Churches respond to South East Queensland Regional Plan
At a workshop convened by the Ecumenical Projects Team of Queensland Churches Together last Friday,(7th April), representatives of several churches underlined the need to work together to respond to the changes that are expected in South-East Queensland in the next 20 years.
Outlining the main policies contained in the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Regional Plan 2005-2026, senior planner Raelene Corner said that the region’s population is expected to increase at the rate of 50,000 per year, an increase of over one million by 2026. The Regional Plan attempts to set down strategies for coping with this anticipated increase in a sustainable way. It is complemented by a Blueprint for the Bush, which deals with anticipated changes in rural Queensland.
Participants responded with a call for churches to engage in the planning process, recognizing that there would be clear advantages in doing so together. Many participants favoured the idea of setting up multi-function centres in which churches have combined spaces along with other community groups and services. However, while it is clear that the Government wishes to involve community groups in planning, the processes for doing so are not spelled out sufficiently. “In the past if the church wanted land for a new building it would simply buy it from the local farmer,” one participant noted. “Now it is extremely difficult to intervene early in the planning and it is left for us simply to negotiate with the developers.”
Several participants stressed that local and state governments need to recognize the contribution that churches already make to the community by providing services and employment opportunities. “We are providers, not developers.” The presence of church-run facilities such schools may well add value to the community as a whole, not just in monetary terms. Churches are also sensitive to issues of social cohesiveness and can bring to the attention of decision-makers the voices of those at the margins of power, such as Indigenous people, youth and the elderly.
QCT will follow up the workshop by facilitating links between relevant Government offices and churches.
Online Resources
The South-East Queensland Plan