Item 10.2 - Attachment 1

Access Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 17 April 2012

MINUTES OF THE ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN MEETING ROOMS 1 & 2, GROUND FLOOR, COUNCIL CHAMBER BUILDING, CIVIC PLACE, PARRAMATTA ON TUESDAY, 17 APRIL 2012, COMMENCING AT 5.32PM.

PRESENT

Mr John Moxon in the Chair, Leonie Clarke, Jim Grainda, Debbie Manuel, Hamish Murray, Peter Simpson, and Duy Quang Nguyen.

IN ATTENDANCE

Tanya Owen – Community Capacity Building Officer and Minute Taker

1. WELCOME

John Moxon welcomed everyone to the Access Committee.

2. ACKOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERS

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

3. APOLOGIES

Joe Dimech (Member) and Joy Brahman (Council Officer) tendered their apologies.

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 February 2012 had previously been forwarded to each member.

An error to be corrected was noted under Item 6, Election of Chair, regarding wording for the nomination of Hamish Murray for Deputy Chairperson. Hamish was nominated and accepted for the position of Deputy Chair not Chair.

RESOLUTION (Simpson/Debbie)

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Access Advisory Committee held on 21 February 2012 be taken as read and confirmed as a true record of the meeting with the above correction made.

6. CIVIC PLACE REDEVELOPMENT NOTICE

Tanya Owen notified the Committee of Council’s announcement that the Civic Place Redevelopment plan to take place in a public-private partnership with Grocon has been terminated. Council will continue to seek redevelopment through alternative plans, though no timeline has been established.

The Committee discussed the announcement, and the resulting implications for current Council facilities that were intended to be replaced through the Grocon partnership redevelopment plans. As planning for a new City Library facility is being revised, the Committee believes that Access issues should now be addressed at the Library and not wait for a new facility.

The Committee identified the City Library as a key facility where Access is a major issue and where facilities need to be upgraded, particularly lift access to upper floors. The current arrangements for people requiring access to upper floors are not in keeping with true Access, as there is no access to the middle floor and people are required to enter and exit through a separate building entrance and be assisted by Library Officers to do this. In addition, as raised by the Committee in previous meetings, the external after-hours book return chutes need to be redesigned to be fully accessible for wheel chair users, people with vision impairments, and people with intellectual disabilities, as the chutes recently put in place impose restrictions on these groups.

RECOMMENDATION (Moxon/Murray)

Given the changes in timeline for construction of a new City Library as part of the Civic Place redevelopment, the Committee recommends that consideration be given to upgrading the existing Library facilities. The Committee recommends that particular consideration be given to upgrading lift access that will enable unrestricted access to all levels of the Library, in addition to the reworking of the after hours book return chute to enable appropriate unrestricted access for all people, including wheelchair users, people with vision impairments and intellectual disabilities.

The Access Advisory Committee offers to be involved in the planning of any such upgrade / renovation to provide informed advice about Access prior to plans being finalised.

7 BUSINESS ARISING

7.1 Access and Equity Policy

The Committee had received copies of the Draft Access and Equity Policy from Jayne Boardman, Social Outcomes, prior to the Meeting. The Committee decided to review the Draft individually, and to share comments and discussion points with each other, and ask Jayne to meet with Committee Members on 8 May, to discuss the combined comments on the Draft.

ACTION

Tanya Owen will ask Jayne Boardman to meet with the Members of the Committee on 8 May, 4:30 pm, to discuss the Draft Access and Equity Policy, or establish another suitable time for the meeting.

7.2 Station Upgrades

Tanya Owen informed the Committee that, per the request and issues raised at the February meeting of the Committee, a letter had been sent from the Lord Mayor’s office to RailCorp, following up on previous communication received regarding upgrading of Clyde Station, and asking for further information on planning for upgrading of Wentworthville Station. Tanya also informed the Committee that the upgrading of Wentworthville Station had also been raised recently by a local Councillor, and the Transport and Planning Unit at Council had sought further information on this from RailCorp, though a response had not been received at the time of the letter being sent from the Lord Mayor’s Office.

7.4 Council In-House Access Training

Tanya Owen informed the Committee that Human Resources is seeking the development of in-house training on Access appropriate for a range of Council units . This is in response to issues raised regarding recent changes to Council facilities and Access, and discussions between the Committee and different Council units regarding Access standards.

Council is seeking to have developed a series of short workshops that will assist relevant Council Units to understand Access in relation to the development and refurbishment of Council facilities, as well as the review of Development Applications. This would be particularly in relationship to the Disability Discrimination Act and understanding why certain standards have been established, and how a poor understanding can negatively impact on people with disabilities and lead to Civil Action. The training will seek to build a practical understanding of Access issues and best practice in response to these.

Council is currently in discussions with the local Independent Living Centre regarding the development and running of these workshops. It was noted that training providers in this field, particularly those that may be located in Sydney, are extremely limited.

8 GENERAL BUSINESS

8.1 NDIS Rally

A rally in support of the proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme will take place Monday, 30 April, 12 noon, at the AllPhones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. Public transport is available to the area.

8.2 Macquarie Street Car Park Site Redevelopment

John Moxon informed the Committee of information he had received from Greg Smith, Group Manager Corporate Services, that Council has submitted an application to the Commonwealth Government for funding to redevelop site of the Macquarie Street Car Park in a public-private partnership. The proposed mixed-use redevelopment will include an area set aside for community businesses. Dependent on obtaining funding, Council has called for Expressions of Interest in the development.

As the proposed plan includes an area for community organisations, the Committee wishes to inform the Council unit involved in development plans for this proposal that the Committee encourages their involvement in the planning stages. The Committee thus extends an offer to provide Access advice during planning to achieve the best possible Access outcomes for the intended use of the site.

ACTION

Tanya Owen will ensure that this message is conveyed to the relevant Council Officers to be involved in planning for this proposed redevelopment.

8.3 Mobility Map

A Mobility Map developed by Liverpool City Council was provided to the Committee for consideration from the Office of the Lord Mayor. A similar, current map does not appear to have been published by Parramatta Council.

The Committee was asked to consider the need and potential demand for a similar map for the Parramatta CBD.

The Committee believes that a mobility map with a focus on Access would be a useful resource for people with disabilities. The map could include information such as accessible toilets (level of key access and times they may be closed), parking spaces, accessible transport hubs, locations of lifts to major transport points (e.g. rail), wheelchair power recharging points, medical centres and other relevant services, and appropriate constructed ramps. The Committee suggested that this could be developed as part of the implementation plan for the new Access and Equity Policy to be adopted.

ACTION

Tanya Owen will share this message with Social Outcomes, and will explore options with Social Outcomes for progressing the creation of a mobility map as part of the implementation plan for the new Access and Equity Policy that Social Outcomes has been developing.

8.4 IDPwD 2012

The International Day of People with Disability event will take place on Monday, 3 December this year.

NEXT MEETING

19 June 2012 at 5:30pm

Meeting Rooms 1 & 2

Council Chambers Building

Closed 6.46pm