SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL has completed its Master Plan for the Precinct but has left off the plan a key community resource – the 4km walkway from the township to Gardners Falls. There was also concern over a request to Council by the Maleny Golf Club for $450,000 to start its golf course.

The meeting at the RSL Hall was the first opportunity in more than two years that the public has had to discuss Council’s plans for the Precinct.

One of the five Precinct stakeholders, the Green Hills Fund, called the meeting, and its new president, Steven Lang, gave a detailed slide show presentation of the site components, the importance of species connectivity throughout the Blackall Range, and Council’s proposed schedule of development.

It is this schedule which concerned people at the meeting. Questions were asked of the three Council representatives present – Councillor Jenny McKay, Council’s director of the Precinct project, Alan ‘Fox’ Rogers and Council’s head of environmental policy, Steve Skull.

It was pointed out that feedback from the previous Council’s community consultation in 2007 had come down most strongly in favour of a walkway along the Obi Obi Creek from the Maleny township to Gardners Falls.

Peter Stevens, president of Lake Baroon Catchment Care said the walkway was absolutely vital to give the entire community the chance to connect with the Precinct after ten long years of planning.

Peter Rogers from Hinterland Tourism endorsed the view that a walkway would enhance the increasing reputation of the Range as a place for walking trails.

For example, Mary Cairncross Reserve receives 500,000 visitors a year confirming that visitors come here for the area’s environmental values.

Council plans to spend $4 million dollars over the next four years to kickstart development of the Precinct, but the first stages of the Master Plan do not include the walkway.

At the meeting Alan ‘Fox’ Rogers acknowledged that the Golf Club was seeking $450,000 to carve out its first nine holes, but said no decision had been taken by Council.

“If this funding is seriously being considered in the first few years of development then it goes against the intent of resident wishes as indicated by the consultation process three years ago,” Mr Lang told the Hinterland times. “It confirms that he who shouts loudest wins the prize.”

“The proposed walkway/cycleway to Gardeners Falls is how our children and grandchildren will get to Gardeners Falls. It gives ownership of the Precinct to the community. It is something everyone will use, regardless of which club or society they belong to. It is the one feature everyone can agree on. It is the priority.

“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that Green Hills opposes a golf course on the precinct. We have formally signed off on a Master Plan which includes one, recognising the compromise as a win for all of Maleny. But we did so believing Council would require potential lease holders to provide their own funding, leaving Council to concentrate on the infrastructure the Maleny community so clearly declared it wanted.”

Several residents expressed concern that while stakeholder groups had to prepare commercial business plans before they became leaseholders of Precinct land, Mr Rogers could not guarantee that residents would get to see those plans.

Given that the estimated cost of the Precinct Master Plan over the next 20 years is close to $75 million, one suggestion from the floor was that Maleny land and homeowners might have a levy attached to their annual rates to speed up the process.

This was immediately rejected by another speaker who said she did not want her rates going towards the funding of a golf course.

Councillor Jenny McKay said she and her officers had heard the concerns of the community and would ensure that they were reflected in the Precinct strategy report that will go to Council within six weeks.

“We have had nearly three years of consultation with key stakeholder groups, Council and consultants,” said Mr Lang. “It is important that the outcome now delivers the environmental aspirations clearly expressed by this community three years ago. “

For further information: www.greenhills.org.au

Don's View

At the weekend (August 28-29) Tony Abbott finally faced reality; he sent a message after the departing independents saying he had decided to submit his costings to Treasury after all, and Treasury could tell the independents about them, as long as the independents didn’t tell Julia Gillard or Wayne Swan.

Abbott has tried to portray this as a win for himself, but in fact it was an inevitable back down given the circumstances. Andrew Robb had already been caught out; he had claimed that the Federal Police investigation of the leak was already well under way and a result could be expected any day now.

The police replied that there was no investigation; they were still considering whether to open one. A continued refusal could only be seen as proving that they had something to hide.

But more importantly opinion was turning against the opposition. The suspicion was that they were actually trying to set the scene for another election, preferably one which would run early next year, when the hated New South Wales Labor government would also be facing the people. This, it was believed, would make Abbott Prime Minister in his own right.

It might; but the downside is that the voters would be outraged at being forced back to the polls. They have been through all that, they have delivered their verdict – well, sort of – and it is up to the politicians to make it work. The umpire’s decision must be respected and those who try to ignore it will pay.

It is a risk Abbott is not prepared to take, especially when his friends in the media are ramping up the pressure on the independents to give him the guernsey. Last week the News Limited group produced a series of surveys designed to prove that the voters in all three electorates actually want a coalition government. Actually they don’t; they want their local member to remain independent, which was why they voted for him.

And there is no reason why the independents should not follow this course; they could simply agree not to support no confidence motions and to guarantee supply, and the government could continue as usual.

But, following the protocol outlined below, that would leave Labor in power, an outcome utterly unacceptable to the Murdoch press. And in any case it would be naïve to expect the three independents to pass up the once in a lifetime opportunity for power and glory the hung parliament presents; so the horse trading continues.

No sane person wants another election. But perhaps one insane person does. The preposterous Steve Fielding, the accidental senator from Family First, will, like the rest of the old senate, retain his seat until July 1 next year. Asked whether he would allow a minority Labor government to pursue its agenda, he temporised; indeed, he would not even rule out blocking supply.

Actually supply for the year has already been passed in the budget session, so Fielding’s threat was as ignorant as it was arrogant. But it was something the Governor-General should bear in mind if she was looking for stability, Fielding warned: he was not convinced that the Labor government deserved a second chance.

That’s right, he, him, the man who received just 0.08% of the Victorian first preference vote in – just four fifths of one hundredth of one state in 2004, about three fifths of five eighths of f*** all in today’s money — considers that he has the right to decide who should govern Australia in 2010. And conservative commentators are accusing the Independents of having ideas above their station. Give us a break!

In fact the Governor-General is unlikely to come into it at all, except to rubber stamp whatever happens in parliament. Some of the sillier commentators have got all excited about how the G-G, Quentin Bryce, is the mother-in-law of Labor minister Bill Shorten, and this could put her in a conflict of interest when it came to choosing who would be prime minister.

But it is not her choice. Julia Gillard remains Prime Minister, albeit in a caretaker role, until the poll is declared. When it is, Bryce is bound by convention to ask her if she can form a government; if she says yes, she will be commissioned. If she says no, or if she subsequently loses a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives, Bryce will offer the job to Tony Abbott. If both leaders fail, she will have to prorogue parliament and call an election. It is all quite straightforward, not at all like the deadlock between the Reps and the Senate in 1975.

And it is undeniably intriguing; like a good murder mystery – and unlike the awful election campaign that led up to it — it makes you pay attention right up to the last page.

Suddenly politics is interesting and even relevant; the punters genuinely want to know what is going on, how many options there are, what are the rules of the game and who is up who for the rent.

Last Friday (August 27) the Sydney Morning Herald produced a four page wrap-around attempting to explain it; the public has learned more about politics in the last week of August than they ever did in twelve years of high school.

Whether the interest can be maintained is of course another question; technically the impasse could drag on until the end of November, when parliament would be forced to sit and make a decision. But no-one expects to go on for that long. And as the players reassembled back in Canberra on the last day of winter, it was clear that the climax was approaching.

And it’s still impossible to predict: the odds have to favour the conservatives, but the three amigos – Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter – are all contrarian types; that’s why they are independents. Andrew Wilkie is a professional maverick and even Tony Crook and Adam Bandt could yet surprise us. Please remain seated and keep your seat belt securely fastened until the election has come to a complete halt.

“Decentralisation means regional development”, says Mr Abbot. “Regional development means jobs, lifestyle and the future for regional and rural towns. And that should be high on the agenda for all Australians and for both political parties.”

For the first fifty years of the last century, the Queensland Government not only focussed on, but actually bragged about their decentralisation policy. And they built a very large rail system in Queensland to do exactly that, to decentralise our business. As demographer Bernard Salt said, in the year 1900, 80 per cent of the population lived in regional, rural and remote Australia. In the year 2000 it was only 18 per cent.

I can remember my Grade 6 Social Studies Reader in the Queensland education system, bragging about that theory of decentralisation and showing photos of the trains like the Sunlander and the Westlander.

I firmly believe that the Queensland Government was on the right track in the early days, and the state did value the input from regional communities. But since the 1960s we have forgotten about that. We have focussed 100 per cent on developing the coastline, and very much a part of that is in south-east Queensland. All the rest has been ignored.

When you look at places like Toowoomba for example, where one of the busiest highways in Australia basically runs parallel to the town through a residential area -that should have been removed 20 years ago and it wasn’t.

So they are the kinds of challenges I will be taking to this new task force.

The expert panel will be headed by former NSW premier Bob Carr, and it will draft an issues paper for parliament. The day after Mr Abbot’s appointment (June 30) he told HT Editor Michael Berry why it was time to change direction on population policy.

THIS IS A great opportunity for us to get in at the ground level and show that there are communities around like ours that are living and breathing sustainabilityright now. It’s where the Sunshine Coast has gone in the past two years. There’s been  leadership from the Council and there are strong feelings from the community generally that there need to be changes in the way we do business.

I’ll be taking the argument to this panel that population is not the strong economic driver that is argued by some. On the contrary. I see continued population growth as a pyramid selling scheme – that you can’t continue to rely on the jobs created by building 1000 homes to provide the work for and 2000 people.

I want us to look at the capacity of communities to survive long term, what population levels can they sustain and how do we spread that load across the country. I want to look at decentralisation issues – how do we reverse the way that governments have been funding growth over the past 20 years?

For example, years ago governments invested millions of dollars in developing decentralised rail systems that fanned out across their states. Yet here in Queensland, we’re now talking about pulling ours out or selling it. I think we’ve lost our way.

States have had a blinkered view on sustainability in the past, and I think the federal government has to take a stronger position on how we develop this country in the future. I don’t think they can rely on the states anymore, because none of them have a population plan.

I have been talking about this issue for years and this Council is already moving towards a model of sustainability for the Coast. First we have invested in a Broadband  network – a national network in miniature.  That shows we recognise the broader issues. We have helped established Sunshine Coast Enterprises, an organisation set up to drive our economic future; we have our economic development strategy in place and we now have the tourism industry combined working together.

To tackle sustainability generally, we’re going to have to decentralise our economy. The Queensland Premier’s recent report on the Growth Summit said that we now have to recognise decentralisation as a critical path for our future. It’s interesting that the Growth Summit reflected the values that this community has already recognised and has been working on for some time.

No longer am I just championing this cause on the TV or in council meetings.  Sustainability is a mammoth job and I only have a relatively short time left in this political game. I am not going to swing around this boat single-handedly in two years or six years or eight years. I now have the opportunity to work on this with people who think similarly at a federal level, and that is a critical point for me.

C ouncillor Jenny McKay proudly presents the Maleny Community Precinct Plan to Sunshine Coast media.

THE 126 HECTARES of farmland next to the Maleny township, and bordered on its southern boundary by the Obi Obi Creek, was bought by Caloundra City Council in 2006.

The years since then have seen competing interests consolidate around those who foresaw a world class parklands that would showcase Queensland flora and fauna and those who wanted an 18-hole golf course.

In controversial circumstances Caloundra City approved a plan for an 18-hole golf course, despite public and private surveys which showed resident preference for public parkland over the limited use that a golf course would offer.

The amalmagation of Queensland councils in 2005 saw the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council promise to diffuse local tensions and re-visit the Caloundra City Precinct decision.

Two years later, and after regular meetings chaired by local Councillor Jenny McKay, a compromise has been established between stakeholder groups.

If Council approves the plan, the Maleny Community Precinct will have several distinct elements – an ecological parkland, two separate wetland areas, Barung Landcare nursery, an area of 3-4 sports fields and an aquatic centre, space for a future communal sports clubhouse, the heritage-protected Pattemore House, a par 3,18-hole golf course and an area that will be land-banked for possible future development as residential land adjacent to the existing Cloudwalk Estate.

Project Director, Alan Rogers said that although the residential component was important for future funding of the project he was recommending it should be put on hold for five to seven years given the depressed state of the housing market.

One of the most sensitive aspects of the project has been the size of riparian zones around the Obi Obi Creek. The City Plan provides for a minimum of 40 metres but to accommodate sports field on low-lying land a buffer of 20 metres is proposed.

Barung President Eric Anderson said that, “I believe the path along Obi Obi creek from the centre of the Maleny township to Gardners Falls will become a walk of significance for locals and visitors alike. “

President of Green Hills Maleny, Paul Gilmour-Walsh said his group is proud of the part it has played in bringing the Precinct to this stage.

“The Master Plan is a great start towards detailed designs and implementation of those designs”, Mr Gilmour-Walsh said. “We look forward to playing our part which will benefit the community for generations to come.”

Once Council has ticked off the proposal the various groups will have to form business plans to demonstrate they can deliver the facilities they have argued for on behalf of the Maleny community.

One of the undecided issues is road access to the Precinct. Cr McKay favours vehicle access beside the Primary School although the most likely option is beside Erowal. Alan Rogers believes a main road access will not be built until the residential area comes onto the market to provide the funding. At present, the only vehicle access to the Precinct will be from Porter’s Lane via Obi Lane in north Maleny. A footbridge beside the Primary School is a likely interim access. Mr Rogers says having a master plan allows the groups to firm up their business plans, allows Council to put in governance provisions and open up avenues for outside funding. Community groups will have to meet milestones before they will be granted leases.

Cr McKay said her fellow councillors respected the amount of work that has been done on the master plan, but there is concern about the money required to complete projects. Sunshine Coast Mayor, Bob Abbot told the Hinterland Times that, “a wide range of views had to be considered during this process in our effort to address two key objectives: the allocation of land for community and sporting purposes; and the desire to protect the Obi Obi Creek while creating a world-class natural environment on the site for all to enjoy. This plan is borne out of lengthy and detailed discussions between Council and the relevant community groups .I think it has potential to enhance Maleny’s liveability and environment well into the future.”

While Maxine is notorious for being the only person in Australian history to defeat a sitting Prime Minister, she is quickly earning her stripes as an efficient political insider and effective communicator.

Co-operation with Barung Landcare, National Parks & Wildlife Service, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Queensland Government, has seen the Green Army make a great contribution to improving local parks and gardens as well as enhancing the Great Walks on the Blackall Range and in the Conondales.

“Our Green Army people have achieved various competencies such as Level 1 Chainsaw operation, a Construction Industry White Card and/or First Aid” said project coordinator Edith-Ann Murray, “and they are ready for work. So we are asking employers to give them a go.”

Jennifer Checker and Ann Turner have been working with Barung Landcare; Allen Henrick and Scott Hebberd with the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Inga Green with the Hinterland Business Centre. Pictured are Luke Symons, Ian Krosch and Ethan Thomson who have been working with the National Parks & Wildlife Service.

Their work experience placements of 15 and 16 weeks are completed in early June, when all of these Green Army participants will be looking for work. So, if your business could benefit from trained workers skilled in many aspects of landscape repair, please contact the Hinterland Business Centre on 5499 9911 or info@hinterland.biz

It is anticipated that a new Green Army project will be starting in September and interested persons should contact the Hinterland Business Centre on 5499 9911.

Bob Abbot

Mayor of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Bob Abbot, looks back on 2009, reviews Council’s agenda for 2010, and gives the Maleny community a pat on the back.

2009 HAS BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR US ALL. The global financial crisis has given us a fair amount of heartache … significant reduction in interest on our investments; significant reduction in development application fees, and development contributions, and a significant reduction in some of our businesses, which is a real issue in the short term.

So the next budget will be tight again. We had to find $13 million savings in last year’s budget and we will probably have to do the same this year. But I think there’s an understanding out there that a frugal approach to budgeting is the best we can do to ensure that we get as much work out in the community as possible. And this council needs to get a better grip on its expenditure. We must try and reduce the amount of debt carried, and increase the amount of cash that we’ve got to deal with the ongoing needs of the community of the Sunshine Coast.

Looking back over the year the real achievement we have is a water company that covers the needs, outlooks and supply requirements of both Moreton and the Sunshine Coast. That’s been a great win for us, and by the end of June 2010 that company will be up and running and Council will no longer be responsible for the distribution of water supply and sewerage, in this region.

We have launched our economic development strategy about creating a vibrant, green and diverse economy. The kneejerk reaction or suggestion of a de-salination plant in Marcoola by 2017 I think was an inappropriate ministerial statement from a person in power. I think this community is astute in terms of its water use. In fact we have decreased our average from about 330 litres per head of population to about 245 litres, without any restrictions being put in place. This community understands that in not having a Traveston Dam we need a restrictive regime in place on water use, and we need to get right behind the campaign for demand management, water harvesting and re-use wherever possible, which is part of our policy.

I think Maleny’s effort in reducing its water usage late last year was actually a classic of what people on the Sunshine Coast are capable of achieving. Within 24 hours of asking the people of Maleny to reduce their water usage, they had gone down below our recommended level. So, an absolute pat on the back for the people of Maleny for that, and a fabulous indication again that the people of Maleny can lead the Coast community into a bright new future. It’s the sort of community cooperative thing that Maleny has being doing for years.

I am asking for a mid-term review in 2010 so we can gather our thoughts, see the things we’ve done, see the things we haven’t done, and plan an attack for the following two years.

I think we’ve got strong support in the community for the sustainability vision. We’re getting good feedback on the waste management strategy, the transport strategy, and all the other things we’ve got going. The feedback in the street, tends to be positive, and the Sunshine Coast Council is certainly on its way to delivering some fairly significant foundations for the future.

Artists perspective of Cooke Park refit

Maleny’s Maple Street facelift has begun after 16 years of planning, several community consultation processes and budget bottlenecks inside Council.

Sunshine Coast Regional Council has now started work on a beautification and road project that extends from Myrtle Street to the Obi Obi Creek Bridge.

Stage one includes an upgrade to the Cooke Park frontage, a new Coral Street roundabout, Teak Street intersection, the addition of alfresco dining, street tree planting, new paving, street furniture, public art and signage.

Cr Jenny McKay said that she is pleased the upgrade is finally taking place as it catches up with the diverse and thriving nature of the Maleny community.

Work in progress at Cooke Park in Maple Street

“The project not only addresses the need, but takes into consideration the unique quality of the Maleny township while allowing for additional trees and street furniture, which will further enhance the current streetscape,” she said.

Increasing traffic in Maple Street, along with congestion at peak times during the day, have caused a headache for some years, although traffic lights were rejected as a solution by the community. Their preference has been for either one-way traffic through town or for roundabouts, the latter option chosen by council.

“The roundabouts designed for Coral Street and Myrtle Street, and the intersecting of Maple Street are paramount to safe vehicular movements for the community”, said Cr McKay.

Materials for the Maple Street upgrade will be carefully selected to reflect establishment of the timber town’s settlement origins. The use of timber, local stone and artwork will also be encouraged.

Plan of the new Cooke Park layout

Through extensive community consultation the community repeatedly asked for an upgrade that reflected the artistic, rural, historic, cooperative and organic nature of the district and its residents.

Sculptural artworks reflecting Maleny’s timber and dairy industry background, have been created and commissioned from local artists. They will feature along the length of Maple Street.

A large version of the Maple Street upgrade plan is on display at the Maleny Library until Monday August 17 and is available on council’s website.

The Department of infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government has provided council with $311,000 under the Community Infrastructure Program. This funding will enable the construction of the Cooke Park frontage works, which include shelters, paving, seating, artwork and street trees.

Sergeant Gary Ricks with QGAP’s Judy Phipps at Maleny Police Station

Range residents can now access a wide range of Queensland Government services at the Maleny Police Station with the opening of a QGAP office in the building. These services are additional to the ongoing local community policing and the existing provision of drivers and weapons licences.
Officer-in-charge Sergeant Gary Ricks said “Having the QGAP office in such a central location as the police station provides convenience and accessibility for residents needing the services of Queensland Government agencies, without having to travel off the Range”.
QGAP Manager Judy Phipps is employed by the Queensland Police Service and she is also a qualified Justice of the Peace. Judy has received Queensland Transport training to assist with the range of services offered by this Government Department. Ongoing exposure to the range of other services available from QGAP will ensure that the local residents will be serviced effectively. QGAP Maleny is also an agent for Suncorp Metway, NRMA & QBE Insurance companies and Judy is able to provide CTP (Compulsory Third Party Insurance) when required.
Some of the services available for various Government Departments include Births Deaths & Marriages; Electoral Commission, Roll applications, pre-poll activities; Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Receipt of fines, Justice of the Peace (Qual) duties; Office of Fair Trading; Office of State Revenue, Receipt of taxes, stamp duty payroll etc; Public Trustee, Receipt of rent and other payments, assisting with Enduring Power of Attorney etc; Queensland Ambulance information, Seniors Card applications; Workplace Health and Safety, registrations.
Information is also available from Commonwealth Government offices including; Australian Taxation Office, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Immigration and Multi-Cultural Affairs, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The QGAP office is open 9am – 2pm Mon, Wed and Friday at Maleny Police Station, 49 Maple Street Maleny. Ph 54296293