Why is it taking so long for people to recognise this fact, even children can’t regulate their body temperature and have fits due to the heat. This is a human rights issue not just for the disabled but for everyone, especially the disabled, babies and children and the elderly.
Not everyone is able to get to a shopping centre or a public place to escape the heat, some people are in remote areas where access to public transport and cool public spaces is difficult.
Australian houses are definitely not built to keep out the extreme temperatures either, and this adds to the problem. Construction in Australia is way behind the rest of the western world without double glazing and double brick walls and proper roof insulation, which is usually done after construction by the house owner. In southern parts of Australia houses are freezing in winter and boiling hot in summer without any air conditioning system. Houses built in the 1970’s were not solar passive either, with big windows, floor to ceiling and no veranda to shade the windows. Modern homes now have smaller windows but are often built close together, which prevents air circulation and traps the heat, and they still don’t have verandas to keep out the hot sun. Not to mention a lack of privacy in modern high density housing because you can hear your neighbours conversations outside.
I am shocked that Northern Territory doesn’t have a subsidy scheme for disabled people as it is a very hot part of the country. The Australian Capital Territory is freezing in winter and can get as cold as -8 Celsius and in summer it can get up to 43.5. Temperatures above 38 is very hot to breathe in as you can feel it when you’re outside. Keeping hydrated only does so much, and if a person can’t regulate their body temperature they are in serious danger. Let’s hope that the government will take a serious look at the situation as this can be a life or death situation.
