Making the Queensland Plan more relevant

The Queensland Plan, developed in 2014 by the Newman LNP Government with community input, could make an important contribution to guiding this state’s future, but there’s no clear line of site to land use plans and government decision making.

So what use is the Queensland Plan?

The Palaszczuk Labor Government has produced annual reports to Parliament on the Queensland Plan’s progress and is now undertaking a five year review of the Plan. But there doesn’t seem to be much political interest in having the Queensland Plan influence government decision making at state or local levels.

Reviewing the Queensland Plan

This submission is made by the community organisation Redlands2030 Inc.

Local engagement has been hampered by the limited timeframe for consultation, poor promotion of the consultation process (by Government) and focus on other issues such as the need for reform to land use planning and governance in local councils.

If the Government’s review of the Queensland Plan was a serious effort to incorporate community engagement, the previous submitters to the Plan could have been contacted direct (by email).

A much longer consultation period would have allowed more time for community organisations to become aware of the Government’s review process. This could have accommodated the normal cycle of monthly meetings by which many community organisations manage their business.

The Queensland Plan was a positive product of the Campbell Newman Government and its survival into the second term of the ALP Government is a credit to both administrations.  But, implementation of the Plan has been a sad affair with so many initiatives, plans and policies of governments actioned without showing a “line of sight” to the Queensland Plan.

The most notable failure is the SEQ Regional Plan which gives no real standing to Queensland Plan or the the community values it articulates. The Government’s persistent use of priority development areas for inappropriate residential development (such as Toondah Harbour and Weinam Creek) is inconsistent with the Queensland Plan.

Council Planning Schemes should be required to demonstrate alignment with the Queensland Plan.  Planning schemes are meant to reflect community values and aspirations and are in-fact approved by the Planning Minister as having accommodated “State interests”.  The Queensland Plan should be a recognised “State Interest” with a clear line of sight  to all forms of land use planning.

Redlands2030 made comments about the draft Queensland Plan in 2014, saying:

Implications for planning in Redland City

The Queensland Plan includes a number of goals that should guide future planning and development in Redland City. Examples include a preference for urban sprawl to be better managed with Queensland’s cities to “go up not out”. The plan also includes this description of success:

“Local communities help develop long-term and area-specific plans for their city. Our plans encourage community togetherness. They ensure that each community has accessible dedicated green spaces. They limit the need for long distance commutes.”

The Queensland Plan states that we need to protect and maintain our natural environment. The economic value of our natural environment is to be recognized and  business practices must be sustainable. Decisions are to be based on scientific evidence.

Such goals do not sit easily with the poorly planned schemes for over-development around Toondah Harbour and Weinam Creek. If the leopards are going to change their spots and make more enlightened planning decisions then the priority development areas should be unwound with a speedy reversion to normal community based planning.

The Redland City Council should also be reconsidering its decision to minimize community involvement in the development of City Plan 2015. The draft plan is being developed by Council with a tiny amount of token consultation. Six workshops attended by a maximum of 20 persons each and a few superficial displays at libraries and shopping centres is inadequate community engagement. When the draft plan is finalised early next year, the Council may only have public consultation for the minimum period required by law. More enlightened councils, like Logan, intend to have longer consultation periods.

Redland City would benefit if the Mayor and Councillors each spent an hour studying the new Queensland Plan (and comparing it with the Redlands Community Plan). Then perhaps at the next Council Meeting they could discuss how to ensure that our City’s planning and development aligns with the Queensland Plan’s 30 year vision.

EDO Qld suggestions

EDO Qld have made some comments about the Queensland Plan. These are incorporated into the following suggestions:

Governance

1. The foundation for ‘governance’ is: “Governance is the people’s voice. The decisions made by governments and community organisations change our lives. We want a greater say in the process and in the allocation of resources, especially in our local communities. We will reframe our governance model to involve a broader cross-section of stakeholders, including everyday Queenslanders. We’ll reduce red tape and have effective regulation to positively change behaviours.”The following goals are provided for this foundation area:

• “G33 We have localised and more flexible decision-making.
• G34 Regulation is outcome-based.
• G35 Government is more effective and efficient.”

There is need to expand these goals enough to ensure good governance in Queensland.  Community organisations could be empowered (and supported)  to better participate in plan and policy making.  The top down or edict approach needs to be rooted out of the psychic ?

Redlands2030 recommends a need to focus on improved accountability and transparency measures in local and state governance and decision making is essential to improve governance in the state.  Clearly ,the community seeks and needs more certainty that decisions, particularly under our environment and development laws, will protect the environment and communities, and won’t be subject to broad discretion without public scrutiny and input.

 Environment

2. The foundation for ‘environment’ is:“We are the guardians of our environment. Queensland is home to diverse, pristine environments, including five World Heritage sites. We have a duty of care to preserve and protect our environment so it continues to underpin our lifestyle and economy. We will encourage sustainable practices including green energy solutions and the responsible management of our growing communities.”

The goals for environment are very high level (see pages 59-64), however the visions for “success” provide guidance which would be well-heeded by government across all departments (and Local Governments), including recognition of the need to move to renewable energy and away from fossil fuel,  ensuring we limit urban sprawl and developing a clear understanding that there  are limits of population growth.

Redlands2030 recommends more focus on goals around improving biodiversity, threatened species populations and habitat, as well as integrating our targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout all foundation areas, since emission reduction work must be integrated across government to be successful!  

The failure of  planning and policies to ensure the survival of koalas in SEQ is  a damming indictment that the planning and development system is not working.  Further threats to the Toondah koalas from the massive Toondah residential development demonstrate there is a systemic failure to  properly “consider”the Queensland Plan in decision making.

The Queensland Plan should be integrated (or even re-establish) the Government’s previous policy on ecologically sustainable development.  This was the case in the SEQ Regional Plans in 2005 and 2009 but was omitted from the 2006 version of the Plan.  Was it too hard or too uncomfortable for planners and policy makers?

The goal G23 Urban sprawl is managed efficiently.   Decisions(in this regard)in the SEQ Regional Plan and the Redland City Planning scheme were clearly top down and made in spite of community values and attitudes and NOT because of the community.

The Queensland Plan should be reconciled with the SEQ Regional Plan and local planning schemes. Why have it, otherwise?

Infrastructure

3. The foundation for Infrastructure creates building blocks for our future. Our access to clean water,reliable energy supplies, communication technology and public infrastructure provides an enviable standard of living. We will keep pace with demand by planning for the future. We will create green spaces and social infrastructure, manage urban expansion and provide essential services. Our world-class infrastructure will connect us globally.

Perhaps it is an accepted paradigm that infrastructure is “built” but this approach limits the scope and application of infrastructure to the needs of a community.  For example, in SEQ an effective regional open space network should be a foundation aspect of regional infrastructure.  The SEQ Region is poorly served with regional scale open space notably compared to other Australian cities like Sydney which has about 3 times the area of the SEQ region. There is minimal acceptance in the planning fraternity that this gap is a planning issue or a problem (or a failure of planning).

Overall the region and its population has a massive reliance on its natural assets, ecosystems and natural infrastructure. These are the building blocks for liveability, tourism, outdoor recreation, well being, health etc etc and so decisions which adversely impact on these assets need to be properly accounted for.  For example current management of Moreton Bay erodes the fundamental building blocks of the region. But there need for adequate investment in sustaining the regions natural assets (see the report by SEQ Catchments “Managing What Matters”) which makes clear there is a massive under investment in sustaining the region’s natural assets.

Encouraging community participation

Governments should pay more than lip service to supporting peak community organisations.  This need should be in recognition that there are built in advantages of business organisations in terms of capacity to pay, opportunities for paid employees and the tax-deductibility of the fees and donations businesses pay to belong to business and industry lobby groups.  It is basically an unfair system, heavily loaded against the community and its volunteer networks.

Suggested improvements to the Plan

1. Queensland Plan in land use planning is tokenistic unless it is a recognised “State Interest”
2. There is need to focus on improved accountability and transparency measures in local and state governance and decision making is essential to improve governance in the state 
3. There is need to focus on goals around improving biodiversity, threatened species populations and habitat, as well as integrating our targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout all foundation areas, since emission reduction work must be integrated across government to be successful!
4. Toondah PDA residential development demonstrate there is a systemic failure to  properly “consider”the Queensland Plan in decision making.
5. The Queensland Plan should be integrated (or re-establish) the Government’s previous policy on ecologically sustainable development.
6. There is need to publicly to reconcile the Queensland Plan with the SEQ Regional Plan and local planning schemes.
7.  In SEQ, regional open space network should be a foundation aspect of regional infrastructure.
8. There is need for adequate investment in sustaining the region’s natural assets
9. Governments should pay more than lip service to supporting peak community organisations.
10. There is need for a greater community involvement on our “civil society”, as described in the Plan

Redlands2030 – 7 November 2018