Concern over cashless system for Taste of Tasmania

DISABILITY groups have raised concerns over the Hobart City Council’s adoption of a cashless touchscreen system for this year’s Taste of Tasmania.

Taste of Tasmania,picture of crowds

DISABILITY groups have raised concerns over the Hobart City Council’s adoption of a cashless touchscreen system for this year’s Taste of Tasmania.

The council decided in July to adopt the Commonwealth Bank’s wireless system, known as Albert, which uses touchscreen tablets for transactions.

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Digital Gap Initiative member James Newton, of Launceston, said the system was inaccessible for those with vision­ impairment because of its lack of a tactile interface.

Aldermen have also been contacted by the Vision Impaired Persons Tasmania Network, who have asked for a motion of no confidence in the technology to be adopted.

When asked if the council had signed a contract with the CBA to use the technology, general manager Nick Heath said the council was “committed” to trialling the cashless payment system, and that planning for the introduction of Albert at terminals for this year’s Taste was “well advanced”.

“We were not aware of any accessibility concerns [in July],” Mr Heath said.

“Some weeks ago we became aware of some concerns that people with vision impairment may find Albert challenging to use due to the absence of a tactile interface on the touchscreen tablet. We raised this concern with the Commonwealth Bank, who advised they were working on a potential permanent solution for this issue. They will be providing more news on their accessibility solution soon.”

Mr Heath said the council’s solution was for people with vision­ impairment to use the free Taste prepaid card, which can be loaded using cash, or credit and debit cards via an EFTPOS terminal.

“People using a Taste prepaid card will not have to enter a PIN when purchasing via Albert, which is understood to be the main accessibility concern,” he said.

Mr Newton, who suffers from Marfan syndrome and has no usable vision, said this was a “Band-Aid solution”.

“That to me sends the message to the Commonwealth Bank that it’s OK to roll out these devices that aren’t fully accessible,” he said.

Greens Leader Cassy O’Connor said the HCC should be setting a certain standard.

“It’s 2015 — we should have moved past public authorities using public funds to sign contracts to use equipment that is not inclusive and not disabil­ity-friendly,” she said.

More than 350,000 people in Australia are vision impaired.

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