Horsham Rural City Council will establish a disability advisory committee. 

The advisory committee, comprising people with a disability, service providers and carers, will support the application of equity and access principles in the council’s decision-making and raise the profile of people living with a disability in the community. 

Its role, through a maximum of 10 committee members, is to help identify key issues and provide advice to the council. It does not have decision-making powers. 

Members will be selected through an expression of interest process and the group will begin meeting in early 2024. 

Cr David Bowe said the advisory committee would provide a voice to people who might feel unheard, or left out of decision-making affecting their lives. 

He said the council was already engaging with groups such as Wimmera Mobility Group and Beyond Community Inclusion, and there was ‘room to do more’ – in alignment with its broader goals for a thriving community. 

“The committee will provide, with the community, tested and lived experiences that can guide our decision-making process and be fair, transparent and timely. It is about representation,” he said. 

“This isn’t about one voice; it’s about capturing a choir of voices that make up our community.” 

Cr Bob Redden and his family, with a lived experience supporting a person with a disability, said appropriate supports could enable people to learn and develop important life skills. 

“We should not underestimate our people with a disability and the formation of this committee is a good step forward,” he said. 

The committee’s formation aligns with the council’s Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2023-26. 

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