Disability Inclusion Action Plan

Details
Penrith City Council (02) 4732 7777 (02) 4732 7958 council@penrithcity.nsw.gov.au 601 High St Penrith NSW 2750 Australia
Disability Inclusion Action Plan

Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAP) are a legislated requirement for councils in NSW that provide a framework to improve access and inclusion across the state. There are 4 focus areas that provide the foundation for these plans and guide the actions and priorities we’ve set for Penrith. 

  • Focus area 1: Developing positive community attitudes and upholding the rights of people with disability. 
  • Focus area 2: Creating liveable and safer communities. 
  • Focus area 3: Supporting access to meaningful employment and independence.  
  • Focus area 4: Improving access to mainstream services through better systems and processes. 

Penrith Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan outlines how we will improve access and inclusion outcomes in our day-to-day business and within existing resources. It also covers how we will advocate to stakeholders within our City to adopt access and inclusion in their work.  

Council’s role in delivering the DIAP includes being a: 

  • Planner: Understanding community needs and expectations now and into the future, and planning to harness growth and investment to deliver positive community outcomes for all. 
  • Provider: Delivering inclusive programs, services, facilities and events. 
  • Partner: Harnessing the collective resources of the community service sector and other key stakeholders to meet the challenges of the City. 
  • Advocate: Promoting the needs of people living with disability to other agencies and authorities. 
  • Capacity builder: Developing relationships, sharing learnings and building skills with the local community sector, local employers and major industries. 
  • Regulator: Monitoring compliance with conditions set out in our Development Control Plan and other legislation. 

Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030

  • Review Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2026 implementation outcomes 
  • Desktop research: Identify current best practice approaches to improving access and inclusion outcomes. 
  • Demographic research: Identify the profile of people living with disability in Penrith City. 
  • Community and stakeholder engagement: Capture feedback from people with disability, carers, the community and community services sector and listen to what is working well and where there are opportunities for improvement. 
  • Staff engagement: Hear from teams across Council about what is working well and the opportunities to improve access and inclusion. 
  • Drafting the DIAP: Prepare the draft document and draft actions in response to what we heard from the community. 
  • Public Exhibition of the draft DIAP: Present the draft to the community, asking ‘have we got it right?’ 
  • Finalise the DIAP: Review community feedback and amend the DIAP 
  • Publish DIAP: Council endorsement and submission to the Department of Communities and Justice. 

diap 2026 2030 page 10

The implementation of the Penrith City Council DIAP is the responsibility of all areas of Council. Every action in the plan has a performance measure, timeframe and responsible team/s to enable effective progress tracking and reporting. 

Each year, Council will report on its progress as part of its annual report. The annual report will also be provided to the NSW Government minister responsible for disability services and the NSW Disability Council. 

The DIAP will continue to be reviewed and updated every 4 years. 

Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2026