Priority 4

Information on this page:

• Building more inclusive communities.
• Participating in the community.
• Integrated planning.
• What the Government will do.
• What the Government has already achieved.
• Demonstrating future progress.

The Victorian Government is committed to strengthening communities across Victoria so that they are more welcoming, more accessible and more inclusive of people with a disability. Inclusive communities are safe and healthy environments. They are places where:

• People have a sense of belonging
• People can contribute to the community with a shared sense of the responsibilities of citizenship
• People can participate in all aspects of community life
• People are valued for the contributions they make to the community
• Families are valued and supported
• People have their rights respected and can take action if they are discriminated against
• People have strong social, cultural and volunteer networks;
• People are listened to for their views on local issues
• Supports and services respond to the needs of the local community. End of inclusive communities list

The Government recognises that the meaning of ‘community’ may be different for different people. A person may be a member of one community, but they may also be members of many ‘communities’, depending on where they live, their interests, family background or religion. These communities, and an individual’s sense of belonging to them, may change over time, and over the course of a person’s life.

Building more inclusive communities

The Victorian Government is committed to building more inclusive communities. More inclusive communities benefit all members of the community, by reducing the inequalities and disadvantages that unfairly undermine some people’s opportunities to take part in community life.

Building more inclusive communities is about using the resources and efforts of governments and communities to strengthen the capacities of entire communities. In this way, people with a disability are supported – not only by supports and services, but also by their local communities.

As part of its commitment to building more inclusive communities, the Victorian Government will undertake a campaign to raise the community’s awareness of disability. This broad campaign will reach all Victorians, and will also be targeted to specific groups, such as workers in government programs, health professionals and police.

The Government will also build on the success of the RuralAccess initiative, which is a partnership initiative between the Department of Human Services, local governments and local communities.

RuralAccess is developing new ways of including people with a disability in the life of their communities through a range of arts, cultural, sport, tourism and leisure activities, as well as by improving access to education, health and other services in local communities.

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Participating in the community

Recreation and leisure are important parts of everyone’s lives. Through initiatives like RuralAccess and Access for All Abilities, the Victorian Government has already increased opportunities for people with a disability to take part in arts, cultural, sport, tourism and leisure activities in their local communities.

Participation in activities like these provides social, health, economic and environmental benefits for the whole State.

The Government will continue to promote opportunities for people with a disability to take part in community activities in line with its Physical Activity Framework, by building on the many achievements of RuralAccess and Access for All Abilities in local communities.

The Government will also improve access to community transport for people with a disability, particularly those living in regional and rural areas. Many local communities already have successful community transport programs and the Government will build on these when looking at new programs for the future.

Integrated planning

Community strengthening initiatives like RuralAccess and Access for All Abilities provide the framework for an integrated approach to planning by Government Departments, local governments, local health and community services, and a range of other stakeholders in local communities, to ensure that all planning activities focus on the needs of people with a disability.

The Government will draw on major events like the 2006 Commonwealth Games to ensure that the needs of people with a disability are considered in all areas and in all aspects of planning and service delivery.

What the Government will do

• Develop and implement community awareness campaigns.
• Strengthen partnerships with State and local governments and community-based organisations to build more accessible and more inclusive communities
• Build on the success of RuralAccess, and other community strengthening initiatives, and expand these initiatives to all areas of Victoria
• Develop community transport options, particularly in regional and rural Victoria
• Increase opportunities for people with a disability to participate in arts, cultural, sport, tourism and leisure activities
• Introduce a companion card scheme to assist people who have a severe or profound disability to access recreation and leisure opportunities
• Ensure that the needs of people with a disability are considered in all aspects of planning for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Melbourne in 2006. end of what the government will do list

What the Government has already achieved

• Begun to strengthen local communities and improved access to a range of local services, through complementary initiatives like RuralAccess and Access for All Abilities
• Encouraged and assisted local governments to be more accessible and inclusive of people with a disability, by working in partnership with the Municipal Association of Victoria
• Recognised the contributions that people with a disability make to the lives of their local communities, through a range of community-based activities held on International Day of People with a Disability
• Recognised local government initiatives to promote the inclusion of people with a disability in their local communities, through the Accessible Communities Awards
• Expanded community transport services for people with a disability, by providing an additional $3.7 million for more than 100 new vehicles
• Undertaken research on ways to enhance the friendship networks of people with a disability. End of what the government has already achieved list

Demonstrating future progress

• Community awareness of disability issues and the needs of people with a disability will increase
• Access to arts, cultural, sport and leisure activities will improve for people with a disability end of demonstrating future progress list

There will be more partnership initiatives between governments, communities and providers of health and community services in local communities.

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