Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

We are remarkably fortunate to live in a part of Queensland that has a natural beauty that many of our fellow Queenslanders no longer possess due to urban growth and sprawl.

 

We are all aware of the pressures being placed on us from population increase, especially as more and more people move to our “piece of heaven”, attracted by that same natural beauty.  The risk is that we may be loved to death, and what makes us special, what makes us attractive, may be lost.  How we deal with this issue is not easy, with many legitimate but often conflicting viewpoints.  

We enjoy a freedom of choice that is intrinsically part of our culture.  I believe that means we can’t impose “population caps” on the Coast, because they effectively remove the freedom others have to share in our wonderful lifestyle – especially when so few of us can claim to be “true locals” ourselves.

To me the discussion should not be about what our population will be in five, ten or even twenty years – it’s about the kind of community we want to share in five to twenty years.  

For me personally, I want our community to be made up of happy, healthy, employed, engaged community members who have a strong attachment to the natural and agricultural diversity that surrounds them.

 

Another element of this discussion focuses on the delivery of infrastructure – particularly roads and public transport infrastructure, but also on hospitals and schools.

One approach is that we react to growth and build infrastructure only when certain population benchmarks are met.  I don’t support this approach.  It is too risky and leads to “band aid” solutions that don’t truly address the needs of our communities.   

I believe in foresight, in setting a bold vision and identifying and implementing proactive, sustainable and integrated solutions for our community.

For example, we could be world-leaders when it comes to building an integrated, innovative and flexible public transport system.  And we must build the system now – not in 15 or 20 years.

Whatever your beliefs on climate change or its causes, we need to reduce and eventually remove our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy, especially oil.  

So this public transport system could include a duplicated, fast, reliable and regular heavy rail system along the current corridor.  It could include light rail linking Brisbane with the coastal population.  And it must include innovative and flexible east-west options that convey commuters and tourists from the Hinterland to the Coast and vice versa.

I believe it is through careful planning that we can truly balance the pressures imposed by urban growth, with those of local food production and environmental protection.

Planning is always challenging, but it also presents us with considerable opportunities.  Here in the Hinterland, we have the opportunity to strive for best practice when it comes to developing sustainable communities that blend local food production, green space, housing and employment.

We are already one of the largest “food bowls” remaining in south east Queensland.  We have the potential to not only sustain our own communities but continue to feed the rest of south east Queensland, and export to the world.

To do so, we must continue to encourage innovation, research and development in agricultural production – we need to foster, grow, trial and explore new ideas and concepts in food production, distribution and consumption.

Similarly, through planning, we have the opportunity to preserve a strategic vegetation and wildlife corridor – one that spans the key environments of the D’Aguilar Block and the Blackall Range, and includes the National Heritage listed Glass House Mountains.  Such a corridor would be for the enjoyment of all – both now and into the future.

By utilising the region’s natural and agricultural assets we can build value-adding secondary industries.  With these jobs would come others in commerce and retail, and our communities will achieve a further level of sustainability that again reduces our need for excessive commutes, increases our recreational time, and offers a more balanced lifestyle.

Maintaining the natural beauty of the Hinterland into the future is a challenge for us all, and I commit, through my role as a state representative, to ensure that my children and yours, will reap the benefits of our concerted effort.