Queensland’s Australian of the Year has spent 12 months searching for a suitable house to buy and he says he’s no closer to finding it.

Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, who also co-founded Doctors With Disabilities Australia, says it has been impossible to find a house with the suitable requirements for his wheelchair.

He told Scott Emerson he is calling for a minimum set of standards in homes to “future-proof” houses.

“It’s been a very tough process to find a place,” he said.

“I use a wheelchair, and I have some very specific needs to get around the house and be able to access it.

“To find a place that meets those requirements has been pretty challenging.”

He is calling for a minimum set of standards which would benefit the whole community.

“I think it will benefit everyone, we are all going to get old at some point, we all could get injured, we all could get a disability so it’s going to make a a huge difference.

“Economically, it’s not a huge cost to make some of thee changes.”

He said the changes would be easy to do such as lowering light switches.

“If we do it, we can future-proof our housing.”

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Image: Today Show, Channel Nine