Cr Kiri Dicker’s motion to push forward with design options for accessible beach access in Lennox Head got the green light from Ballina Council at its latest meeting.
Proceedings opened with a strong deputation from Ballina’s current Citizen of the Year and World Para Surfing Champion Joel Taylor, who said the existing lack of access for disabled people to Ballina’s beaches had to change.
‘I hate to think how many people with disabilities, elderly with limited mobile mobility and young families have overlooked Ballina Shire as a holiday destination – and the countless tourism dollars lost – because of our lack of accessibility,’ said Mr Taylor.
‘Being able to access our beautiful beaches, regardless of ability, should be our goal. Anything less and we have failed those of us with a disability, and our community.’
Community support
Cr Kiri Dicker said a petition she started on the issue had received 408 signatures in support in less than a week.
She said Ballina Council needed to go beyond the limited existing access situation, with beach wheelchairs able to be booked from council, noting that the Central Coast LGA provided permanent beach matting across summer months on four beaches, with new funding possibilities emerging from the state government to extend these ideas to other areas.
Staff member Matt Wood said that different design options would be explored if the motion found support, with an accessible path from near the Lennox Surf Club one possibility, and the surf club and other interested parties to be further consulted.
Cr Phil Meehan spoke in support of disabled access to Seven Mile Beach, noting that the Lighthouse Beach accessibility ramp (funded previously) would also be available again later this year, following work to improve the access gradient.
Cr Simon Chate said he’d received many personal emails from the community in support of the disabled access idea since it had been raised by Cr Dicker. ‘I think it’s really important that we go out of our way to try and get accessibility to these beaches,’ he said.
Cr Rod Bruem then sought to complicate the motion by bringing 4WDs into it, saying some disabled people liked to access beaches in that way. This amendment was ruled out of order as it didn’t relate to the matter being considered.
Cr Eva Ramsey spoke strongly in support of Cr Dicker’s original motion, noting that an accessibility ramp would also be useful for older people who used walkers.
Council’s obligations
Cr Kiri Dicker noted that Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
‘What that means is that we take on the obligation to incorporate those rights into our domestic legislation at every single level of government.
‘It’s why we have a Disability Discrimination Commissioner,’ she said. ‘It’s why our council has a disability inclusion plan… If you’ve got a disability, you have the right to access public spaces in exactly the same way that other people do.
‘So when we make upgrades to facilities to ensure this, these are not gifts to people with disabilities, these are our obligations under international human rights law.’
Cr Dicker’s original motion was eventually carried unanimously.
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