What the City of Ballarat’s diversity plans mean for regional city’s public places

The council’s four year plan includes questioning staff on their sexuality, gender, and disabilities, as well as auditing local government premises and public places.

The City of Ballarat is yet to determine the specific changes to be made to local government buildings, public places, and toilets under 50 proposed policies regarding sexuality and gender.

The council released its draft LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Plan 2022–2026 this week for public consultation.

The four year plan, which only contains an agenda for the first two years, includes

questioning council staff on their “cultural identity, languages spoken, LGBTIQA+ identity, gender, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and disability” to establish data on the organisation’s make-up.

An internal LGBTIQA+ working group and a “calendar of inclusion-related days of significance” would be created, along with a trial of LGBTIQA+ swim and gym nights at the local leisure centre.

The council would also put up signs in its buildings welcoming LGBTIQA+ people and provide a Pride flag option on email signatures.

Depending on their area of work, council staff already receive inclusivity training, but the council’s community wellbeing director Matthew Wilson said any new or updated training in accordance with the new plan would focus on children and families, the young and the old, LGBTIQA+ people, certain cultural and religious groups, Indigenous individuals, and disabled people.

He said the form and use of council buildings could be audited – though an “audit tool” remained to be developed – and upgrades to public spaces would consider the above groups in consultation with the council’s advisory committees.

“Many older facilities were designed and built using the standards of the time, and now need updating to ensure accessibility and inclusivity is improved,” Mr Wilson said.

Precise intentions regarding gender-neutral toilets about town are also yet to be determined.

“Our specific response in terms of toilets for all genders will be based upon a review of best practice and consultation with our LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee,” Mr Wilson said.

The council surveyed 171 people as part of its LGBTIQA+ consultation, 87 of which were themselves members of that group.

Three-quarters of the queer respondents said they had experienced discrimination in Ballarat and only 53 per cent said they felt safe in the city.

Broadly they supported dedicated LGBTIQA+ places in Ballarat, all-gender amenities, inclusivity training for council staff, a permanent LGBTIQA+ officer at the council, and displays of flags, posters, and safe space stickers.

One person surveyed suggested council not refer to ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ when speaking to children.

“Don’t use mum and dad all the time,” the respondent said.

“Say ‘Can you take that back to your grown up?’ Don’t assume my wife is my mother, sister, friend. Ask me.”

“Consider intersectionality,” another person said, “ … and embedding LGBTIQA+ inclusion in all areas and not just always creating separate spaces for these conversations.”

Another said the council should “normalise and promote indicators of allyship – pronouns, rainbow flags, stickers, gender neutral toilets and language.”

“Staff need to be trained in how to address people – all people,” said one more.

At Wednesday night’s council meeting, mayor Daniel Moloney said gender diversity measures would be “one of the significant lasting legacies that this council will have”.

“Ultimately it comes down to just making our society a more welcoming place," he said.

“As a proud member of the LGBTIQA+ community, this is something I’m particularly proud of.”

The inclusion plan documents will be available on the council’s online portal until September 21, during which time there will also be four community drop-in sessions.

The plan will then need to be endorsed by council before it is enforced.

According to a Victorian Population Health Survey, roughly one in 10 people in Ballarat identify as LGBTIQA+.