Launch of City of Sydney Inclusion (Disability) Action Plan

Commissioner Graeme Innes

Tuesday 2 December

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet.

Thank you, Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Hoff for the invitation to participate in this early celebration of International Day of People with a Disability and the launch of the City of Sydney Inclusion Action Plan .

May I also acknowledge other Councillors present here today and acting CEO Garry Harding.

Ladies and gentlemen it really is a pleasure to be with you today to recognise the effort you have put into developing this Action Plan and to encourage you to be the driving forces behind its implementation over the coming years.

This past year has been a very busy and exciting one for us at the Commission. We have a new name the Australian Human Rights Commission, a new President Catherine Branson and a re-freshed vision simply expressed as Human Rights - everyone, everywhere, everyday.

It has also been a time of change on the national stage for human rights in Australia. The Federal Governments' apology to the Indigenous community in relation to stolen children; the commitment to Closing the Gap; the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with a Disability; a commitment to developing a Social Inclusion agenda; the commitment to developing a National Disability Strategy; changes to the way Australia deals with refugees; the removal of same-sex discriminatory laws; and a commitment to ratification of the Optional Protocol to CEDAW have all kept us quite busy!

And there is more to come as we expect a number of announcements over the next few days which will certainly affect our work agenda next year.

While the launch of Sydney 's Inclusion Action Plan might seem a long way away from the international stage in fact it is through local initiatives such as this that national and international commitments often find their expression in the day to day lives of Australians.

Commitments coming out of Australia 's ratification of the UN Convention, agreements reached within the National Disability Strategy and priorities set through the Social Inclusion agenda will all impact on the activities of Local Government.

While Sydney's Inclusion Action Plan will need to respond to these national initiatives it already includes a number of strategies to contribute to a community that is inclusive of people with a disability.

At the heart of this Action Plan is the recognition that Council has an important role to play in addressing barriers that limit the opportunity of people with a disability to participate in, benefit from and contribute to our community.

I find it significant that you have chosen to call your plan an Inclusion Action. Social inclusion is about active citizenship and participation; it is about looking for ways in which government, business and community can address the multiple barriers that lead to social exclusion. These barriers include:

First social barriers. Including negative community attitudes; lack of positive role models, poor social networks and limited opportunities to participate in the social and cultural and political activities of a community.

Second economic and financial barriers. Including lack of access to employment, education and training and limited access to suitable affordable housing, credit and budgetary skills.

Third information barriers. Including lack of access to material in appropriate formats such as large print or Braille, limited literacy skills, digital exclusion and an inability to access information about rights, events, consultative processes and services, and

And finally amenity barriers. Including lack of access to buildings, recreational facilities and services.

Each of these can lead to disadvantage in our community but when individuals experience a number of them the chances of social exclusion is increased.

It will come as no news to you when I say that people with a disability typically experience a number of these barriers in their lives and as a result continue to be among the most disadvantaged in our community. Add onto this the additional barriers still experienced by women, Indigenous people and people of a non-English speaking background and the chances of being able to participate in and contribute to our community become even more tenuous.

A social inclusion approach needs to address each of these issues in a co-ordinated and creative way and while many of the elements that make up social exclusion are rightfully the responsibility of Federal and State Government many fall well and truly within the scope of Local Government as a service provider and facilitator.

There are many activities identified in your Action Plan that will assist in breaking down the barriers to inclusion.

Improving access to Council's information, events and consultative processes will increase the ability of people with a disability to engage in local government processes.

Adopting progressive building access requirements and vigorously monitoring their application will assist people with a disability to participate in community activities and pursue employment opportunities.

Advocating for better access in the public domain and modelling good practice will improve the opportunities for people of all ages and all abilities to participate in activities along with their family, friends and colleagues.

I should note here that this morning I issued a press release congratulating Council on the release of its Action Plan but specifically congratulating it on the work done on the Sydney Park children's playground which is due to be formally opened this coming Saturday.

I understand the playground has been specifically designed to be accessible for children with a disability, and equally importantly, parents with a disability accompanying their children. I can think of no better way of encouraging inclusion and participation than creating a space where children of all abilities can enjoy the thrill of playing with their peers so congratulations on that initiative.

There are of course many reasons I think individuals and organisations make the commitment to developing these plans.

First there is the professional pride that comes from ensuring your services are delivered effectively to all members of the community. That is why you do what you do. To contribute to the well being and sustainability of our community.

Second there is a recognition that addressing barriers not only improves our community for people with a disability, families with young children and our growing older population but also reduces the likelihood of Council being subject to discrimination complaints.

Third I think there is the realisation that the effort you put into addressing these barriers will be of benefit not only to your community and those who visit, but also to us personally.

I suspect that my audience here today is made up of a significant number of baby boomers.

It is us that will benefit from improved access and inclusion as we get older and experience disability.

It is us who will welcome the opportunities our parents, children and grandchildren will have when one or another develops a disability, and it is us who will experience regret if in years to come we find ourselves or our family excluded because of barriers we failed to address.

No matter what the motive for developing an Action Plan its effectiveness relies on the willingness of Councillors, staff and community members to champion it and make it happen.

Let me finish by just noting that commitments like those made in this Action Plan do not see the light of day without strong leadership support from Council and Senior staff, so I want to congratulate them on their leadership.

However, Action Plans do not address real and valued goals without the contribution made by people with a disability and community advocates. I congratulate them on their contribution and their willingness to work with Council.

While I know many staff have made a contribution to the development of this Plan at the risk of embarrassing her I really must mention the effort that has been put in by Council's Inclusion Co-ordinator Joanna Nicol.

I am well aware of the professional commitment Joanna brings to her work and I suspect the content of this plan owes a lot to her persuasiveness and persistence.

Joanna has worked in an environment where there are strong legitimate expectations from people with a disability for Council to take action and multiple and sometimes competing demands on Council in the allocation of its resources.

I know from experience this is not a comfortable place so I particularly want to congratulate her on her commitment to sticking at it.

Finally it is with great pleasure I formally launch your Inclusion Action Plan and I look forward to working with you over the next few years as you seek to make Sydney a global leader in the area of access and inclusion.