Annual Report - City of Bayswater

Statutory ReportingDisability Access andInclusion Plan (DAIP)The City of Bayswater is committedto providing people with disabilitiesequal access to Council information,services and facilities and the City’sinformation is available in alternativeformats upon request.The Disability Services Act (1993)requires all local governmentauthorities to develop andimplement a Disability Accessand Inclusion Plan (DAIP) andImplementation Plan. The Citycompleted the 2009 – 2010Progress Report as requested bythe Disability Services Commission.Council embraced the opportunityto become an affiliate of theCompanion Card in 2010 topromote the existing right of peoplewith a disability to fair ticketing. Thecardholder is issued with a secondticket for their companion at noextra charge. Bayswater Waves andMaylands Waterland, are two Cityof Bayswater facilities that supportthis initiative.Community members can completea Creating Accessible Communitiespamphlet to inform the City aboutaccess issues. This pamphlet isavailable at the Civic Centre, theCity’s website, libraries and theGalleria Office.Freedom of Information(FoI)In accordance with Section 96 and97 of the Freedom of InformationAct 1992, the City is required topublish an Information Statementwhich details the process ofapplying for information under theAct, as well as information that theCity provides outside the Act. Thisdocument is available from the CivicCentre or the City’s website.This financial year, 27 applicationswere lodged, which is a significantincrease from 10 received in theprevious financial year. The Actrequires that all applications areresponded to within 45 days.The City’s average processingtime for applications was 24 days,a reduction of five days on theprevious financial year.Equal opportunityThe City of Bayswater is committedto providing a workplace whereevery individual is treated withrespect, in an environment free fromdiscrimination or harassment.During 2009-10 the City reviewedits obligations under the WesternAustralian Equal OpportunityAct 1984. Employees have beenretrained in accordance withlegislative responsibilities andobligations.Attention has also been appliedto ensuring the City has in placeprocesses for resolving EEOgrievances and complaints.Plan for the FutureIn accordance with the LocalGovernment Act 1995 (Amended),the City developed a four year Planfor the Future that covers the period1 July 2008 to 30 June 2012.The Plan for the Future is anoverview of the significant programand activities proposed by theCity over the next four years.Its objectives are to provide thecommunity with information relatingto the City’s proposed principalactivities and to offer the communityan opportunity to lodge submissionsin relation to those proposals forconsideration by Council.The core activities addressing theplan are:• Recreational Services;• Community Services;• Aged Services;• Planning and Building Services;• Waste Collection Services;• Administration and GeneralServices Costs;• Library Services;• Parks, Gardens and RecreationServices• Security Watch;• Road Works and Path WorksProgram;• Ranger Services;• Health Services; and• Governance Costs.Some significant programsundertaken by the City for 2009-10included building improvements at$9.610 million, road infrastructureat $3.100 million and parksdevelopment at $1.972 million.National Competition PolicyThe Competition PrinciplesAgreement (CPA) is a contractualagreement between FederalGovernment and all State andTerritory Governments. The CPAaims to ensure that all publicenterprises operate in a transparentmanner in the best interests ofthe public. Under the CPA, publicenterprises are required to reviewtheir operations to ensure theyhave no competitive advantage ordisadvantage as a result of theirpublic status.Competitive Neutrality(under the CPA)Competitive neutrality addressespotential advantages ordisadvantages that public enterprisesmay have compared with businessesoperating in the private sector.city of bayswater annual report 2009-1031