Acting locally against disability discrimination

Acting locally against disability
discrimination

Dr Sev Ozdowski OAM, Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner Presentation of Certificate of Recognition Barossa Council 29 October 2001

Ladies and gentlemen

Allow me to commence by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the
land on which we meet.

It is a pleasure to be able to be here to present a certificate of appreciation
which, in a small way, commemorates Barossa Council's commitment to equality
and access for people with disabilities through its development of a Disability
Action Plan under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The take up of the voluntary Disability Action Plan concept by local
government bodies around Australia has been one of the success stories
of the Disability Discrimination Act. Over seventy local governments around
Australia have prepared Disability Action Plans and provided them to the
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. There are more Disability
Action Plans on our register from local government than from all State
and Commonwealth government departments and agencies combined.

That is still far from including every local government. Here in South
Australia for example, for every local government area which has lodged
an Action Plan, there are still three which have not. I am here today
to praise those who have shown commitment to the rights of people with
disabilities, rather than to "name the guilty" or criticise those who
have not put on the record the same evidence of commitment. However, a
State by State list of local government bodies which have provided a Disability
Action Plan is included in the action plan register on our web site, and
if you wish you can compare that list with the full list of councils for
your State.

One of the striking things about the record of Disability Action Plans
which have been lodged by local government so far, though, is how far
it really has been voluntary and achieved by local efforts - rather than
needing to be the result of bureaucratic or legislative direction from
above, or legal pressure, as has been the case with some other Action
Plans we have received.

Local government at its best has the advantage of closeness to the community,
and can perhaps see from closer up the real diversity of the Australian
people. That diversity of course has many dimensions, including gender
and age, ethnicity and culture and religion, and of course disability,
which itself comprises a vast diversity of needs and experiences. To quote
a speech delivered by my predecessor, the late Elizabeth Hastings: "A
community which includes people with a disability is not some experiment
of over-bold social engineers; it is the real community we have now, waiting
to be acknowledged."

Perhaps this reality is a little easier to perceive at the local level.
However that may be, I commend the effort and commitment which has gone
into development and implementation of Action Plans by local government
around Australia and here in the Barossa. That effort and commitment extends
across the elected Council, its professional staff, the members of the
Disability Access Review Committee, and the wider group of community members
and organisations which were involved in developing the Action Plan.

The Commission has always emphasised how important wide consultation
and participation is for the development of an effective Action Plan and
I am glad to see that Barossa Council was very aware of this issue. I
also wish to commend your Action Plan for its recognition of the breadth
of roles which local government has in creating accessible and inclusive
communities:

• in ensuring accessibility of its own services and facilities;
• in playing
  a local leadership role in increasing awareness and acceptance of the
  needs of residents and visitors with disabilities;
• in its role in regulating
  building and development; and
• as provider or facilitator of particular
  services targeted to people with disabilities to enhance or enable social
  participation.

It is not my role here to put a final stamp of approval on the Action
Plan or its implementation. As recognised by Council when it lodged its
plans (both its initial plan and now the revised plan also provided to
the Commission), an effective action plan must remain dynamic. One reason
for this is that new issues and challenges will keep emerging and need
to be addressed - to take just one example, the challenges and potential
which the digital age presents to local government library services in
providing information access for people with disabilities.

I do very much want though to congratulate all those involved in the
achievement of adopting and lodging Barossa Council's Disability Action
Plan. I look forward to receiving further news as it is implemented and
further developed into the future. Thank you.