Wed 18 Mar 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Cathy Casey says the Rainbow Panel's time has come A proposal for a Rainbow Panel for Auckland Council has passed its first significant hurdle, gaining the majority support of the Community Development and Safety Committee. It backed sending the plan to the full Governing Body next month by seven votes to two. Councillors George Wood and Calum Penrose opposed the move, due to concerns about cost, with Wood saying “we’ve become the ‘yes’ Council”, and the community is calling for less spending on Democracy Services. “We can’t just be the ‘yes’ Council for every new initiative that comes along.” However the Committee’s Chair Cathy Casey responded by saying the issue of lgbti representation has come up again and again throughout her 11 years as a councillor. “This isn’t something that’s just popped up. This Rainbow Panel’s time has come.” If formally approved, the panel will provide a local government platform from which to address issues of significance to Auckland’s lgbti community. A report presented at today’s committee meeting highlighted that lgbti people continue to experience discrimination on an institutional and individual level as well as high levels of addiction, mental health issues and suicide. It also explained that people of diverse gender identity still face legal and social obstacles that impede their ability to lead their lives fully, safely and openly. Nadia Gush from the Charlotte Museum addresses the Committee Representatives of OUTLine, the Charlotte Museum, GABA, Body Positive, Auckland Pride Festival Inc and the Rainbow Tick all spoke in support of the advisory board. Trans woman Lexie Matheson spoke about the importance of having transgender representation on the panel. "We're a long way behind gay and lesbian folks," she stated. "We don't want to be silent and invisible any more." One of those driving the Rainbow Panel proposal, Council officer and Rainbow Door member Cissy Rock, spoke about the importance of reaching beyond the central city to lgbti groups and people who feel disenfranchised. Cathy Casey says the panel is a logical and necessary evolution of the Rainbow Door Reference Group established in 2010. “The Rainbow Door Group has provided an invaluable service by offering an informal forum for both rainbow and mainstream service providers to meet with the council to discuss concerns, issues and opportunities. But it’s time to take that to the next level.” Casey says the Council puts a lot of energy into acknowledging Auckland’s incredible diversity. “And rightly so. We have a responsibility to represent all groups within Auckland and I want to ensure we have the widest possible representation of the lgbti community through the creation of this new panel.” Casey, along with Councillors Penny Hulse, Linda Cooper, John Watson and Wayne Walker all supported the proposal, as did with Glenn Wilcox and Josie Smith from the Independent Maori Statutory Board. The proposal will now go to the Governing Body meeting on 30 April for final approval and allocation of budget. The original estimate the Rainbow Panel will cost $117,000 a year was not correct and has been revised down to $70,000 - $80,000 a year, with the biggest cost being a Democracy Advisor. The Panel would be made up of one Chair and 12 members. It would have a start-up cost of $35,000, which Councillor John Watson suggested come from the Mayor's own budget. Len Brown has already expressed support for the Rainbow Panel.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 18th March 2015 - 3:39pm