Committee to provide a voice for Townsville community
Date published: 26 October 2016
Members of the newly recruited Inclusive Community Advisory Committee (ICAC) will meet for the first time tomorrow.
The committee, which also sat prior to the March local elections, will now comprise 23 peak body representatives that will meet for an orientation session at Tony Ireland Stadium at 2pm.
Committee members represent a number of community sectors including:
- employment
- education and training
- mental health
- drugs, alcohol and gambling
- health and wellbeing
- discrimination and equality
- disabilities
- transport
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community
- Culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- the ageing population
Committee chair Cr Colleen Doyle said the committee’s role would be to provide advice to council on current and emerging social and community planning needs, opportunities and policy matters.
“It’s about creating a voice for the Townsville community and ensuring these issues and concerns are brought to the attention of council,” Cr Doyle said.
“If we work together we can identify, raise awareness and determine approaches that will strengthen the community and council’s ability to address social issues.”
Cr Doyle said the orientation meeting tomorrow would be an opportunity for newly recruited committee members to get to know each other and begin planning for the term of the committee which is until 2020.
She said already a wide range of topics had been highlighted as areas for improvement for the committee to consider, including public transport affordability and accessibility, aged care reforms, homelessness, youth crime and support services for migrants and refugees.
Recommendations from the ICAC will be presented to the Community and Cultural Development Standing Committee of council.
