Your Right to Vote

Physical Disability Australia
Your Stories
Mar 2025

Written by PDA’s CEO, Jeremy Muir

With the upcoming Federal Election announced to take place on May 3rd, you now get the opportunity to exercise your democratic right to vote.

Or do you?

The AEC states that 43% of the national polling booths are fully wheelchair accessible and that a further 48% will have ‘assisted wheelchair access’. (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-vote-casting-hurdle-these-australians-face/ja0dm5uby)

Voting is your democratic right. You can be fined if you are a registered voter and do not vote.

So if we all have the right to vote, and it is mandatory, and you can be fined if you do not vote, why aren’t all polling booths and all pre-polling booths fully accessible for every registered voter, or every potential fine recipient?

Yes, there is the option of lodging a postal vote, but it should not be the only option due to inaccessibility.

Plus, I don’t want to miss out on my other inalienable right of acquiring heartburn from a democracy sausage with my name on it.

No onions please.

Physical Disability Australia (PDA) is a national peak Disability Peoples Organisation run by and for people with physical disability, advocating for equal opportunity, inclusion and human rights across Australia. Established in 1995, PDA represents the voices and lived experiences of its members to influence policy, engage with government, and drive meaningful change, ensuring people with physical disability are respected, empowered and able to participate fully in all aspects of society.