing a host of access needs.

The committee would only be able to advise and recommend to Williams and the new Ministry for Disability Issues chief executive. Williams would then present the advice and recommendations to parliament.

“They will have the ability to have a committee that reports to government every year on the issues that are most important to them, and the government has to listen and take note of the recommendations, and more than that, has to act on those recommendations.”

The new ministry will allow for people living with a disability to identify accessibility barriers for disabled people and outline different solutions to overcome them.

Williams says that includes health, wellbeing and access to income.

Williams says she will ensure people living with disability have access to services such as disabled parking, saying she’ll have conversations with councils around the policing of parks.