Disability Access Inclusion Plan renewal

City of Mount Gambier is renewing its Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) with assistance from social profit organisation JFA Purple Orange. The update will align the plan with the new State Disability Inclusion Plan (SDIP) 2025 - 2029 and will reflect the priorities of the community for the next four years.

Council is seeking preliminary input from people with disability, parents and carers, and the broader community on what disability access and inclusion means to them. This information will help develop the actions Council will commit to in the DAIP.

Council’s actions will fall into five areas, aligned with the SDIP:

• Inclusive environments and communities,
• Education and employment,
• Personal and community support,
• Health and wellbeing, and
• Safety, rights and justice.

“Regional communities have been earmarked as a priority group in the State plan, recognising the additional barriers faced by people with disability living in Mount Gambier,” Community Development Officer Chloe Rattray said.

“We want to hear from our local disability community about those challenges and how Council’s DAIP can support a more equitable vision of access and inclusion.”

To deliver the DAIP, Council will partner with social profit organisation JFA Purple Orange, with a focus on lived experience and driven by a commitment to inclusion, equity and social change.

JFA Purple Orange will facilitate three co-design sessions to inform the DAIP draft, held on 8 October, 28 October and 9 December 2025. Together with staff and key stakeholders, people with disability and those with proximity such as parents and carers will guide the actions and priorities in the plan.

“We look forward to partnering with JFA Purple Orange, who have a strong local presence and understanding of disability access and inclusion in our community. Their guidance through the co-design process will not only strengthen our DAIP but build our knowledge and confidence in this space going forward,” Acting Manager Library and Community Development Sally Mann said.

How to participate:

• Head to Have Your Say for more information and use our ideas board to write your idea, upload a photo or drawing, or share a link to another page,
• If you would like to be involved in the co-design process, fill out an expression of interest by 22 September 2025,
• Drop in a comment or suggestion at the Mount Gambier Library, or
• Contact the Community Development team on 8721 2540.

Public consultation closes on Monday 6 October 2025.

This feedback will be incorporated into a draft plan and presented to Council and community for further comment.

Media contact: City of Mount Gambier Media and Communications Coordinator Sharny McLean 0413 798 327 or smclean@mountgambier.sa.gov.au