Dubbo Photo News 09.06.2022

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PhotoNews Photo News DUBBO

ENDLESS ABILITY WITH PAGE 11 DISABILITY FROM COP TO FIREFIGHTER

30,000 local readers every JUNE 9-15, 2022 | LOCALLY OWNED & INDEPENDENT | FREE! week

LUCKY IT RAINED... The mud was dehydrating! By JOHN RYAN JUNE 9 is National Farm Workers Day and the whole of June is International Mud Month so it’s only appropriate to feature a farmer in mud on our June 9 cover.

FULL STORY ❱❱ PAGE 24

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Disability committee disbanded Supporters disappointed “it seems to have fallen by the wayside”

COUNCIL WATCH By BROOKE JACOBSON QUESTIONS have been raised about Dubbo Regional Council’s decision to not reinstate the disability/access committee. Council has made the decision to reinstate several committees and working groups with community members, however the disability/access committee will not be reformed. Speaking to the recent council meeting, Councillor Josh Black said it was a great shame the committee hadn’t been formed again. “When people have a disability, this is a 24/7 lifelong experience for them,” he said.

“The reinstatement of this committee is something I would like to see corrected at the earliest opportunity. “This is an equity issue, we as a council should be here for everyone.” Former teacher and wheelchair user, Ross Mason, spoke to Dubbo Photo News and said he was disappointed the committee would not be reinstated. “Inclusiveness is about covering all people, and people with a disability should not be left out,” he said. “It’s not just wheelchair users. We have an ageing population, there are people with mobility and access issues due to their age. “The last council was on the track with inclusiveness and it’s

disappointing that that work is not going to be continuing. It seems to have fallen by the wayside.” Mr Mason added he would like to see more of the new councillors speak out about this issue. “You don’t know what it’s like to be in a wheelchair until you live it – it’s so much more than ‘your legs don’t work anymore’,” he said. “Access is an afterthought for a lot of people.” Mayor Mathew Dickerson said the previous council had removed a lot of committees. “We wanted the community to have more input, so we looked back over every committee from Dubbo and Wellington councils from the past 20 years and reviewed what we could revive or

combine or remove,” Cr Dickerson said. “In the past, the disability access committee had a specific function, which was to allocate funds for access projects. “Those funds have unfortunately been expended. “We did have one public submission about the disability access committee, but there was not a loud roar of dozens of people from the community.” He added the previous committee had spent the funds they were allocated on improving access in the CBD. “And I congratulate them for that – they did a good job,” Cr Dickerson said. “But at the moment, council is doing everything we can to save as much as we can and try to get

our finances back on track.” Cr Dickerson said he wanted an engaged community and if more funding was made available, he would be happy to reinstate the disability access committee. “That’s the whole idea of those committees, to get stakeholders involved and take advantage of that knowledge,” he said. “I enjoy those committee meetings, because people on those committees are experts in that subject and they’re passionate about it. “I don’t know why so many of those committees were disbanded by the previous council. “We can’t just have committees for no reason and without terms of reference. We want an engaged community, but we don’t have an unlimited bucket of money.”

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