Next week, I'll be bringing forward a lovely motion to the Council meeting about a donation offer of five "Pride Seats" to celebrate our support for marriage equality and LGBTIQ rights.
MOTION:
THAT:
- Council accepts the donation of five (5) Pride Seats from Street Furniture Australia, with a view to installing one (1) in each ward of the Inner West Council;
- Council works with Street Furniture Australia to determine the exact specifications required for each Pride Seat;
- Council determines where Pride Seats should be installed in consultation with our local LGBTIQ community;
- Each Pride Seat is dedicated to a different person, people, group or organisation from the Inner West LGA that has campaigned for or contributed to LGBTIQ rights (including marriage equality), and that this dedication be recognised with a plaque and/or signage at each seat;
- The selection process for the dedication of each Pride Seat be open to public nominations through Council’s Your Say Inner West Engagement Portal, and conducted in consultation with members of our LGBTIQ Working Group;
- The budgetary implications of this resolution be considered as part of the 2018/19 budget process.
BACKGROUND:
Council is an active supporter of our LGBTIQ community and was a strong supporter of the campaign for marriage equality, along with all three of our former Councils (Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville).
In recognition of this support, Street Furniture Australia has offered to donate five (5) rainbow Pride Seats to Council to celebrate the legalisation of marriage equality. The donation is intended to recognise and celebrate Council’s long-term advocacy on behalf of our LGBTIQ community, and provides an opportunity to obtain quality new street furniture at a significant upfront cost saving.
Because the Inner West occupies a central place in Australia’s LGBTIQ history, I’m also proposing that we dedicate each Pride Seat to a group or individual/s that have campaigned for or contributed to LGBTIQ rights to recognise our local activists and changemakers, and that we allow our local community to be involved in this process.
The normal pricing of each Pride Seat would be as follows:
- 1-seater $560
- 3-seater $970
- 4-seater $1,430
Street Furniture Australia has suggested that the 3 or 4 seater options are likely to be most appropriate, but are happy to work with Council to plan the appropriate specifications.
Seats are coated with extra UV protection for fade-resistance, and are suitable for outdoor / public use conditions. They are made from finished metal, making them low maintenance.
Street Furniture Australia is an approved Local Government Procurement supplier. In the last year, Council has purchased over $44,000 of garbage bins and bollards from the company under the Local Government Procurement Contract. These bins and bollards have been installed at numerous locations throughout the municipality.
There is no expectation this donation will influence future procurement decisions by Council.
More details of the Pride Seat options on offer can be found in Attachment 1. For more about Street Furniture Australia, see their website: streetfurniture.com/au/
Note: I will be disclosing a non-significant, non-pecuniary interest in this Motion due to a friendship with the Marketing Manager of Street Furniture Australia. Any benefit from this motion is by way of a donation to Council and the community.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
Street Furniture Australia propose to donate the five seats. Council staff will organise the public nomination process in consultation with the LGBTIQ community and install the seats at the appropriate locations. The staff time and installation costs will be approximately $6,700. The maintenance and renewal of these seats will be added to Council’s asset management plans.
Like this? Sign up to get updates about Pauline's work on your behalf.
Prototype of the Pride Seat.
Pride Seat concepts