Council has adopted the draft Social Equity Framework 2022-25, which aims to empower and support all people in the City of Greater Geelong's diverse community.
Aligning to the community's 30-year clever and creative vision and a key deliverable of Our Community Plan 2021-2025, the framework aims to ensure fair and equitable access to all the City's services and facilities, regardless of gender, age, background, and ability.
Implementation of the framework will be funded through existing operational budgets and will be used to guide the City's service and program delivery.
Councillor Sarah Mansfield, Chair of the Diversity, Inclusion and LGBTIQ+ portfolio:
The framework was a significant step towards reducing barriers and ensuring resources in the Geelong region are shared fairly.Social equity is key to achieving a thriving Greater Geelong that creates the best outcomes for all community members.
The Social Equity Framework will inform the City's strategic direction as well as instruct all our programs, and the way we manage the City's services and spaces to make sure resources are shared fairly.
Council is working hard to address existing barriers faced by groups who are underrepresented and those experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage.
The framework looks at six key areas, which are called 'Social Equity Enablers'; these are:
- Fairness - distributing resources and facilitating fair processes and outcomes for everyone.
- Access – reducing physical and social barriers from places, spaces, resources, and opportunities.
- Voice - creating safe spaces for everyone to speak up and genuinely listening to their individual and collective needs.
- Participation - assisting everyone to be involved in social, community and economic opportunities.
- Inclusion - creating opportunities where everyone feels safe, supported and like they belong, regardless of their social identities.
- Empowerment - supporting everyone to make meaningful choices and have a say in decisions that affect them.
Councillor Mansfield:
Council was proud to be adopting the framework.Council's Advisory Committees, key stakeholders and the community have provided significant input into developing this important framework, and council is thankful for their hard work.
Understanding the long-term structural, economic, and cultural barriers and bringing these issues under the umbrella of a social equity framework will make a real difference to many people.
Our approach is collaborative, and council will work closely with our partners to ensure the framework's principles are delivered by all council facilities, programs and services.
The Social Equity Framework has been informed by the City's Social Equity Principles 2017 and has been developed in consultation with councillors, City staff, advisory committees, and partners.
The City will measure outcomes and report data to ensure the performance of the Social Equity Framework.
The draft framework was released for public comment for four weeks, from 23 February to 23 March 2022.
Feedback from community members and advisory groups on the framework was supportive and was used to strengthen and refine key ideas in the document.
