Advocacy for Inclusion welcomes the ACT Government’s focus on delivering more diverse housing options through its Missing Middle reforms but cautions that without safeguards the reforms could entrench barriers for people with disability and older Canberrans. Our submission outlines the shortage of affordable, accessible housing in the ACT and calls for accessible design to be the baseline standard for all new medium‑density housing. We recommend broadening the mix of housing types to cater for diverse needs, and incentivising private developers to deliver accessible dwellings. Complementary measures such as making accessible properties easier to find in the rental market, giving renters secure tenure and the ability to modify their homes, and ensuring new homes are climate ready and energy efficient, are also crucial. These reforms are an opportunity to modernise Canberra’s planning system and embed universal design so that the city’s housing stock is inclusive, liveable and fit for the future.
