AVIATION ACCESS WORKING GROUP
SUMMARY RECORD: MEETING 1, 6 FEBRUARY 2009
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The Chair opened the meeting and invited the group to introduce themselves. An
attendance list can be found at Attachment A. The Chair then introduced the
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, the Hon Bill Shorten
MP, who addressed the group.
Mr Shorten advised the group that he and Minister Albanese strongly supported the
group’s formation and expected its work to progress the issues faced by people with
disability when travelling by air. He said that, from an accessibility perspective,
people with disabilities had not benefitted from the increased competitiveness of the
aviation industry and that notwithstanding current pressures on the aviation industry,
this was not an excuse for discriminatory actions.
Disability advocates then raised with Mr Shorten some concerns they would like to
see discussed during the meeting, including a perceived gap between policy and
implementation, comparisons with other countries and the enforceability of existing
standards. The Group also briefly discussed the desirability of new approaches to
design issues for aircraft and airports and the necessity for improvements in aviation
industry staff training on the treatment of people with special needs.
Members discussed the wording of the draft Terms of Reference and final wording
was agreed. Revised Terms of Reference for the Working Group is at Attachment B.
The Chair thanked those in the group who had made submissions to the National
Aviation Policy Green Paper released in December 2008 and indicated that a main
focus of the group would be to provide input into the upcoming White Paper.
Members agreed but stressed the White Paper should not be the sole focus and that
additional practical outcomes need to be achieved. The Chair also committed to
provide a summary of relevant White Paper submissions to the next meeting.
Members discussed the issues of travelling with assistance animals in the aircraft
cabin and the safety-based restrictions on seating people with disability in exit rows.
The Department of Infrastructure, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the
Australian Human Rights Commission and the Attorney-General’s Department will
meet to discuss the associated legislation.
The need to consider the different sizes of aircraft was discussed and it was suggested
that aircraft be separated into small, medium and large capacity for the purpose of
ongoing discussions. The same notional separation was suggested for airport
operations to allow for variations in resourcing and service levels.
The group discussed issues associated with Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)
and ways to provide appropriate assistance without risking injury to industry staff, for
example, in the lifting of people and equipment. Airline representatives supported
limits to the number of people with disability on a single flight for OHS and staff
resourcing reasons. The group recognised that industry policies were often subject to
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interpretation by staff and that low-cost airlines and small carriers had financial and
resourcing limitations.
The Chair informed the group that the Department was following up on the release of
the report on the Transport Standards Review. The report is expected to be submitted
to the Review Steering Committee within the next eight weeks and will then be
provided to the Government for its consideration and final response.
The Office of Transport Security (OTS) addressed the group on a recent
Governmental review of security screening processes and advised that the
implementation of the Review’s recommendations on special circumstances screening
could be facilitated through this group. The OTS representative noted that many
complaints are about the perceived insensitivity and inadequate training of security
personnel when dealing with people with special needs. OTS noted that the Review
team had consulted with most, if not all, of the organisations represented at the
meeting.
It was reported that the OTS review will feed into subsequent training programmes
and the creation of screening practice guidelines. OTS requested input from the group
on the development of these guidelines and asked the Secretariat to circulate the
information to the members.
Members noted concerns with the check-in process, including breakdowns in
communication between booking information and check-in staff, lack of assistance
‘commissionaires’ for escort and check-in, check-in of personal wheelchairs and
inadequacy of airport terminal wheelchairs, and the height of check-in service desks.
Concerns were also raised about the lack of dual audio and visual components in
communicating with passengers, especially in the terminal. It was suggested, for
example, that verbal announcements over the PA system be accompanied by
electronic signs. Members said best practice standards should be applied and that
industry should keep up with advances in technology that enable smoother, more
comfortable travelling, such as new light collapsible wheelchairs that can be stowed
in the cabin.
Invited by the Chair to discuss the in-flight experience, some members expressed
frustration with access to toilets and narrow aisles in aircraft. Qantas representatives
reported that the new Airbus 380 has sizeable toilet facilities on the main deck and
that it has requested an enlargement to the toilet facilities on the upper deck to
increase access.
Cabin safety was also discussed and members noted that the hearing impaired
preferred seating arrangements that allowed them to lip read the safety briefing given
by the flight attendant. Airservices Australia reported that there were no specific
procedures in place for evacuating people with disability in the event of an emergency
requiring the services of the Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting team. One industry
member noted that emergency plans take into account that people may not be able to
evacuate themselves due to injury or other reasons.
An industry member raised the issue of flight attendants being required to make a
judgement about whether each passenger had understood the safety briefing and
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having responsibility to refuse to fly a passenger with disability if they were not
confident of full comprehension. Qantas noted that under new requirements in the
United States, crew are not allowed to directly ask a passenger if he/she has
understood the safety briefing and Attorney-General’s Department advised that the
Disability Discrimination Act in Australia states that a person cannot request
information from another if the response can be used to discriminate against them.
The Chair suggested the formation of two small working groups, as subsets of the
Working Group. One to examine the legislative framework of access issues,
particularly the interaction between CASA safety regulations, the Occupational
Health and Safety Act and the Disability Discrimination Act, and the other to examine
a range of practical issues and possible approaches to the process of air travel for
people with disability.
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ATTACHMENT A
ATTENDANCE – MEETING 1, 6 FEBRUARY 2009
Organisation
Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services
Australian Human Rights Commission
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
National Disability Services
Physical Disability Australia
Deafness Forum of Australia
Qantas
Virgin Blue
Tiger Airways
Regional Express
Regional Aviation Association of Australia
Flight Safety Foundation
Transport Workers Union
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Airservices Australia (Aviation Rescue & Fire Fighting)
Attorney General’s Department
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs
Aviation and Airports, Department of Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development and Local Government
Office of Transport Security, Department of Infrastructure, Transport,
Regional Development and Local Government
Apologies
Australian Airports Association
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ATTACHMENT B
REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE
AVIATION ACCESS WORKING GROUP
TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. PURPOSE
The Aviation Access Working Group (AAWG) will provide advice on disability access
policy, legislative amendments and the practicality of aviation safety regulations for people
with disability.
2. MEMBERSHIP
The AAWG will comprise representatives from industry, relevant government agencies and
representatives of people with disability and will receive secretariat support from the
Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
3. FUNCTIONS
The function of the AAWG is to:
a) contribute to the National Aviation Policy Statement;
b) contribute to the Government response to the report on the Transport Standards
Review and facilitate the implementation of any recommendations;
c) advise the Government on the practicality and interaction of the existing aviation
legislation with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992; and
d) consider other measures and actions that can provide people with disability access to
air travel while ensuring the safety and security of all fare paying passengers.
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