Latest news with #RosemaryMurphy
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Voting with a disability can be a challenge, even in a country like Australia
When I go to vote, my priority is to find a location with wheelchair access. Voting is a democratic right for all Australians, but for some people with disabilities, it can be an uncomfortable and sometimes distressing experience. I have a physical disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy and I use a power wheelchair to get around. Eleanor says casting a vote with a disability can be an anxiety-inducing experience for some. ( ABC News: Rosemary Murphy ) Unfortunately, the only early polling location is 50 kilometres away from where I live in regional WA, and it's not listed as wheelchair accessible. Although there were accessible booths inside, the street parking did not have access for wheelchairs to safely cross the road and there weren't ramps. Navigating through the crowd outside is always a challenge but moving through the crowds on the inside is even harder. Eleanor being handed how-to-vote cards while approaching the polling place in Albany. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) My power wheelchair is below people's eye level and pushing through is always stressful. As I can't write for myself, I bring a carer and tell them what to put on the ballot paper for me. Eleanor requires a carer to fill out her ballot paper. ( ABC News: Rosemary Murphy ) It is always noisy inside and it can be difficult for my carer to hear what I'm saying when I'm asking them to write down my voting preferences, because I have to whisper so other people don't hear my choices. Election essentials: Find out where your For me, it's obvious I need that extra help. In some ways, it can be easier to have a disability as visible as mine when it comes to voting because there are no questions about the accommodations I need. That process isn't so easy for voters with invisible disabilities, and it's made even more difficult if they are not confident to advocate for themselves. Eleanor Beidatsch detailed her experience voting in Albany this week. ( ABC News: Rosemary Murphy ) For 20-year-old Gabe, who has anxiety and situational mutism, voting for the first time was an overwhelming experience. "Being there was anxiety-inducing for me, I hyper-focused on getting it over with so I could leave," he said. "The most difficult aspect of voting was the social interaction and navigation. "Having severe anxiety to a point I can't talk meant even basic interactions, like telling my name, was difficult and I needed to have someone with me to speak for me. "Then having no direct path of where to go once you've finished at the booth made it a little confusing." Many people affected More than 21 per cent of Australians have some type of disability, or around 5.5 million people, according to the 2022 ABS survey. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Not every eligible voter with a disability needs assistance to cast their ballot, but there are still plenty of people who can benefit from accessible polling places. Accessible polling places can make voting easier for those with a disability. ( ABC News: Rosemary Murphy ) A spokesperson from the AEC said it had increased the number of accessible polling places for the 2025 federal election by 20 per cent. "We're constantly listening to feedback from voters and working to improve our offering at subsequent elections," they said. "For 2025, the increase of 20 per cent for fully accessible polling places is something we're very proud to be able to offer. "But we know that every voter is unique, and the widespread nature of Australian federal elections unfortunately means that our most convenient offering suit the requirements of [only] some voters." 'Archaic' laws need to change Meanwhile, 75 organisations and disability advocates have signed an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, calling for changes to laws they say disproportionately prevent people with disability from voting. A cross section of the organisations that signed the open letter. ( ABC News: Gian De Poloni ) Two sections of the Commonwealth Electoral Act say anyone "by reason of cognitive impairment, is incapable of understanding the nature and significance of enrolment and voting" should be stripped from the electoral roll. Those removed need to provide medical evidence they are "capable of understanding" to be reinstated. The groups say these provisions are "archaic and offensive" and inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This polling place in Albany has seen a steady stream of early voters. ( ABC News: Rosemary Murphy ) More than 28,000 people were removed from the roll between 2008 and 2012 due to these provisions, according to a Australian Law Reform Commission report, which also recommended they be repealed. "It is extremely disappointing that despite significant advocacy … discriminatory laws are still in place," Down Syndrome Australia CEO Darryl Steff said. The postal vote option Postal voting has always been an option for anyone who can't vote in person or doesn't want to. I don't usually bother with postal voting because I believe that people with disabilities should be seen in public. I live in a regional area, and I can't go to the post office on my own to post my vote. Postal voting is also difficult for Eleanor because she can't write on paper herself. ( Supplied: Australian Electoral Commission via Twitter ) I also can't write on paper for myself anyway, so it makes no difference if I am in a polling booth telling my carer what to write or doing it at home. Whether you choose to vote in person or by post, voting is a human right and people with disabilities should have the same opportunity to choose our preferences based on what we want, not what is more convenient. Additional reporting by National Digital and Disability Affairs Producer Evan Young. Loading
ABC News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Albany tabletop gamer travels to UK for Bolt Action world championships
Bob Quinn describes himself as an avid miniature tabletop gamer, but says his friends often call him "one of the gamiest players in Albany". Based in the regional Western Australian city, about 420 kilometres south of Perth, his shed became a hub for preparations to join the team representing Australia at the World Team Championships for Bolt Action in the UK city of Sheffield. The World War II-themed game is played on a board, with each move of miniature pieces such as tanks and soldiers meticulously measured and dependent on your dice roll as you work to win the battle or carry out the mission. Bob Quinn has spent months preparing for the championship. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) "The prep is playing games, testing stuff, this works, this doesn't," Mr Quinn said. " The last three months I've been trying to get at least a game in a week and then getting people to tell me what they think. " Each individual piece is painted by the players. "There's two side to this; there's the playing of the games and there's what is called the hobby which is the painting, the building of the terrain," Mr Quinn said. Players paint their own miniatures and often make their own scenery. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) First time competing Australia has two teams competing at this weekend's event. Members are from various parts of the country, which means preparation has been challenging. World Team Championships organiser Dave Nolan said it was the first time Australian Bolt Action teams were competing. Organisers say the Bolt Action event continues to grow in popularity. ( Supplied: Dave Nolan ) Competitions are also held for Star Wars Legion and Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. "Bolt Action has had a 10 per cent growth from last year where we're now up to 20 teams," Mr Nolan said. Mr Quinn is among eight Australians travelling to the competition. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) " Initially it was about flexing your muscles as a gamer, rolling some dice and showing you're the best, but after seven years it's now a case of the same sort of people returning and they get to see their friends. " Mr Nolan said he was excited for the event but wished travel costs were not such a barrier. "We could get to meet people a lot easier and it wasn't a case of we're coming, but only if we can afford it," he said. Mr Quinn began playing with a "starter army" about five years ago and has now expanded his game piece collection. 'It's a nice community," he said. Mr Quinn's two sons have been helping him paint miniatures. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) "They say men don't talk face to face they talk side to side, or in this case on the opposite side of table, and as you're playing you're talking about how it's going, you're talking about your wife and kids and just how life is." Gaming community Another Albany gamer John Gill echoed the importance of the community gaming could create. "When I first moved here I joined in because it was a mutual interest with a few other people," he said. John Gill says he likes the competitive aspect of the game. ( ABC Great Southern: Rosemary Murphy ) " I think there's a point as a guy where you either discover smoking meats or World War II. Bolt Action in particular piques my interest in World War II. " University of South Australia game design and digital media lecturer, Susannah Emery, said interest in miniature gaming increased significantly after the release of a popular TV series. Susannah Emery says Australia has strong gaming community. ( Supplied: Jacinta Keefe Photography ) "We actually saw a pretty huge influx after Stranger Things came out," Dr Emery said. "People started going back to Dungeons and Dragons and that resurgence and popularity of Dungeons and Dragons kind of got people into those gaming shops again. "You go into a store to buy some minis and there's people painting, there's people playing, there's a whole community ready to help people and engage with them on that."
