City of Palmerston saw their Disability Inclusion and Access Plan (DIAP) pass through Council in last night’s secondary ordinary meeting of September. The Plan is the first strategy to pass in line with the overarching Inclusive, Diverse and Accessible Policy Framework (IDA), which Council adopted in 2021.

The DIAP offers a series of goals and actions to remove barriers to equitable participation in City of Palmerston services, programs, and events, ensuring Council continues to offer programs and facilities that are accessible to the community and are in line with that of national standards and practice. 

The draft plan went through an extended consultation period and received responses from a range of people including those living with disability and key stakeholder organisations. The DIAP aligns with the City of Palmerston Community Plan and IDA, and helps to guide future practice for increased disability inclusion, access, and representation across all facets of Council. The plan also aligns with the Northern Territory Disability Strategy 2022-32 and Access Plan 2022-25. 

“City of Palmerston prides itself on ensuring that everyone in the community feels safe and can access programs that they are interested in. The DIAP further delves into the details around how Council will achieve this through programs, events and infrastructure” said Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell.

“Council has committed budget towards ensuring that all Council facilities, including Council owned buildings, parks, playgrounds, and paths are accessible moving forward. We are very passionate about ensuring this happens in our community which is why we took our time and extended the consultation period just to make sure we are getting it right for the community”, she said.

The plan will now be sent to Northern Territory Office of Disability for inclusion in reporting against Territory-wide disability inclusion and access outcomes.

For a copy of the Disability Inclusion and Access Plan visit Council’s website palmerston.nt.gov.au.