JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN

Make Australian Beaches Accessible

Accessible Beaches Australia is calling on the government to increase funding and support to Councils and Surf Life Saving Clubs to make our beaches more accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges.

Read on to find out how you can help and to sign our petition to the government.

The beach is for everyone

Going to the beach is a quintessential part of life for most Australians - 87% of our population lives within 50km of the coast.

BUT

Out of almost 12,000 beaches, less than 2% are accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges

THIS MEANS

Many of the 4.4 million Australians living with a disability are excluded from participating in our most iconic Summer activities.

AND

They are socially excluded from enjoying the beach with their families and friends

We think we can do better. Help us make Australian beaches accessible for everyone.

How you can help

We are calling on the government to increase funding for local beach accessibility projects. Sign the petition by clicking here to help us make a difference. Sign the petition and share our campaign with family and friends on your social media to help make all Australian beaches accessible.

Sign the petition

Sign our petition to call on the government to increase funding to local councils and life saving clubs to improve infrastructure and purchase equipment such as beach matting and beach wheelchairs.

Download our advocacy pack

Send it to your local council to advocate for making beaches in your area accessible.

Download the media release

Donate to Accessible Beaches Australia

Our stories

Hear what beach access means

Tash

Adam

Share our campaign with your family and friends. Let’s join together to make a difference

Come join the Island Charity Swim Festival Fun Day this Saturday 27th April, at Mooloolaba Beach. A fun family day out with wheelchair accessibility, beach games, a beach BBQ, a sensory tent and lots more fun! For more info search @islandcharityswim
We've reached over 5,000 signatures! 🏅 THANK YOU 🤗 to our amazing community for supporting us to reach 5,000 signatures for our petition. Let's aim for more! 📝Share our petition with your network and help us make more of our beautiful beaches a
We need your help to reach 5,000 signatures on our petition calling on the government to raise funds for local beach accessibility projects! Sign and share the petition (link in our bio) to help us achieve this milestone 🏖️ ABA sends a heartfelt th
Without a national strategy for beach access and funding to make it happen, many of the 4.4 million Australians living with disabilities will NEVER experience the joy of the beach. 📣Sign and share our petition. Let's make our voices heard so that

Follow us on our social media

Be part of our story

Get the latest news and updates from Accessible Beaches Australia. If you have a story of challenges with beach access please contact us below. If you've experienced a great accessible beach that isn't listed, please tell us!

Make Australian Beaches Accessible campaign was made possible with thanks to volunteers Tash and Adam and their friends, along with the volunteers at Accessible Beaches Australia, and with thanks to campaigns agency, Agenda C.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.

Sources: ABA Campaign Stats and references

  • 4.4 million Australians are living with a disability.

  • Over 50% of Australians over 65 have a disability.

  • 85% of Australians live within 50km of our coastline.

  • Australia has almost 12,000 beaches. 

  • Less than 2% are accessible to people with disabilities and mobility challenges (around 150 that we know of).

  • Very few are fully accessible.

  • Beach wheelchairs need to be collected from sites that are not at the beach.

  • Beach wheelchairs are only available during short times on a few days a week.

  • There are approximately 600 patrolled beaches in Australia.

References