Item 9.2 - Attachment 1

Access Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 15 February 2011

 

MINUTES OF THE ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN MEETING ROOMS 1 & 2, GROUND FLOOR, COUNCIL CHAMBER BUILDING, CIVIC PLACE, PARRAMATTA ON TUESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2011, COMMENCING AT 5.35PM.

 

PRESENT

 

Joe Dimech, Jim Grainda, Debbie Manuel, John Moxon, Hamish Murray, Duy Quang Nguyen and Peter Simpson

 

IN ATTENDANCE

 

Tanya Owen – Community Capacity Building Officer, Elisabeth Collins (Community Services Team Leader) and Joy Bramham – Administration Officer.

 

1. WELCOME

 

John Moxon welcomed everyone to the Access Committee.  

 

2. ACKOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS

 

John Moxon acknowledged the Burramatugal Clan of The Darug, the traditional land owners of Parramatta and paid respect to the elders both past and present.

 

3. APOLOGIES (Grainda/Simpson)

 

Apologies were accepted for Barbara Jones and Leonie Clarke.

 

4. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATION

 

There were no declarations made regarding conflict of interest at this meeting.

 

5. CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

 

A copy of the Minutes of the Access Advisory Committee meeting held on 21 December 2010 had previously been forwarded to each member.

                                                                                                                                 

RESOLUTION (Grainda/Manuel)           

 

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Access Advisory Committee held on 21 December 2010 be taken as read and confirmed.

 

6. BUSINESS ARISING

6.1 Public Domain Details Update

 

Peter Simpson, Hamish Murray and John Moxon received the Public Domain Details documentation completed to date and submitted comments directly to Kati Westlake. Their comments can be made available to Committee Members if desired.

 

Action: Tanya Owen will follow up with Kati Westlake regarding the feedback given by Members, and any information received from Kati will be emailed back to the Members. If there is any further progress made, Tanya will also invite Kati to the next Committee meeting to speak on this.

 

6.2 Lake Parramatta update

 

Tanya Owen spoke with the Open Space team and was told that the Plan of Management for the Lake Parramatta site will probably be available through public exhibition in March/April. The Plan of Management will inform any future development on the site, but there are currently no plans to develop this site. 

 

Tanya Owen will inform the Committee when the Plan of Management is on public exhibition. However, Council will announce it being placed on public exhibition through advertisements on Council’s website, in local papers and at the library.

 

6.3 “The good, the bad, and the ugly” CD report back

 

Tanya Owen advised that after discussion with several Council departments, the “The good, the bad and the ugly” could be given to the relevant people during DA prelodgement, and the checklist be amended to include watching the CD.  She advised the Committee that not everyone participated in DA pre-lodgement meetings, and that the the DA cost is legislated and as such the fee can not be increased, and therefore Council would have to bear the cost. The recommendation to Council, as written in the Report to Council 28 February 2011, reflects this.

 

The Report to Council together with the minutes from the last Access Committee meeting and the recommendation on this issue have not yet been endorsed by Council.

 

6.4 Recharging electric scooter report back

 

Tanya Owen told the Committee that she had approached Parramatta Library about providing a power point for the resident to access, but staff felt that there was not an appropriate place. On a single case basis, a power point can be provided in the Council Chambers building, with appropriate supervision. The resident has been contacted and informed of their ability to access this, and the need to meet with Tanya so that she can show the resident where this is and the conditions associated with this access. Tanya Owen suggested that if more people raise this as an issue a policy will need to be established. 

 

6.5 Ground Floor bell access report back

 

Tanya Owen received communication that the Civic Place side entrance to Council Chambers did not have a separate button for meeting rooms 1 and 2 (where the Access Committee usually meets). However, later testing by Council Officers revealed that the button labelled “Senior Centre” at both entrances would alert Rooms 1 and 2.

 

6.6 Ferry/wharf incident for resident report back

 

Tanya Owen advised that she received feedback from Sydney Ferries regarding a complaint made by her on behalf of a participant of the IDPwD who had raised their experience with Members of the Committee at the Committee IDPwD stall. The complaint related to being left at Rydalmere wharf due to tidal impacts on the ferry route, and then being unable to use a toilet while waiting for an accessible bus to arrive. They said that the Customer has been in contact directly, and it was the result of a breakdown in process as there should have been accessible buses available. Sydney Ferries is reviewing the process breakdown, and the complaint has been seen to by a Claims Manager.

 

John Moxon advised that if a person has a valid bus ticket, they can ask the bus driver to have an accessible bus sent or an accessible taxi called.  

 

7. CORRSPONDENCE IN

· Email from Chris McAlpine – from the Deaf Society advising that FaHCSIA funding up to $100,000 available to make councils more accessible could be used for a video of Australian Sign Language could be made and posted on Parramatta Council’s website.

 

8. GENERAL BUSINESS

8.1 FaHCSIA Accessible Communities Funding

 

Discussion followed the above correspondence submitted by John Moxon. Previous information on this funding had been shared with Council Units, and Civil Infrastructure is submitting an application for funding. The Committee asked that Tanya Owen follow up with the Deaf Society and relevant Council Units on the possibility of using the funding for the suggested purposes. Further, as the Committee had been involved in prioritising a list of works/equipment purchases for improved access at Council Facilities, it was recommended that the list of works that did not take place due to restricted funding should be shared with Civil Infrastructure for consideration in the application.

 

Action: Tanya Owen will check that the FaHCSIA funding guidelines allow for what is proposed by the Deaf Society, before conferring with the Deaf Society and relevant Council Units. Tanya Owen will also forward the list of prioritised work/equipment together with the final works list to Civil Infrastructure for consideration in the application for funding.

 

 

8.2 Invitation to Marcus Burt, RailCorp

 

Duy Quang Nguyen asked that Marcus Burt, Customer Service Manager – RailCorp, be invited to the next Committee meeting. The Committee discussed that this would be useful to provide further information regarding the proposed changes to how people with disabilities board trains.

 

Action: Tanya Owen will extend an invitation to Marcus Burt on behalf of the Access Committee to attend the April Meeting of the Committee and provide information regarding the proposed changes to how people with disabilities board trains.

 

 

8.3 Seniors Week

 

John Moxon informed the Committee that the Museum of Contempory Art is offering free short courses to Seniors in Digital Photography, however not all days were to be offered at an accessible venue. The Australian Photography Society has agreed to relocate the laboratory computers for one of the short courses, but are unable to do so for the second  as the accessible space was already being utilised at the other times other.

 

8.4 Auditory Assistance Devices

 

Joe Dimech advised that some of the auditory assistance devices for pedestrian crossings in Parramatta are not up to standard. The Committee reaffirmed that this should be reported to the RTA on 131700, but that Joe Dimech could bring information to the Committee on those that were working particularly poorly.

 

8.5 New Inventors

 

Peter Simpson advised the Committee that he is involved in one of the inventions being showcased on the next New Inventors on Wednesday 16 February.  He will be trialling a basket for a wheelchair.

 

8.6 Chair next Meeting

 

John Moxon advised that he would be absent for the next meeting. Deputy Chairperson, Debbie Manuel, will Chair.  

 

NEXT MEETING

 19 April 2011 at 5:30pm

Meeting Rooms 1 & 2

Council Chambers Building 

 

The meeting concluded at 6:22 pm