"Enough is enough."
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This is the message from accessibility advocates on the long running fight to make Ballarat Station usable for all, as advocate groups gathered across the state on Thursday to highlight broader state government inaction on public transport accessibility.
Grampians DisAbility Advocacy board member Mark Thompson, who uses a walking aid, has been calling for an update to the station for years and said he hoped the 'Transport For All' campaign would send a message to the Andrews' government.
"I'm here as part of a collective, demonstrating right across Victoria to bring all train stations in line so that they're all equal - this one is not equal, and there's a few others that aren't equal in Victoria," he said.
"My experience here, there's no way I can get up and over those stairs, there's no way I can get around the canteen."
The historic 19th century staircase at Ballarat Station provides the most direct route between platforms, connecting the two via passage over the tracks.
For those unable to use the stairs, the route to the opposite platform is a longer, uneven path over the Lydiard Street pedestrian crossing, requiring travellers to brave Ballarat weather and often, take extra time waiting at the boom gates, sometimes missing their train.
Mr Thompson said in addition to a lift as a suitable alternative to the stairs, an accessible toilet was required on Platform 2, and the canteen needed to be modified to become 100 per cent accessible.
"It's been frustrating it's something you just have to put energy into, otherwise the next generation will have to come along and fix it," he said.
One in five Australians have a disability, and according to the City of Ballarat's latest disability access and inclusion plan, there could be more than 30,000 people in Ballarat living with a disability by 2031.
The document, published in 2019, also notes that a growing population would mean a rising number of older people living in Ballarat and level of disability.
Community member Bernadette Henry has mobility issues and said for her, navigating Ballarat Station was painful.
"It's time to start doing something, we have a population that is ageing as well as young people who want to use transport, and we've got to look for the future," she said.
"There's ways that this could be done with still preserving that heritage value and there's enough people with design skills, the brains, the money that this could be done and still look nice."
The multi-million dollar Ballarat station precinct redevelopment has seen a new multi-storey commuter car park and hotel, and a large retail, hospitality, and conference space in the bluestone Goods Shed completed in 2021.
More construction work in the precinct will take place next few years as the southside master plan gets under way.
No plans internally at the station are confirmed, and any solutions to bring it up to the standards shown at modern stations like Wendouree or Ballan will need to be in line with the heritage value and expectations across the precinct.
Disability advocate Phil Cutts said heritage and accessibility did not have to be at odds.
"Heritage is important, but access is extremely important and they can work together and there are lots of examples in Australia, heaps of examples throughout the world," he said.
"Look at a lot of cities and towns in Europe, for example, have got very old buildings and they have lifts that are completely accessible for everyone - heritage doesn't and shouldn't trump access for all."
While some strides to accessibility have been made with automatic doors, tactile floor tiles, increased signage and better lighting being installed in at the station in 2020, the state's public transport system was supposed to be made fully Disability Discrimination Act-compliant by the end of 2022.
With the deadline approaching, Grampians DisAbility Advocacy executive Debbie Verdon said she was skeptical the state government would make the deadline.
"It has taken way too long ... the deadline for accessible public transport in Victoria under the current standards is 282 days away now, clearly they cannot meet the deadline," she said.
"What we need to know is why, why the continuous delays?"
The Department of Transport was contacted for comment and did not confirm if any plans had been made for a lift at Ballarat Station.
A state government spokesperson said they were working to identify priorities for improving transport accessibility across the network.
"Whether it's modern and accessible, trains and buses, or improving train stations - we're making sure public transport accessible to everyone in Ballarat. This includes working with the Victorian Planning Authority on its master plan for the station's southside precinct," the spokesperson said.
"There's always more that can be done, which is why we are actively working with operators and the community to ensure every Victorian can safely get to where they need to go."
Ms Verdon said accessibility was a human rights issue.
"It's not just a building, it means much more than just a building to people with disability, it means freedom," she said.
"That means independence, and it means the opportunity to fully participate".
"It represents a whole lot more than that."
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