The community is encouraged to have a say about a draft plan which will help the community to be more disability friendly.
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The draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan plan sets out Port Macquarie-Hastings Council actions over the next four years to help make life better for people with a disability, their families and carers.
Consultation with groups including Bago Magic Performance Group, Hastings District Respite Care, NewIDAFE, Riding for the Disabled and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Sub-Committee fed into the draft plan.
The council engaged extensively with the community in the draft plan’s preparation.
Cr Peter Alley stressed the importance of the plan.
He said the council had a legislative requirement under the NSW Disability Inclusion Act, but more importantly, the council had a social responsibility to be inclusive.
The Access Sub-Committee has reviewed the draft plan.
“This is an opportunity for the wider community to take part in the process,” Cr Alley said about the document’s public exhibition.
Port Macquarie-Hastings mayor Peter Besseling said there was some really good work being done by the access committee.
NSW Disability Services Minister Ray Williams spoke on March 13 at the Local Government NSW Annual Tourism Conference at Taree about inclusive and accessible tourism.
Cr Besseling said there was plenty of opportunity in the local government area to take advantage of inclusive tourism.
“We need to encourage businesses to be more inclusive,” he said.
“I think that makes for a better economy but I think it also makes for a better society.”
The council’s draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan will be on public exhibition for 28 days from March 27.
Community feedback will be considered before the document’s adoption.
A report to the March 15 council meeting said the Disability Inclusion Action Plan would provide the council with an achievable plan on how to improve the accessibility of its services, facilities and activities, and create a more inclusive and accessible community.
Progress against the plan will be reported annually to the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and the NSW Disability Council.