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DD & SWQ - Regional Review Report 1 (RVR1) First Report of PASCAL PURE Consultative Development Group (CDG) to the Darling Downs and SW Queensland Region 5-8 December 2011 CDG Members: Chris Duke, Steve Garlick, Pat Inman and Bruce Wilson
CONTENTS SHORT REPORT A. B. C. D. E. The Challenge Background Key findings Recommended initiatives Responsibilities and actions
MAIN REPORT 1. Introduction 1.1 Background to the Report 1.2 PURE and the CDG visit 1.3 Choices and challenges for a sustainable and inclusive future The 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 SW Queensland Region – characteristics, changes and challenges Context – key issues for the region Regional characteristics and profile Changes and challenges –changing demography Surat Basin and the RDA Region – new wealth and problems Joint Regional Planning
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Higher and Tertiary Education 3.1 What USQ could do 3.2 Current situation and profile – USQ, SQIT, other resources 3.3 Changes, influences and barriers to effective engagement 3.4 Developing the engagement and partnership potential of USQ 3.5 Organisation changes to sustain partnership for development Recommendations 4.1 Recommended initiatives 4.2 Responsibilities and actions 4.3 Detail of suggested actions and timeframe 4.4 Detail of an action plan
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Annex (a) Documentary Sources (b) People consulted on CDG visit
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SHORT REPORT A. The Challenge Years of economic stability revolving primarily around agriculture, horticulture and traditional coal mining have created a degree of complacency and certainty about how things occur in the DD&SW region. That certainty is now being put to the test by the opportunities and challenges presented through new forms of extraction such as CSG. The result is anxiety and discomfort about the future. If all in the region are to benefit fully from these new challenges and opportunities much more now needs to be done based in a number of principles. These principles are: forthright, informed and benevolent leadership; widespread collaboration and discussion; personal initiative and expertise; fairness; and knowledge, creativity and innovation. These principles reflect qualities already evident in the regional community in one way or another. They now need permission and support to flourish. To facilitate this, recommendations relate especially to Leadership and dialogue, Human capital planning, Regional Innovation, and the acquisition and dissemination of Regional knowledge. B. Background B.1 Darling Downs and SW Queensland (DD&SWQ) is the recently defined federal Regional Development Australia (RDA) region covering the SW quarter of the State. Its natural headquarters are in the pleasant historic city of Toowoomba, located in the south-east corner of the region within two hours of the State capital Brisbane, but a considerable distance from the geographical centre of the region. RDA regional organisations are partnerships between the three spheres of government and with local communities to energise informed regional initiative in economic, social and environmental matters. This vast rural area has a small population dispersed across productive farming land. It includes the Surat Basin which is facing massive change through new mining activity with the extraction mainly of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) reserves. B.2 Toowoomba is the central location of the two main tertiary education facilities, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT), and of many fine schools. The Toowoomba region became an enlarged local government area after recent local government amalgamation throughout the State of Queensland initiated by the State Government. This merger is still bedding down. Local government is wrestling with these changes and with challenges confronting the whole region. B.3 This report marks the first outcomes of the PURE (PASCAL Universities and Regional Engagement) project contracted by the RDA DD&SWQ and USQ. Its purpose is to report on the results of a Consultative Development Group visit in December 2011, and to set an agenda for action by the key stakeholders. It is based on conversations with representatives of business, government, community and education, supported by substantial documentation (see annex). The report focuses on the challenges for the region, and the possible contributions of tertiary education to meaningful and purposeful economic, social and environmental progress. C. Key findings C.1 Toowoomba and the broader region are positioned to be a key laboratory for the nation and internationally, in which local communities, business, education and government can demonstrate how to stimulate collaboratively new initiatives and resolve the conflicting
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pressures associated with rapid economic development and its social and environmental implications in ways that support longer term, sustainable and diverse communities. Achieving this depends on creating coherent and focused strategic leadership by the key organisations in the region. USQ and SQIT have important roles to play in this process. C.2 The CDG found several areas of tension that need attention to ensure that maximum benefit is achieved for cost outlaid. In each of these areas there is some positive action occurring, some ambiguity and uncertainty, and lack of coherence: • Leadership - There is no clearly demonstrable region-wide leadership. Toowomba Regional Council is restricted to the smaller region, although Toowoomba Regional Enterprise plans to develop region-wide. This is a significant limitation in a region undergoing considerable change. The RDA has been asked to take on a facilitative role but is relatively new and government- initiated. It has yet to develop sufficient legitimacy across the region to exercise this role effectively; • Planning - The pressure to compete for resources undermines preparing a well thought through strategy. Winning project funds for the region as a short-term response to needs has taken precedence over the careful development of a grounded, inclusive, long-run and holistic approach to strategic direction based on thorough investigation; • Skill for collaboration - There is experience and opportunity for collaboration, but most key organisations have remained focused on their specific niches and responsibilities without taking a comprehensive view of regional needs and possibilities; • Labour force development - There is little clarity on how regional interest groups should manage the fluctuating and competing requirements for labour, reflected most directly in the discussions about ‘fly in, fly out’ workers, and whether and how this means of facilitating regional endeavour might best be undertaken; The tyranny of scale - There is considerable frustration in the far west and in smaller communities about how their concerns are being heard and supported when compared with the more populous eastern parts of the region; • Environmental - There are difficult challenges related to water and the consequences of poor farming practices. Little work has yet been done on the implications of climate change, and there is serious uncertainty and anxiety about the impact of the coal seam gas industry both on the core features of the existing ecology, not least the Artesian Basin, and on the capacity for other industries that rely on the land to thrive, such as agriculture and tourism, bearing in mind that they also have environmental consequences; • Educational - There are different perspectives on how to make best use of the established educational resources, and on the kinds of programmes and pedagogies which can be implemented given the technological resources available, especially at USQ; also on the way that all education sectors are connected and reach out to the wider concerns of the regional community itself. In short, there is no integrated regional plan for human capital, or capability, that embraces all forms of learning; • Innovation and knowledge - Evidence shows this to be a creative region. It is however entity-specific. There is real opportunity in the connections that can be made across and between entities relating to processes of regional innovation and the integration of sources of knowledge. There is need for both a regional innovation strategy and an integrated knowledge acquisition and dissemination plan; and last but perhaps most important, • The relative priority given to the human dimension - What shared priority is being given to regional well-being and fairness, vis-a-vis the obvious scale of economic profits which are on offer for some?
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C.3 The CDG has made sense of these tensions through understanding that there is a complex interlock between several overlapping systems. These can be seen as ‘tectonic plates’ which do not fit easily together, sometimes colliding and producing disturbance: • Political: amongst the different spheres of government and governance, local, regional, state and Commonwealth as well as non-government, as each struggles for recognition and local representatives strive for external funding for local development in an electorate where the electoral outcomes have historically been predictably consistent; • Land use: amongst agricultural interests, there are differences about the relative priority and needs of traditional crops and new more intensive options; between agricultural and mining interests, where the use of land by one could be at the expense of the other; and amongst mining interests, where the established expertise and responsibility of coal and other mineral extraction is distinct from the untested treatment of coal seam gas; • Organisational: there were frequent references to ‘silos’ both within the large organisations such as USQ and the Toowoomba Regional Council and across the large regional entities (USQ, SQIT, TRC, and Health) resulting in duplication, overlap, lack of communication and competing claims for limited resources; • Infrastructure: while transport logistics clearly capture considerable attention, for very understandable reasons, there is a range of views about both the priorities and the relative balance of energy which should be devoted to a narrow frame of infrastructure requirements and about other regional needs; • Human capital: while USQ and SQIT, as well as private RTOs and an extensive range of secondary school opportunities, provide critical resources for students, the key organisations are driven by global, national and state policy settings which blur their capacity to identify and respond to regional needs. The importance of an integrated human capital (capability) plan is emphasised by this current disconnect; • Technological: some of the most sophisticated technologies available are used in the region, yet decisions about investment in technologies tend to be made separately from one another, without necessarily enabling regional leaders to exploit the full potential of these resources. There are also deep concerns about little-tested new technologies in CSG extraction. In short, there is no articulated regional innovation system; • Knowledge creation: in USQ and elsewhere in the region there exists world class expertise that can be applied to addressing issues associated with the circumstances of local growth. There is however no recognition yet that collaboratively solving regional issues in south-west Queensland an also contribute to helping global concerns for communities, economies and environments. A regional knowledge plan would be useful for this. D. Recommended initiatives For a fuller report on initiatives, responsibilities and actions see the Main Report section 4. D.1 In order to win recognition for the region’s potential as a national and global ‘laboratory for regional social and economic change’ several important initiatives need to be pursued: D.2 Coherent leadership D.2.1 There is a need to channel the evident passion for the region’s standing and well- being into more concerted and deliberative leadership, to ensure that the community's anxiety about new development is put to positive purpose. This depends on collaborative regional action between USQ, TRC, the Chamber of Commerce, SQIT and the RDA, specifically bringing in the voices of other local government authorities and the non-government sector.
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D.2.2 Regional leadership is the most significant initiative that needs to be addressed. This has to be at the highest level (Mayor, Chief Executive Officers, Vice-Chancellor, Chancellor etc), to meet frequently, and to begin with stated values and principles that connote social inclusion, collaboration, long-run goals as well as the short-term imperatives of innovation, knowledge acquisition and human capability advancement, and moral and ethical concern. Regular reports to the region via the media and through public forums will give a degree of confidence throughout the region that ‘things are happening’ and redirect some of the current anxiety into identifying and realising opportunity. The region needs to take control of its future and not have an unwanted future imposed on it from outside. D.3 Strategy - sustainability A critical task of collaborative leadership will be reconciliation of the ‘tectonic plate’ tensions and priorities: an articulated position on land use and on the balance between economic opportunities and sustainable well-being, leading to active optimisation and use of assets. Specific issues such as infrastructure, notably the Warrego Highway and new mining activity, need to be seen in a wider regional context to ensure that the region benefits from a focussed multi-agency approach from different governments. D.4 Advocacy There is a need to capture the energy and opportunity between the administrative silos to benefit the region in creative ways, thinking and acting as a region. So far the RDA has apparently felt pressured to chase Commonwealth funding in order to gain legitimacy; its longer term authority will come from its capacity lead regional innovation and to represent the agreed strategy to all stakeholders, state and federal as well as local. D.5 Human capital Regional economies depend heavily on their capacity to invest in key stages of learning and build a longer term labour force with appropriate expertise that is flexible, efficient and innovative. DD&SWQ needs a human capital, or human capability, plan as part of its broader agreed strategy, that provides a life-cycle perspective on the roles of different educational organisations, their connectedness, the kinds of programmes and pedagogies to be adopted, and their relationships with other key regional entities, including industry. D.6 Knowledge and innovation The ‘tectonic plates’ need in-depth research and analysis. These key questions for research and innovation need to be writ large into the USQ research agenda. The region needs an Innovation Strategy and an integrated knowledge creation and dissemination plan that will embrace inherent expertise across a wide spectrum of the region, from small initiatives like GraniteNet that have an important place in small outlying communities to globally competitive enterprises. E. Responsibilities and Actions
E.1 The RDA has a unique opportunity to lead and represent the region, but has been imposed on DD&SWQ rather than growing organically from within the community. Until it has won full legitimacy to lead it needs to continue facilitating collaborative leadership and initiative among the major regional organisations. Rather than being a project-specific fund-raiser it must be recognised for its holistic strategy, and support for initiative and advocacy.
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E.2 USQ has a unique role and potential in the region. Due to its public university status it has a responsibility to contribute to the future of its regional community through teaching, learning and research core business. These activities are not context-free. The region, the nation and the world as a whole provide a significant interlinked context. USQ needs to reflect on what it is uniquely good for, regionally, nationally and globally, rather than just what some elements within it might be good at, with respect to disciplines which might assist specific aspects of regional development and well-being. Efforts to enhance accessibility to and partnership with key regional organisations such as RDA, SQIT, industry and regional councils should be fully supported at the highest levels. E.3 Commitment is needed to world class knowledge creation and its application to the time- andplace implications for regional well-being, sustainability and capability at large in light of the economic, social and environmental impact of fundamental forces. The USQ must take organisationwide responsibility for this. E.4 The RDA and USQ have sponsored the PURE project. Other key stakeholders such as local government, industry, education, health and local Queensland Government offices should also engage collaboratively in telling a coherent, evidence-based story about the region's future and how to get there. E.5 The region needs a small high-level development steering group to sustain close and regular cooperation between the main bodies and serve as a consultative reference point for the RDA. E.6 Realising the full potential of the region’s human capability, innovation and knowledge generation are cornerstone initiatives that go beyond any focus on specific projects. Strategic plans and collaborative arrangements are needed in each of these three areas. USQ could take a lead on these. It is essential to pool efforts in a non-divisive way. E.7 The PURE project offers a possible vehicle to take this forward. It needs such a group, to drive it, with an Action Plan on these lines: • Create a Regional Development Group which serves also as a DD&SWQ PURE steering group and has a Pascal link person; • Draft a Regional Engagement Action Plan, with targets and dates for key issues that need addressing, and measures of progress in building productive arrangements within and between each partner organisation and authority. • Take the lead on forming a human capital plan, a regional innovation strategy, and a coordinated knowledge audit and dissemination plan. • Use tools such as the search conference and benchmarking to identify and improve the level of engagement within USQ and across the region.
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MAIN REPORT 1. Introduction 1.1 Background to the Report 1.1.1 Darling Downs and South-West Queensland (DD&SWQ) is the recently defined federal RDA region covering the south-west quarter of the State. Its natural headquarters are in the pleasant historic city of Toowoomba, located in the south-east corner of the region closest to the State capital, and far from the geographical centre of the region. RDAs are partnerships across the three spheres of government and with communities. Their role is to liaise and support informed regional planning and implementation on economic, social and environmental issues. This vast rural area has a small population dispersed across rich farming land. It includes the Surat Basin which is facing massive and disruptive change with the extraction mainly of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) reserves. 1.1.2 Toowoomba, headquarters of the RDA, is the central location of the main tertiary education facilities, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Southern Queensland Institute of Technology (SQIT), and of many fine schools. The Toowoomba region became an enlarged local government area after recent LGA amalgamation, as did the other LGAs across the region. This merger is still bedding down. Toowoomba Regional Enterprise is even newer. Local government is wrestling with these changes and with big challenges confronting the whole region. 1.1.3 The PURE consultative visit to the DD&SWQ region is based on a contract agreed between the Region, USQ and the Pascal International Observatory. In March 2009 USQ funded a visit by three senior Pascal personnel to the city and local region. Two of that group are members of the visiting 2011 Consultative Development Group (CDG). A Regional Review Report or RVR1 was prepared and shared with USQ and others in 2009. Some members of USQ and the local Toowoomba region were therefore already aware of the PURE process. 1.1.4 The work in 2009 did not lead to a contract. There was uncertainty about what constituted the region associated with the changes in local and regional government arrangements. The new RDAs were not then in place and the amalgamation of shires into larger local government regions was only just beginning. 1.2 PURE and the CDG visit 1.2.1 This Regional Review Report (RVR1) marks the first outcomes of the PURE (Pascal Universities and Regional Engagement) project jointly commissioned by the RDA and USQ. It reports the findings of a Consultative Development Group (CDG) visit in December 2011, and sets an agenda for action by the key stakeholders. It is based on conversations with representatives of business, government and education, supported by substantial documentation (see Annex). The report looks at challenges for the region, the aspirations and concerns of the different stakeholders, and the possible contributions of higher and tertiary education to achieving constructive economic, social and environmental outcomes. 1.2.2 Following background briefing and reading, the CDG visited the region 5-8 December 2011. An excellent programme was prepared in short planning time. The CDG met a wide range of leaders and representatives including the CEOs of main stakeholder groups: the RDA and LGAs, the university and TAFE sectors, local community leaders and volunteer
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groups (the region has an unusually high proportion of volunteers in its population), the Queensland State Government, and to a lesser extent industry. 1.2.3 This RVR1 goes beyond the 2009 review and asks how the University can connect with the larger RDA region including the Surat Basin, west and south to the South Australia and NSW borders. Located in the ‘Brisbane corner’ of the region, USQ has for the most part seen its future in the area of most rapid population growth to the east, in the new town of Springfield and on the Fraser Coast at Hervey Bay, as well as through distance learning at the Toowoomba campus. The CDG recognises that a focus on a new geographic area to the south and west may present some initial organisational and financial constraints for the University, but feels that the regional, national and global issues presented require its involvement in a meaningful and purposeful way. It therefore encourages USQ now to look to the south and west, and to serve the needs of that large, hitherto quite empty and under-privileged, but economically wealthy region. 1.2.4 The CDG spent four days listening and talking with those who will together shape the region's future. The Annex lists written sources and the names of those whom the CDG met. Several sessions of discussion and cross-group interactions with people at different levels from different organisations provided different perspectives and cross-validation, enabling the CDG to see issues and strategies for partnership and development in a rounded way and to test ideas. 1.2.5 The visits made clear three powerful and relevant ‘soft factors’: the state of churn in a fastchanging region; the deep anxiety that this causes; and widely shared hopes for planning change for a sustainable future which balances equitable social and economic development. 1.2.6 The present contract between DD&SW RDA, USQ and Pascal is for one year. It is expected, if nd the parties agree, to extend it to a 2 year. This report uses the methods of earlier PURE studies nd reflected in the recommendations below, including a 2 CDG visit in 1218 months. Enough time will have passed by then to know whether the region is moving by agreed steps in its chosen future directions. It is desirable if there is a second visit to involve mining, agricultural and pastoral interests directly and, to seek more participation from federal as well as State government. 1.3 Choices and challenges for a sustainable and inclusive future Choices and challenges for realising opportunity 1.3.1 The new federally-created Regional Development Australia includes enlarged local government areas now called regional councils. In this region Toowoomba has by far the largest population. It is the only large urban community and the location of the main USQ and SWIT campuses. 1.3.2 There is potential for tension between the city and rural shire areas within the Toowoomba Regional Council, and between the Toowoomba Regional Council and other parts of the wider Darling Downs and South West Region. Rural areas of Queensland are and feel currently poorly represented. At issue is the balance of public resources to the less populated agrarian and new mining areas. This vast rural area has a small population dispersed across productive farming land. It includes the Surat Basin which is facing
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considerable change with the extraction of coal and coal seam gas (CSG) reserves. The technologies and impact of these two industries differ greatly one from the other. 1.3.3 This report includes TAFE alongside the University as part of the region’s tertiary education resources. TAFE has an important role in contributing to the skill and human resource development of the region. PURE is about regions involving the whole of higher and tertiary education, not just universities. Highly valuable land and water as well as mineral resources must be nurtured and used to invest in the future. Those who live in the region are its custodians. They wish to bestow on future generations a sustainable legacy of which they can be proud. Newcomers should be welcomed and absorbed into its culture and communities, joining and changing the region to enrich it. Some of those now castigated as fly-in fly-out might take advantage of the affordable housing in towns like Stanthorpe, Warwick and Dalby, flying locally within the region rather than residing elsewhere. They should not be or be seen as temporary raiders taking away resources. A challenge from the region 1.3.4 The region looks to state and federal authorities as partners in its future, to the private sector including international investors, and to the University and TAFE. 1.3.5 The people of the region should carefully consider the implications of rapid change and take collaborative action that is environmentally sustainable and fair to all. The region has the will and the talent to create its own future. It expects State and federal governments to fulfil competently, fairly, and responsibly duties that fall to them by virtue of their constitutional, planning and taxing powers. 1.3.6 The Darling Downs and SWQ Region offers the federal and State governments the opportunity to regard the region as an immediate natural laboratory for some of Australia’s greatest and most urgent opportunities and challenges. 2. The SW Queensland Region – characteristics, changes and challenges 2.1 Context - key issues for the region 2.1.1 The mineral resources and the Great Artesian Basin extend beyond the area currently prospected and developed. They are therefore of national concern. There is a serious worry that the fracking process used to extract CSG might pollute the Artesian Basin, and concern about what to do with the contaminated water extracted as part of the fracking process. There is also the concern that transport and other infrastructure requirements and impacts that result from the development will have region-wide implications and will impact on other regions. 2.1.2 Another important issue affecting the region is how to use the Murray-Darling catchment waters responsibly. This is a source of serious controversy following release of a national report just before the CDG visit took place. 2.1.3 There is growing anxiety in the community about its future. Permanent land and water degradation may result, destroying the heritage of natural resources which are of rising value in world markets and should continue to be productive when mining is exhausted. This undermines the confidence of the community and exacerbates inequalities of remote rural living. People are torn between resisting change and working out how to best benefit from it
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from the perspective of the entire regional community. As yet, the DD&SWQ area does not function as a single community of interest with shared experience in planning and lobbying. The importance of taking community initiative cannot be overstated; mere preservation is no longer enough. 2.1.4 From its consultations the CDG concludes that there is now in the community a critical selfawareness that past complacency cannot continue. The scale and speed of change are creating a widely shared wish purposefully to take control of change, contain damage, invest and build for future generations. The CDG however gained little sense of awareness, for example, that in a global setting climate change or food security (see Box 1) is becoming important. It suggests that more could and needs to be done to raise awareness of this. Box 1: Food security Recommendation: Assessment of the regional food system. The RDA made it clear that the conflicting interests of mining and agriculture are viewed with the priority of preserving the rich agricultural land and heritage as mining enterprise proceeds. The Surat report cites the soil and climate as being ‘highly suited to diverse agricultural production’. Agriculture provides food security not only for the region but also for Asian countries whose change in eating habits include more meat products. It was clearly stated that providing food for China’s increased food consumption is a strong driver of the region’s economy. There was discussion regarding the cultivation of commodity crops (for export and animal feed) but little regarding specialty crops for regional food security. USQ could look at current agricultural practices and determine the best path forward for sustainable practices in agriculture. In the opening symposium, there was little mention of sustainable practices. In fact, the use of a framework for sustainable practices was viewed as limiting. The term has accumulated a great deal of criticism and confusion. The focus on current agricultural practice was to be “innovative” and ‘technologically driven’. It was suggested that benchmarks currently set in this field have more to do with increased production in light of the mining initiatives and climate change, with a focus on being adaptive and resilient in the face of these challenges. The focus is on providing different conditions to meet the anticipated increased product demand and climate variability rather than on sustainable practices. An assessment of the regional food system as a whole is necessary to determine how agriculture and mining initiatives will coexist. The RDA acknowledged that agriculture will be there long after the resources of the mining industry have been depleted. USQ, in partnership with Pascal, could facilitate such an assessment of the food system. Pascal NIU has completed such an assessment on the Chicago metropolitan region. The first food policy council is being assembled through a regional ordinance that is the first of its kind. A Southern Queensland assessment would look at the complex system encompassing production, distribution, processing, access and waste management. USQ is home to the National Centre for Sustainable Catchments (ACSC), the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture (NCEA) and the Centre of Excellence in Engineered Fibre Composite (CEEFC) that could assist with this. USQ’s Stanthorpe campus for winery tourism (see Box 2) provides an excellent example of agriculture as an economic opportunity.
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2.2
Regional characteristics and profile 2.2.1 The RDA provides a comprehensive overview of the key features of the region in its introduction to the Roadmap. The region comprises the local government shires of Balonne, Bulloo, Goondiwindi, Maranoa, Murweh, Paroo, Quilpie, Southern Downs, Toowoomba and Western Downs, covering 23 per cent of Queensland’s total area. In 2011 it had a total population of 273,000 persons, with an expected population by 2031of 376,000 persons. While the labour force has risen by almost 10 per cent in the five years since 2006, unemployment has increased by 25 per cent to 7.5 per cent. 2.2.2 Toowoomba on the eastern edge of the region is the principal city. Other key centres are Warwick, Roma and Dalby. Whereas Toowoomba has approximately 100,000 residents, Warwick has 12,000 and Dalby 10,000, showing Toowoomba’s significance. Most of the population growth foreshadowed in the next 20 years is expected to be in Toowoomba, although the principal drivers of growth are located in other parts of the region. Following the creation of the new Regional Councils Toowoomba created Toowoomba Regional Enterprise (TRE) which is still defining its position and strategy. TRE wishes to collaborate with other stakeholders in the City and the wider region. It is exploring the possibility of merging with Surat Development Corporation, creating an entity that could advocate for the wider region. 2.2.3 Toowoomba has a strong reputation for its educational institutions and services. Wealth and main challenges for the region are however located with its remarkably diverse rural features. Parts of the region support intense agriculture with strong national and international markets. There are orchards and other forms of fruit and vegetable production, alongside pastoral properties and some agricultural processing. The dairy industry is however reportedly close to disappearing, squeezed by supermarket interests. 2.2.4 Coal is mined in some parts of the region while natural gas is found in the west, and coal seam methane in the Western Downs and possibly through the Toowoomba and Southern Downs areas as well. Coal mining has been a well-established part of the landscape for many years; the mining of coal seam methane and its consequences remain relatively untested. This is a new form of mining, for this region at least. It involves very different technologies and potentially significant environmental risks for a fragile ecosystem (see Fracking, Box 3). Both environmentally and socially it could become much more invasive of other sectors and of other people’s lives, given the rules of access to land that strongly favour mining. There is also the socio-economic disruption and the impact on small business, losing people to the new industries, with the consequent general sense of disempowerment and loss of worth. 2.2.5 The CDG learned that many communities in the region have a keen sense of their history, and of achievements over a long period of time, some in the face of disasters including flooding and drought. Quite apart from global warming, climate variability has become a serious concern. Many of the communities are small. They convey a sense of being alone against the world. A source of strong values and ownership of tradition, this has also bred what some described as complacency in the face of new challenges. These arise from the intrusion of more global forces interfering in historical markets and clients. Closer to home there is the threat from coal seam gas.
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2.3
Surat Basin and the RDA Region – new wealth and new problems 2.3.1 The Surat Basin serves as the principal focus of much of the uncertainty about future possibilities in this region. It comprises the three local government areas of Maranoa Regional, Toowoomba Regional and Western Downs Regional. In 2010, its population was 207,000, projected to increase to 302,000 in 2031. While not part of the Basin, Banana Shire is involved because of the linkages with Gladstone. 2.3.2 On the one hand the Basin has the resources (principally coal seam gas) to promise rapid economic growth, somewhat increased population and improved infrastructure. On the other hand, it is the source of much anxiety about several things: the social implications of a mobile workforce which enters and leaves the region only for work; environmental consequences particularly related to the Great Artesian Basin; the disruption for the agricultural industry arising from much more widespread and intrusive mining exploration; and the consequences of inadequate infrastructure. 2.3.3 There are opportunities for value-adding to what is grown and extracted in the region. There are already examples of on-site and local value-adding to coal and gas. This includes new smart and environmentally better energy generation and use. A longer established good example of value-adding in primary industry involving local producers, USQ and TAFE is the Queensland College of Wine Tourism at Stanthorpe (see Box 2). Box 2: Queensland College of Wine Tourism (QCWT), Stanthorpe The wine industry, a part of Queensland’s rich agricultural history, supports the vibrant health of this burgeoning region. Most of Queensland’s approximately 180 wine businesses are small, family-run enterprises. To operate successfully they need multi-skilled workers across the full business cycle. Workers with specific viticulture skills (processing, marketing, sales, and industry specific skills) are also in demand. The Queensland College of Wine Tourism (QCWT) at Stanthorpe has been established to address regional skill needs. The Wine Tourism Gateway Schools Project recognises the importance of industry and schools collaborating effectively to provide direct pathways for students to succeed in obtaining work or entering higher study. The project was launched in 2006, as part of the Department of Education Training and the Arts Industry School Engagement Strategy in support of the Queensland College of Wine Tourism to create targeted education and training solutions to address the growing demand for a skilled workforce in the Queensland wine tourism industry. The project started with seven schools representing fine wine regions in Queensland. In 2008, the project expanded to 13 regions throughout the state. The Stanthorpe program is forming strong partnerships with their local wine tourism region to: • Raise the profile of careers in wine tourism • Develop and implement curriculum that encompasses a wide range of wine tourism related activities • Create opportunities for work experience, structured work placements and schoolbased apprenticeships and traineeships • Strengthen industry collaborations
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• Provide professional development to teachers to enhance their knowledge and skills in wine tourism • Recognise the best and brightest through annual awards The Stanthorpe program not only supports the success of the Australian economy. It also allows students the opportunity to develop skills that can be used in their own region, reducing rural flight to urban settings. A recurring theme regarding the success of the Stanthorpe programme was the importance of relationships between disciplines. It’s beautiful campus highlighted examples of Creative Arts programmes. The chemistry lab donated by USQ provides state-of-the-art technology in the Sciences. The cellar where the wines are sold provides a showcase for the Hospitality programme. The formation of strong partnerships between departments, schools, the tertiary sector and the industry has provided capacity for this project to expand and develop the curriculum and provide handon experience for students in a growing Queensland industry. 2.3.4 There has already been considerable investment in research and planning for the Basin. For example the Surat Basin Future Directions Statement was released in 2009 by the Ministers for Primary Industries, Fisheries, Rural and Regional Queensland; Infrastructure and Planning; Natural Resources, Mines and Energy; and Trade. The statement acknowledged that Queensland’s regions and communities have suffered stress from recent rapid growth. It proposed a series of initiatives intended to reduce the stress associated with coal seam gas, according to four principles: a) Effective partnerships following due preparation; b) Comprehensive and integrated approach; c) Building resilience in rural communities; and 2.3.5 The Statement set out several headline actions which were to occur by various dates through 2010. Judging by the degree of anxiety still apparent to the CDG, whether or not these milestones have been met is less important than their limited effectiveness in giving confidence that the development, both exploration and exploitation, can be managed in a tolerable and mutually sustainable manner. 2.3.6 Part of this relates to the distinctively different technologies and methodologies associated with coal seam gas. It was explained that whereas Australia and other parts of the world have extensive experience with both deep and surface mining of minerals and coal, coal seam gas involves a quite different approach. ‘Fracking’, in particular, was identified as being fundamentally new, especially when associated with the Artesian Basin. People were clearly uncertain about the process and its effects elsewhere, recognising substantial risks which could have long-term and irreversible consequences undermining other activities in the region, not least agriculture. 2.3.7 This is an issue where the RDA is seeking to ensure that good information is available, and that it exercises some leadership in how concerns might be addressed. It commissioned a significant scoping study by Parsons Brinkerhoff, focused particularly on regulation and land use. That report in August 2011 summarised a number of the main community concerns, including those outlined by the Basin Sustainability Alliance (BSA), as: • over-exploitation of water in the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) and impacts on the subartesian aquifers, including water depletion and contamination
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• land impacts – contamination, loss of productivity, loss of amenity and reduction in land value • land access and compensation – unfair rights of entry and compensation, inadequate make-good arrangements for groundwater impacts, and uncertainty about the extent of future CSG developments • social impact – uncertainty, increased costs of living to sections of the community, and increased demand on community resources such as roads and health services. 2.3.8 The report noted various initiatives by the Queensland Government to mediate the conflict between mining and agricultural interests. It provides a comprehensive picture of the arrangements, revealing a very complex policy and approvals framework. It concludes that the new regime provides greater protection to landholders, but that the process has a number of limitations. It also identifies a range of means by which the state and communities might benefit from the wealth generated by mining. However, considerable reservation remains about the decisions made in different parts of government, and whether they can assure communities that the appropriate investment in infrastructure and services will be made. 2.3.9 This crystallises the core issues arising from the Surat Basin developments: • There seems to be little doubt that the mining of coal, CSG and other mineral resources will continue; the questions are how those most affected will be involved in taking vital decisions, and how costs will be contained and benefits shared? • whether we have the knowledge about managing the impact, taxation and profits to achieve positive and shared outcomes, ensure environmental restitution and investment in the region’s future, and leverage from the investment collateral developments that will stand the test of time and utility. 2.3.10 Extracting non-renewable natural resources must be so managed as far as possible, as not to degrade permanently what should be permanent land and water resources. Miners should be legally bound to restore to a high standard when extraction is complete. On this and other aspects of impact, university expertise should be a main resource. 2.3.11 Unfamiliar new fracking technology should be subject to close and sustained scrutiny to ensure that no permanent damage is caused to water. It is reasonable to expect current industry reassurances to be insufficient; and that industry and other main stakeholders must support ongoing research and development, possibly through investing in and using local university resources. The regulation and taxing of mining including CSG require review to ensure proper sharing of benefits and mitigation of damage. USQ and the RDA should monitor and learn from practices elsewhere in Australia and abroad, notably the USA, and disseminate the findings. Box 3: Fracking and the Coal Seam Gas Industry Fracking is a shorthand term (hydraulic fracturing) that refers to the extraction of methane gas from coal seams through well drilling, the high pressure release of ground water, and the injection of chemicals and sand to shatter subterranean coal seams (called cleats). As a relatively new form of mining activity, fracking poses a number of environmental concerns including the quantum of ground water usage –
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particularly in rural areas where quality water supply is at a premium, contamination of nearby potable water supplies, the storage and processing of polluted waste water where there are high quantities of salt as well as metals and hydrocarbons, their likely leakage and evaporation from ponds, the contamination of prime agricultural land and environmental concern from greenhouse gas emissions. In the Darling Downs and Surat Basin up to 40,000 drilling wells are expected. Based on these figures it might be expected that there could be around 281,000 million litres of waste water produced each year. Generally the treatment of this waste has been to store it in evaporation ponds, with the industry currently investigating how to extract the salt and other contaminants for further industrial use. Huge ground water extraction may cause serious water table draw-downs and aquifer contamination. Estimates are that water usage could be as much as 350,000 megalitres. About two million tonnes of salt will be brought to the surface through the fracking process. Currently, the CSG industry is exempt from the underground water extraction and tree clearing controls that other rural landowners have to abide by. Some of the wells in the Surat Basin are within 100 metres of residences. In June 1010 the Queensland Government brought out its Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy (June 2010) which included: • discontinuing the use of evaporation ponds as a primary means of disposal of coal seam gas water. Transitional arrangements will be developed by the government in consultation with industry to address issues with existing evaporation ponds. Remediation of existing evaporation ponds is to occur within three years. • making CSG producers responsible for treating and disposing of coal seam gas water. Unless the producers use direct injection of coal seam gas water or have arrangements for environmentally acceptable direct use of untreated coal seam gas water, coal seam gas water must be treated to a standard defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before disposal or supply to other water users. Despite this policy, the use of plastic-lined ponds is still occurring, which as well as not addressing the evaporation concern has caused thousands of wildlife to drown because of the slippery pond walls, and may lead to many dry soil contaminated ponds once the drilling well ends its life. Presenting the findings of its Inquiry into the impact of mining in the Murray Darling Basin in December 2009. The Commonwealth Senate Standing Committee on Environment, CommunitiesandtheArts recommended that: • as a matter of priority and preferably prior to the release of future Mineral Exploration Licences, state governments establish regional water plans in areas potentially subject to mining or extractive industry operations.
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• the Commonwealth Government works to ensure the prevention of new mines or extractive industries in the Murray Darling Basin if their impacts on water resources are inconsistent with the Basin Plan. 2.3.12 With effective community consultation and firm planning, the long-term legacy of mining could be permanent enrichment of the region as a place to be, to live and to work. This would include better transport systems, especially road and rail; water management; the strengthening of social inclusion through health, education, welfare, and other support systems; and a sound economic future. Regional higher education (USQ and SQIT) will be a critical resource to achieve this, in a way that is not currently evident in any systematic or strategic way. 2.4 The ambitions and aspirations of the region’s communities 2.4.1 Strategy is one resource with which the Darling Downs and South West region appears to be well provided. Numerous Queensland Government strategies relate to regionalisation, to cropping, to infrastructure, and to water, energy and land use management. Each local government authority has its own Community Plan, often complemented by a Corporate Plan or other plans related to economic development or environmental management. USQ has developed its own proposal for the development of ‘RWell’, a ‘regional well-being know-how network’. The RDA Roadmap identifies a range of ‘key issues’ and a list of ‘key strategies’ which could address these issues. 2.4.2 Each of these documents illustrates recognition of the importance of planning for the future. Each offers useful insights into how this might be pursued. Taken together they illustrate the extent to which separate organisations, often with overlapping interests, have worked in relative isolation from one another in sorting out their own approaches. Even where there has been extensive community consultation, particular issues tend to have taken shape according to the particular lens adopted. This indicates two significant issues to be addressed: a) various organisations recognising the importance of working together to sort through a coherent picture of the future; and b) an urgent need to identify key priorities; the scope and significance of many issues are so interrelated that progress be limited if resources continue to be dispersed. 2.4.3 The RDA is trying to achieve a more comprehensive and coherent approach to developing a regional perspective. It is early days. It has yet to demonstrate its legitimacy as a collaborative organisation exercising leadership in this way. It has been struggling to establish its own identity so as to be able persuade others. This is no discredit to the RDA; it indicates the importance of continuing to engage with the strategic dimension, using powers of argument and good data to engage others and win commitment to a shared vision. 2.4.4 Ideally the RDA can create collaboration between stakeholders, prevent destructive competition and gather information and skills to support high quality proposals. It plans to be a knowledge hub and resource to different LGA areas stakeholders and communities. It is a broker and bridge-builder, not a competitor, doorkeeper or main conduit for federal funds. It is essential that it be accepted by and collaborate with the LGAs.
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2.4.5 The RDA seeks to get, use and make available accurate planning data. Data with the Australian postcode system are too crude to allow the analysis required. A simple change to a more sophisticated national postcode system would remove most of these problems, allowing more accurate locality data and removing present confusion. Compare the power of a highly localised UK postcode such as CV31 1JL, which allows street recognition, with the Australian, for example 2620. The RDA cannot achieve this alone but it could make the case powerfully at federal level. 2.4.6 USQ and SQIT have significant roles to play. As two of the few large employers in the region their direct influence is significant. More importantly, they have the resources to generate good data and related evidence to better understand these developments and to provide for better informed decision-making. They have the capacity to consult, make judgements and lead. Box 4: Regional Innovation and Human Capital Initiatives in Värmland, Sweden Värmland region has embarked on a strategy of revitalisation through regional collaboration, innovation, human capital enhancement and internationalisation based on knowledge acquisition. Triple helix clusters involving the region, business and Karlstad University as partners have been formed in steel and engineering, paper, packaging, IT, services, culture and wellness, with links forming between clusters. The University has strong connections in its research and teaching with the business clusters. There are many dual professorial appointments funded jointly by the region and the University, research funding partnerships, professional up- skilling programs, degree programs including workbased learning, and close matching of university courses with regional needs. The region and University are now focusing on two further strategies. The first is to more explicitly connect the regional innovation system through the business clusters to the strategies for human capital, and eventually to human capability enhancement. The second is to internationalise the regional system through connections with other regions and universities around the world with similar interests and concerns. The international Observatory Pascal (2010) project PURE has been a stimulus for this. In relation to human capital, the region has established a Competence Council to build collaboration between the education and training sectors, business and society. Meeting four times a year, the Council comprises social partners, employment services, business cluster leaders, Region Värmland, the County administration and Karlstad University. The human capital planning goals of the region include: raising the overall level of education at a faste rate than comparable regions; increasing the employability of regional people; improving outcomes for regional business and public services and encouraging lifelong learning. In relation to young people, strategies and projects under way focus on ages 4 to 16 and involve the University, the regional community and the business clusters with a focus on science, technology and business. The purpose is to create ‘job makers’ for the region rather than the usual ‘job takers’. At the pre-school and primary school level initiatives include a Children’s University and entrepreneurial teaching programmes where the aim is to stimulate interest for university studies and introduce enterprising skills at a very young age. For high school students there is a continued emphasis on teaching enterprising skills; reinforcing an involvement in science and technology through access to a science centre (Kunskapsgatan); involvement in university courses for the natural sciences (Forskar – NA); a technology club (Lusten); and involvement in the technology hunt inter-school competition (Teknikerjakten). At the technical level there
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has been investment in specialist technical colleges for health care and services and in boosting apprenticeship training for unemployed adults aged 18-24. At the University of Karlstad higher degree scholarships are offered to students for projects directly connected to the work of the region’s business clusters. The region has financially supported the appointment of 10 professors in areas of expertise that will directly assist the business clusters. Research projects are supported where they relate to the advancement of the business clusters and the greenhouse innovation incubator (Drivehusset) supports the progression of innovative ideas from students. 2.4.7 Planning and management need reliable data and the research as well as R&D behind these: understanding the physical (science and technology) issues and effects, and changing infrastructure needs; understanding the social as well as economic and environmental potential and impact (for good or bad) of innovations such as CSG mining; making well informed policy and carrying it out effectively; managing external forces that must be lobbied, persuaded, involved or worked around The importance of this cannot be overestimated when placed against the principles behind devolution planning, policy development and programme implementation for building stronger regions. USQ, for all the challenges which it faces in its own sector, has the means to enhance considerably the capacity of the RDA to deliver on the expectations held of it. USQ’s relative weakness in social sciences is a problem that needs addressing here as a priority, calling for further investment in the social sciences. 2.4.8 Darling Downs and the South West are not alone in this. Such issues confront many parts of Queensland and Australia. The nation must resolve them constructively to secure a confident and sustainable future for the generations to follow. 2.4.9 Different authorities and interest groups could usefully develop a single clear voice to lobby State and federal governments: a) to change unsuitable regulations and bad practices that hamper collaborative development, and b) to ensure that a fair proportion of the new wealth being extracted from the region goes back to build infrastructure, mitigate social disruption, poverty and exclusion, and secure the economic and social future of the region. Box 5: Wise Development Men who boast of being 'practical' are for the most part exclusively preoccupied with means. But theirs is only one-half of wisdom. When we take account of the other half, which is connected with ends, the economic process and the whole of human life take on an entirely new aspect. We ask no longer: what have the producers produced, and what has consumption enabled the consumers in their turn to produce? We ask instead: what has there been in the lives of consumers and producers to make them glad to be alive? What have they felt or known or done that could justify their creation? Have they experienced the glory of new knowledge? Have they known love and friendship? People do not always remember that politics, economics, and social organisations generally, belong in the realm of means, not ends… A good society is a means to a good life for those who compose it, not something having a separate excellence on its own account. Russell, Bertrand (1949) Authority and the Individual London, Unwin Books.
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2.5 Joint regional planning 2.5.1 State and federal governments should sponsor regional partnership, and monitor the results. If appropriate, they should alter the funding to regional universities to support directly their contribution to economic and social development, enhancing the quality of life in their regions and retaining young people in rural areas. 2.5.2 Australia’s fifty-five RDA regions compete for limited government resources. Developing regions with rural universities however share a more focused and particular interest in lobbying government. One prong is for better higher and tertiary education funding policies and practices. The other is to ensure that new wealth benefits the people and regions where it is causing change and damage. This requires sustainable development work, integrated across portfolios. 2.5.3 The Mid Cities Project: For the future launched in Victoria and extended as a national Midicities network in 2011 concerns the policy-making and response rate of non- metro cities housing over four million Australians. It refers to ‘demonstration examples and test beds for innovation and new approaches’. Meanwhile the federal government late in 2011 launched a Liveable Cities Program of 18 capital and major regional cities, including Toowoomba and other regional centres having their own universities, three of these also being in Queensland. SWQ&DD RDA with USQ could together help lead an influential group of RDA regions partnering regional universities, to win support and realise their potential for shaping a strong and healthy wealth-based non-metropolitan Australia. 2.5.4 Cultural change must be embedded deep within LGAs, universities and other involved organisations, including local communities, if it is to sustain collaboration and balanced development despite changes of leadership. This takes time and patience, as does building understanding and trust between the partners. It also means creating suitable organisational arrangements, indicators and reward systems. 2.5.5 The region and USQ should interact with other regional planners and development experts within and beyond Australia. They can offer a world-significant example of a region and university collaborating to solve vital socio-economic and sustainability problems. 2.5.6 The region and the University could together lead nationally in handling widely shared benefits of the mining boom. They could aim to be a model development and learning region. This includes maintaining local stability if global uncertainty and fluctuating world commodity prices make development spasmodic. 2.5.7 State and federal governments could thus see and support DD&SWQ as a laboratory for vital national issues of balanced development, wise use of land, water and non-renewable resources, and regional university engagement.
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3.
Higher and Tertiary Education
3.1 What USQ could do? 3.1.1 Engaging with the community is much more than a so-called ‘third mission’ of the university. Apart from being a civic duty for a publicly funded institution whose outcomes are of direct and widespread community benefit in the senses set out by Dewey (1956) and Boyer (1996), it is a means of enhancing goals for the outcomes of the scholarship of the institution itself in a globally competitive market place for higher education. 3.1.2 There is a strong case for USQ taking a main leadership role in the Darling Downs and South West Queensland region, given the difficulty for any one other party in the region taking the lead. Universities need to perform on a global as well as a local and national stage. The issues facing the region are very significant. From a knowledge, innovation and human capital perspective they have regional, national and international relevance. 3.1.3 The CDG agrees with the RDA that it is not its role to lead. The Toowoomba Regional Council does not have a complete regional remit, and is undergoing major internal restructuring following amalgamations, SQIT is restricted by State Government requirements, and the Chamber does not focus on region-wide issues. There is a vacuum that the University is well placed to fill. Box 6: Leadership in University-Regional Engagement: Region Värmland, Sweden Region Värmland is an organisation that the Varmland region’s 16 municipalities have formed together with the county council to take responsibility for regional development, growth issues, culture, infrastructure planning and adult education. After six years of evolution, Region Värmland has become a key regional actor in the European cohesion politic with a strong role in forming policy and linking funding to regional priorities. Due to its effectiveness, Region Värmland has now also taken on responsibilities for transport and health for the region on behalf of the national government. Two key contributors to the effectiveness of Region Värmland’s drive for innovative regional development are Karlstad University and the region’s cluster organisations. As the region’s only University, cooperating with companies, authorities and organisations has now become a major task for Karlstad University. Karlstad and Region Värmland have a five year agreement in place to develop research focussed on enhancing the well-being of the region. The two parties meet on a weekly basis at top management level and deal with practical economic development issues as well as strategic ones. There are many examples of strategic regional collaboration between the Region and the University. An example is their joint funding of 10 new professorial chairs over three years in disciplines that specifically advance regional goals. Region Värmland, in collaboration with Karlstad University research expertise, hasfacilitated the formation of ten business cluster organisations in the region. The cluster organisations: Compare ICT, Packaging Arena, Steel & Engineering, and the Paper Province all have cooperation projects with the University. There is a cluster room established at the University where relevant companies can hold meetings and the Steel & Engineering cluster have an office located there.
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Karlstad University is also a major player in the vocational training and higher education competence platforms that Region Värmland is currently organising for all of its stakeholders. The development of these relationships and initiatives has led to Region Värmland, and its individual municipalities, having more engagement with Karlstad University and the region’s business clusters. It means there is also now a strong focus on developing the region’s human capital, including through a range of initiatives targeted at the youngest ages. There are now more people undertaking higher education with an economic development focus, which means there is a stronger connection to the local labour market, especially to the clusters. These connections include great entrepreneurial support during studies at the University and more cooperation projects between students and companies. In turn, a more proactive development culture within regional development is evident; a strong regional innovation system is being driven by more than 60 organisations, as well as the 16 municipalities and the county council. 3.1.4 In many ways USQ’s C4C is a small kernel and a strong exemplifier of what could be done in the region with USQ leadership. It is a boundary-spanning arrangement where regional needs and resources are brought together to constructive effect. Its apparent success is a useful marker for how a similar but more far-reaching facilitative leadership group might work across all sectors and parts of the region. It deserves high praise as an experiment although it has as yet achieved few on-the-ground successes (see Box 7). Box 7: Community 4 Community (C4C) Community 4 Community (C4C) is an initiative anchored in community-based research and university-community engagement projects. It is being groomed by the University as a future Centre. The C4C Team is made up of academics and professional staff from across the University who share an interest in and passion for community-based social research. C4C involves interaction with a large and expanding group of community-based professionals known as the C4C Community Network. Its beginnings grew out of the FlexiSchool initiative in the mid1990s.with the support of USQ, Rotary and the then Toowoomba City Council. The establishment of the Toowoomba Older Men’s Network and its association with the Toowoomba FlexiSchool through a mentorship program has been nationally recognised in being the national winner of the National Australia’s Bank’s prestigious Schools First Award. 3.1.5 USQ leadership has to come from the very top of the organisation. It cannot be the responsibility only of a senior manager such as a pro- or deputy vice-chancellor (PVC or DVC), whatever internal management arrangements are made. Regional leadership and facilitation need to be a publicly stated objective of the new Vice-Chancellor for her period of tenure. The University Council could insist on this. The Council could also receive regular reports on the progress of the proposed regional leadership group, provide a budget line for the University's involvement in this, and positively consider ongoing the University-wide structure and budget implications that follow.
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3.2 Current situation and profile – USQ, SQIT, other resources 3.2.1 USQ, the region’s young and by no means wealthy university, has strong IT facilities and a good reputation for distance and self-directed (including group- and community-based) learning. This will be further enhanced by the $50 million grant from federal government announced in December 2011. USQ has academic expertise in many fields relevant to the changing region, but is lacking in others. This requires some combination of building new expertise and drawing on the expertise of others elsewhere in and beyond Queensland. 3.2.2 USQ wants to link and provide service as well as leadership across the whole region. Its chosen mission is public and clear. Many individuals and small communities like and value USQ as a local university. This was evident to the CDG in Stanthorpe, and in the participation of different public sector and voluntary agencies in C4C. It would appear however that the University is not yet seen as a significant resource by planning authorities, as is shown by its complete absence in State and regional strategies. 3.2.3 USQ therefore needs and has begun to organise itself and its work to be able to engage effectively with the region, to mutual benefit. Learning how to engage is crucial for giving effect to its intentions. Given its resource and expertise base the private sector, and above all the crucial mining industry, presents a main challenge to the University. Examples elsewhere in Australia and beyond may suggest approaches. Where data essential to development planning are lacking, USQ could be used as a main research resource. It needs the support of government and private sector allies to claim this role and attract necessary new expertise. 3.2.4 Another more widely felt challenge is to engage with the fragmented SME sector. C4C may suggest approaches and a model here. TAFE via SQIT would be a valuable partner in reaching communities across the large region and well way from Toowoomba. 3.2.5 There are good examples in other parts of the world, such as the Harris Centre in Newfoundland (see Box 8). A good local example where USQ uses its renowned expertise in distance learning and the new ICT, is GraniteNet (Box 9). Box 8: The Harris Centre at Memorial University Newfoundland The Harris Centre at Memorial University is a hub for public policy and regional development issues. It links Memorial researchers with groups all over Newfoundland andLabrador,supporting active community engagement throughout the research process. Working with all units at Memorial, it builds connections, encourages informed debate andsupportscollaboration, enhancing the University andthe Province through mutually beneficial partnerships. The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development has two primary goals: • To assist in the responsible development of the economy and society of Newfoundland and Labrador • To stimulate informed discussion of important provincial issues. A key part of Memorial University, the Centre helps diverse groups and individuals to connect with the research resources of Memorial, though teaching, research, and outreach initiatives. It does by facilitating regional
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meetings in which issues are identified. Connections to the University are thenmade to engage research with regional development. A web tool, Yaffle, helps make the resources of the university transparent. Learn more about the Harris Centre at http://www.mun.ca/harriscentre.
Box 9: GraniteNet The GraniteNet Phoenix Project started in 2005 as a Research and Development partnership between the Stanthorpe community and the University of Southern Queensland. The aim of the project is to utilise innovations in Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support the development of Stanthorpe as a learning community. The project centres on research and development activities that support the establishment and ongoing development of GraniteNet - a community designed, owned and managed web portal and digital inclusion initiative, managed and operated entirely by community volunteers. There is also a focus on development of a longer term, sustainable partnership with the Stanthorpe community that will serve to support the economic, social and cultural development of the community to enhance the university’s connections with the region through engaged research and development. GraniteNet could be a useful model for other small rural communities and learning through ITC. In particular, these communities have an ageing population and there are few apparent employment opportunities for young people who therefore move to Toowoomba and Brisbane. GraniteNet could provide a framework for developing an ‘enterprising’ population at all ages via courses through USQ and SQIT. The result could be many new home-based, micro and SME business ventures materialising in these places using the power of the internet, with the capacity of the National Broadband Network, to market internationally from their rural communities. 3.2.6 Other specialised higher education resources include the University of Queensland’s rural medicine. We note above the necessity for such collaboration if USQ is to engage with the big agricultural and mining industries and to contribute to technical-political matters like water catchment planning and use. Collaboration with different educational providers including the schools appears good. 3.2.7 SQIT has a presence across much of the region. With its mainly economic and skillsfocused mission it is closer to the economic needs of different industries and communities within the region. SQIT is a hybrid enterprise and public institution. It has more capacity than USQ to respond rapidly, making contracts to meet new human resource development (HRD) needs. It is willing to work closely with the University and to engage together across the region. 3.2.8 As a creature of State Government, SQIT is not always able to be as responsive to regional needs as is ideal. SQIT is however an important element in the region, taking a strategic and collaborative approach to its human resource needs in a period of rapid change. All providers must overcome old status attitudes in order to work together and get around undesirable funding arrangements as best they can. A useful and effective regional system of education and HRD for lifelong learning and regional development is within reach.
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3.2.9 USQ has grown in size and breadth of academic expertise in the two decades since it acquired university status. It is still a young university without the reputation and the research clout of larger and especially older more prestigious universities. Even so, the Australian Research Council in ERA (Excellence in Research in Australia) rated USQ as world class in three fields in 2010. 3.2.10 USQ needs the active participation of other regional stakeholders to strengthen a unique profile for excellence as a lead regional player. Its expertise in distance learning and new IT (DL/IT) is internationally recognised and is being reinforced. This is used to support local communities geographically remote from main population centres. It has a part to play, in association with other changes like the upcoming NBN National Broadcasting Network roll- out, in making rural and remote living richer and more attractive. It may thus assist retention of the ‘missing generation’ aged 15-45 who move away for HE study, bright lights and employment, and may not return. 3.2.11 In recent years USQ has opened a campus which the CDG visited in Springfield. It has also established a presence on the coast well north of the metropolis, at Hervey Bay. We understand that the first began as an opportunistic venture with an imaginative large property developer. It has drawn significant investment and effort from USQ. Like the Hervey Bay development it has the attraction of providing face-to-face access for USQ to areas of population which may allow the University to build up its student numbers. USQ is seen by conventional and contemporary criteria as barely viable alongside the very large metropolitan universities. Despite the old agricultural and the new mining wealth which the region contributes to the State and national economies, the population of the region is projected to grow only slowly, relative to that of large cities and the coast. 3.2.12 There is a question how far out-of-region investments and campuses strengthen USQ’s capacity to work with the DD&SWQ region, or whether they divert time, energy and attention. A policy paper by DVC Graham Baker in November 2011 proposing a Sustainable Regions Institute implies deeper USQ in-region engagement, and changes within USQ to assist this. The CDG understand that the nature and future of the Fraser Coast Campus may be under consideration. This report lacks the knowledge to comment on these possibilities and options, beyond noting that they are strategically significant: in themselves and vis-à-vis the large and important region west of Toowoomba. It could be relevant to USQ winning recognition as a centre of excellence in regional development. 3.3 Changes, influences and barriers to effective engagement 3.3.1 There are difficulties for communities and universities in engaging to achieve common regional goals. New attitudes and behaviours must be learned and exercised. It is important to recognise the pressures on universities in order to enable these to be overcome. On the other hand, successful partnership in DD&SWQ can be regionally transformative as well as a source of profit for both the region and USQ, if pursued successfully. 3.3.2 The explosion of university systems in number and size of institution into today’s mass HE systems has created huge new demands and fundamental changes in their work worldwide, and in forms of government and other funding. There are deep differences about how all this should be handled. One contested question is whether HE and tertiary systems should be more highly diversified, with different kind of universities having very different main identities and strengths,
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3.3.3 Along with massive expansion goes the grouping of universities with similar histories and identities In Australia, the Group of Eight enjoys the lion’s share of prestige, research funds and longer histories. Technological universities comprise another club. The CDG are aware of a recent proposal to establish a network of non-metropolitan and rural universities. The younger ex-CAEs institutions, among them USQ, tend to be grouped as so- called ‘regional’ universities. Whereas the ‘binary line’ between university and CAE was removed twenty years ago the division between universities and TAFE remains in place, although it is becoming increasingly blurred. The former are funded federally, the latter funded by the States. 3.3.4 Most universities have grown fast, becoming very large institutions with large holdings, budgets in the hundred of millions, and major international profiles. Federal policy favours the transfer of costs from the federal budget to other stakeholders including students; and competitive tendering for research funds as well as student numbers and investment/development funds. This induces fierce competitive rivalry and makes it difficult to rationalise universities’ contribution to local and regional development especially in metro regions. 3.3.5 More recent and equally problematic has been the creation of increasing numbers of competitively ranked league tables, first national then international. The burgeoning world rankings provide convenient summary performance indicators (PIs). Because criteria change frequently they are deceptively useful. Yet they often drive institutional leaders’ mission and behaviour. The dominant measures come from internationally recognised published research, making them highly inimical to working for balanced regional development. World rankings skew the assessment of real value. They privilege a few senior universities which absorb research funds, relegating regionally focused universities to mainly teaching work and therefore status. 3.3.6 Mercifully, USQ is partly protected from these essentially malign competitive pressures. It has enjoyed firm clear leadership favouring policies relevant to its particular history, character and above all location, as the sole HEI in a huge non- metro region. Its continued rising success depends on ability to win regional support and resist these system pressures, sustaining more successfully the mission and direction already sketched out. The challenge for the new leadership of USQ and for its regional partners, including the new RDA is to hold steadily to this course, and to learn to deliver on an appropriate mission. Successful implementation must follow the determination of direction. Rankings view universities as factories producing students and publications. They therefore ignore all forms of university/ community reach-out or ‘service’. It is a challenge for university leaders not to be seduced by these narrowly conceived measures 3.3.7 There are signs that the policy tide may be changing. A more balanced view may be emerging of the nature and place of valued research, as well as of teaching, that prepares for lifelong as well as instant capability. This has been called ‘Mode 2 knowledge production’. It favours the co-production, co-ownership and shared use of the new kinds of knowledge required in complex modern societies. 3.3.8 The federal government should recognise and place high value on Mode 2 knowledge. It should boldly resist the vanity of world league table positioning as a major determinant of where to invest in higher education. It should recognise the need for dispersal and plurality in a modern knowledge society. This is supremely true for Australia. Here, so
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much of the wealth is generated by ‘real work in the real economy’ outside the financial centres: in growing, extracting and making things. 3.3.9 The management of TAFE by each State is equally challenging. Individual TAFEs like SQIT enjoy less formal autonomy than does a university. They tend to be more locally anchored and more receptive and responsive to emerging local needs, and well versed in working with employers and others to meet them. In terms of social equity and justice as well as HRD (not wasting talent), articulation with the university is important. Clear pathways in both directions should be open between the two complementary sectors, bearing in mind that universities are meant to be about higher learning and inquiry with a view to tackling fundamental global and local concerns, while TAFE responds to more immediate human resource concerns to solve current local business and community questions. 3.3.10 Articulation between these sectors is tackled in different ways throughout Australia (for example the Victorian dual sector institutions) and overseas (such as the USA and Canadian community college systems, and with FE in different part of the UK). Queensland TAFE could usefully examine such approaches and selectively adapt and adapt good examples. It should also lighten bureaucratic control where this creates bottlenecks and delay. 3.4 Developing the engagement and partnership potential of USQ 3.4.1 It should be the natural role of USQ to work as lead partner with SQIT and other HE and education providers, as well as with the schools and the non-formal learning sector, as partners in building the health and prosperity of the DD&SWQ region. Non-local providers like UQ, QUT and other institutions further away, in and beyond, Queensland, should be included where they have distinctive and necessary expertise. It is also a reasonable role for the University to lead in a partnership with the RDA and other relevant regional agencies, businesses and individuals. There appears to be no ill-will in the way of such a venture, and a reservoir of goodwill, but also lack of awareness as to what USQ might offer. 3.4.2 Any resistance to USQ taking an engaged leadership role in association with other regional entities is likely to come from within the University. Many academics feel more strongly affiliated to the specialised communities of disciplinary scholars. They hesitate to cross boundaries: both within the world of scholarship and ‘beyond the walls of the academy’. Not all feel well equipped to be partners and boundary-spanners in a community engagement programme. 3.4.3 Outside USQ the CDG encountered almost the full spectrum of attitudes, from ignorance, indifference or suspicion to passive acceptance of what was on offer, to enthusiasm for what the University was and did. For some, having a local University was important – a source of pride and benefit. For others it did not matter which university they used. No doubt some people prefer their young to graduate somewhere more prestigious, even at the cost of going away, perhaps for ever, from the region. 3.4.4 The CDG sees several important and distinct roles and contributions for USQ. Together they would create a critical mass of energy and recognition that cross-fertilises one initiative and success with others as recognition and results build up. 3.4.5 With the arrival of large-scale coal and CSG extraction, and the continuing needs and new threats to agriculture and water, R&D, intelligence and clearing house facilities are
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needed. In providing these USQ could bring together and enable the region to use the best knowledge available anywhere in the world. By means of commissioned research it would also add to the global stock of new research knowledge particular to the regional context, while benefiting the region with what is already known elsewhere. The CDG therefore recommends a knowledge acquisition and distribution plan for the region 3.4.6 A second, more obvious and familiar, role is to provide study and degree-getting opportunities within the region. This may encourage more young people to stay, reducing the problem of outward migration of the young and the ‘missing generation’ of 15 to 45-year- olds. Given rapid change and new opportunities in labour market needs, it can also, often in partnership with SQIT and employers, devise updating and retraining courses that enable people to benefit from the changing employment base instead of leaving for jobs elsewhere. Longer term, this may begin to reduce the problem of flyin fly out workers. These, like what they extract, give no benefit to the region in return for their employment. 3.4.7 A less obvious benefit, widely recognised elsewhere, is in making the region a richer and more attractive place to be. The cultural contribution of the university to its region can be palpable and considerable, even directly measurable by economic indicators. Having a university is often seen as an essential asset for a successful city and region. It is only an advantage however if there are strong regional connections within the university. It is even possible that a non-engaging university could cause leakage of human capital and knowledge from a non-metro region and therefore be of negative value to its future progress. 3.4.8 USQ already enriches the Toowoomba region culturally and by means of different forms of partnership and outreach to communities distant from this south-east corner capital. Some of this recognises, partners and celebrates local ‘cultural capital’. It enhances pride and pleasure in living in more remote rural areas. The tyranny of distance is always there; but improved transport as well as modern communication technology may cumulatively make it easier to attract and retain people in the region. 3.4.9 More is possible compared with the present low visibility or absence from official planning documents. Good things are going on; but they are fragmented around individual enthusiasms and community contacts rather than being manifestations of USQ as a university deeply committed to its region as a natural leader. The whole is less than the sum of the parts. 3.5 Organisational changes to sustain partnership for engagement 3.5.1 Structure, process and culture are each dimensions of organisation development. All three matter to USQ, as well as the perception, experience and behaviour of the outside world on which USQ depends for success. 3.5.2 There are different views as to what kind of arrangement best helps. One view going back th to mid-19 century USA speaks of community service as the ‘third leg of mission’. Third stream practice and in the case of the UK public funding rewards engagement and its impact alongside funds for teaching and research, albeit at a lower level. 3.5.3 The counter-view is that separating out a third mission marginalises it and even implies that it is third in importance. The argument is that for success engagement must be insinuated into the lifeblood of the institution and affect all that it does. Cultural permeation is required, with engagement as an attitude and way of life that it is deeply embedded,
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outlasting changes of senior personnel and the whims of change government policy. With persistence such policies can take root as shared values and behaviour which survive short- term changes. 3.5.4 Universities (like some other kinds of organisation) tend to focus on structure and pay less attention to process and culture. Modern vice-chancellors like other corporate captains make their arrival known by restructuring. USQ needs to determine where the monitoring oversight for successful engagement lies. Whether one deputy or both have it in their remit, it should be made explicit and acted out in deeds as well as words by the Vice- Chancellor and Council. Many staff take their cue from deeds rather than words. 3.5.5 At the same time USQ might wish to build community and regional partnership and service into all elements and dimensions of planning, monitoring and self-audit, as well into employment, reward and promotion policies. This does not mean that everyone does everything. It is vital that those charged especially with public interaction are good at their job. No University can afford horror stories of unhelpful ‘Dr No’s’ in its open-access user- friendly front door arrangements; nor about those who conduct delicate negotiations on behalf of USQ and the Vice-Chancellor. 3.5.6 The CDG heard several times that USQ was not that easily accessible – one did not know where to go to get helpful information: it needed an obvious ‘front door’. There are good examples elsewhere of how this can be done, even across several institutions collaborating to give even-handed advice as to where to go for what, as in the case of North- East England. 3.5.7 An Information Office should also be a source of advice and brokerage – not just about which undergraduate course to take and how to enrol if electronic systems seem daunting. Working there for USQ means having a wide understanding of what the University can and might do, who to arrange a conversation with, what might be the hesitantly articulated and half-recognised need of those who inquire. ‘Front-office’ staff should be good intuitive listeners as well as alert entrepreneurs. 3.5.8 USQ has an admirable record of engagement across the voluntary and the public broadly social animation and service sectors. One sees agencies and their people working together to mitigate hardship, release group and community potential, and help many individuals, using non-threatening channels. This work now mediated through the unusual ‘non-organisational’ phenomenon of C4C is recognised by the University and its outgoing Vice-Chancellor. Its sustenance and the wider extension of an evolved and tested approach adapted to other fields and partners could be a key to successful organisation change for USQ. Unlike most information and advisory services it is a twoway brokerage between parts of the University (albeit via committed individuals) and community and public sector agencies rather than between atomised individuals. The private sector and USQ would benefit from similar networks if these could be nurtured into being. 3.5.9 In summary, USQ through its Vice-Chancellor and Council could make absolutely clear is civic mission as a main regional leader and stakeholder. It could likewise expect a leading role on relevant regional planning bodies. For this it needs to be clear what it stands for, what it wants to be famous for and how that relates to the region. 3.5.10 USQ and SQIT should be included in all regional planning and treated as major resources. General MOUs and specific contracts are needed to anchor the work that follows.
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In this regard three important regional strategies and plans may now be advanced: (a) a human capital, or human capability, plan for the region that embraces both lifelong learning, involving all formal and informal education sectors, and its connections with regional organisations and individuals focused on key areas of regional activity; (b) a regional innovation strategy that connects processes of innovation in business and the University; and (c) a knowledge acquisition and dissemination plan to build a clearinghouse of relevant information important for the likely directions for the region’s economy and society. 3.5.11 USQ may wish to build closer SQIT TAFE partnership for identifying and meeting HRD and even R&D needs proactively and responsively. Both could draw on other State-wide and out-of-State expertise where this is lacking in-house. 3.5.12 Supported by regional authorities, USQ could approach the main mining interests extracting from the Surat Basin to pay for applied research through USQ. This might include the social and environmental as well as the technological and economic issues raised. It means paying salaries and core costs of specialised staff as well as contracts for jobs. 3.5.13 USQ should continue to nurture and extend its excellent work with local communities addressing social needs to do with remoteness and isolation, third age and loss of identity with retirement, and excluded populations such as unemployed youth. The C4C approach should be sustained and extended, taking care not to weaken it by formalising and bureaucratising. 3.5.14 Thought might be given to internal structures, employment, and reward systems of individuals and groups, building engagement and regional relevance into all dimensions of university life and work. Reporting, monitoring and assessment systems, and PIs where used, could be made to align with this purpose. Care should be taken while providing encouragement, training and support not to isolate engagement as a distinct ‘third mission’ separated from teaching and research. The access and influence of external partners and clients need to be central to all organisational design. A self-developing open system would result. Emphasise the need for immediate action by the University in these areas to ensure the region has the leadership and tools to be a significant regional voice in enhancing regional well-being from the rapidly evolving mining agenda. 4. Recommendations for action 4.1 Recommended Initiatives In order to win recognition for its potential role as a national and global laboratory for regional, social change and economic change, several important initiatives need to be pursued: a) Coherent leadership There is a need to channel the evident passion for the region’s standing and well-being into more concerted and deliberative leadership, ensuring that the community's anxiety about new development is put to positive purpose. This depends on collaborative action amongst USQ, TRC, the Chamber of Commerce, SQIT, and the RDA, specifically bringing in the voices of other local government authorities. In this regard, the CDG believes an enlarged high level C4C type model is an initiative worth seriously considering. It is essential that partnership not be undermined by jostling for precedence.
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b) Strategy - sustainability A critical task of the collaborative leadership is some reconciliation of the ‘tectonic plates’, and an articulated position on land use and on the balance between economic opportunities and sustainable well-being. Specific issues such infrastructure, notably the Warrego Highway, need to be seen in a wider regional context to ensure a multi-agency approach from non-joined up governments. c) Advocacy There is need to capture but not in the process destroy the energy and opportunity between administrative silos to benefit the region in creative ways. This is a way of thinking and acting in a regional context. So far it appears that the RDA has felt pressured to chase Commonwealth funding in order to gain legitimacy; its longer term authority will come from its capacity to represent the agreed Strategy to all stakeholders, state and federal as well as local. d) Human capital Regional economies depend heavily on their capacity to invest in key stages of learning and build a longer term labour force that can bring appropriate expertise that is flexible, efficient and innovative. DD&SWQ needs a human capital plan as part of its broader agreed Strategy that provides a life-cycle perspective on the roles of different educational organisations, their connectedness, the kinds of programmes and pedagogies to be adopted and their relationships with other key regional entities, including industry. e) Information and analysis The ‘tectonic plates’ need in-depth research and analysis. These vital questions for research and innovation need to be writ large into the USQ research agenda. The CDG recommends two initiatives to tackle this. First a regional innovation strategy that connects innovative expertise to key emerging regional questions. Prime among these regional questions will be the impact and opportunity presented by new mining activity, including regional infrastructure needs, ground water use, waste disposal, labour requirements and so on. Secondly, a regional knowledge acquisition and dissemination plan. The CDG in its visit sensed a wealth of knowledge in various forms and in various sources that when pulled together and made readily available would amount to a substantial regional resource. The above recommendations need to be implemented with some speed and that a timetable be constructed to ensure they don’t drift. 4.1 Responsibilities and Actions • The RDA has a unique opportunity to lead and represent the region, yet it has been imposed on DD&SWQ, rather than growing organically from the region's local government, community, education and industry organisations. Until it has won full legitimacy to lead it needs to continue to facilitate the development of collaborative leadership amongst the major regional organisations. It must be recognised for its holistic strategy and advocacy rather than regarded primarily as a fund-raiser. • USQ needs to reflect on what it is uniquely good for as a complete and holistic entity in relation to growth and change within the region over the long run; rather than just what some elements within it might be good at as input to specific aspects of regional development and well-being. Efforts to enhance accessibility to, and partnerships with, key regional organisations such as RDA, SQIT, other education sectors, industry and regional councils including TRC and TRE, should be fully supported at the highest levels.
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• A commitment to world class knowledge creation and its application to the spatial and temporal implications for regional well-being, sustainability and capability at large in the light of fundamental forces for economic, social and environmental impact. The USQ might take organisation-wide responsibility for this. • The RDA and USQ have sponsored the PURE project. Other key stakeholders such as local government, industry, education, health and local Queensland Government offices should also engage collaboratively with the challenge of telling a coherent, evidence-based story about the region's future, and how to get there. • The region needs a small high-level development group to sustain close and regular contact between the main leadership bodies and as a consultative reference point for the RDA. • The PURE project offers one vehicle to take this work forward, given the need for such a group as an infrastructure, with a firm Action Plan, on these lines. It would mean creating a Regional Development Group which serves also as a DD&SWQ PURE steering group (PURESG), with a Pascal link person. • Draft a Regional Engagement Action Plan, with targets and dates for key issues that need addressing, and measures of progress in building productive arrangements within and between each partner organisation and authority. • Use the Pascal tools to benchmark the present level of engagement across USQ and across the region. 4.3 Detail of Suggested Actions and Timeframe • The Pascal PURE Project contract is for one year. The region and USQ should decide by mid2012 whether to extend the contract with Pascal, for another year or for a longer period subject to annual review and tangible benefit. • The December 2011 timing of this visit was opportune. More stability should follow the LGA elections in March 2012 and TRE will be taking steps. The RDA will finalise a major strategic development document about then. TAFE is keen to collaborate, with experience and skills that could help USQ. The recently incumbent Vice-Chancellor of USQ should find and lead an institution with regional partners determined to work and benefit together. She should be welcomed to share its leadership from the outset. Suggested membership • Regional Development Group members should be the CEO, Chair, or at least a senior person carrying the trust and authority of leadership. Identify a Pascal link person as the PURE project manager, with secretarial support. • CEOs or equivalent of the RDA, USQ, SQIT and Toowoomba Regional Council; a leading voice each for mining and agricultural interests. Suggested actions • Create a schedule and agenda of meetings: o first meeting to clarify role, discuss, review and respond to the draft RVR1 report (February 2012).
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• Adopt a draft Regional Engagement Action Plan with targets and dates for o key issues that need addressing o make progress in building productive arrangements within and between each partner organisation and authority. • Meet periodically and regularly to consider progress and other relevant developments only when meeting will add value in the common interest (eg RDA role & strategic plan). • Use existing arrangements rather than create new ones wherever possible, to avoid competition and time-wasting duplication. • Identify high priority issues where engagement will be valuable or essential; identify a person to consult informally and lead on each, with dates to act and report back to the central group. • Use the Pascal tools to benchmark the present level of engagement across USQ and in the region. • Maintain contact with Pascal CDG, usually through the region link person. 4.4 Detail of an Action Plan It is for the Region and Steering Group to determine Action Plan components. Here are examples of possible elements. • Look for low-hanging fruits to create confidence in engagement, with mutual-benefit, highprofile, quick-return feel-good results within 12 months. Monitor and evaluate. • Nurture a culture whereby the RDA can support and inform integrated collaborative regional development planning, and assist successful concerted representations to State and federal governments. • Use Pascal CDG to connect with selected other regions and resources during 2012. • Arrange a 2 nd CDG visit in the first quarter of 2013.
• Review and evaluate progress and new developments; determine next steps for the region including USQ and SQIT over the next five years. • Gather evidence and strengthen the case to lobby for linking the costs of investment for sustainability to the causes of social and environmental damage. • Commission research through USQ to inform 50-year planning, restore agricultural land and enhance the environment for long-term benefit including tourism etc. Help prepare the argument and business case. • Assess transport impact and needs; support a well-documented holistic case for government investment, drawing on mining income
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• Support the development of an integrated regional IT learning network that benefits the learning and quality of life of remote communities, combining NBN, USQ and other resources and expertise • Create a network with other selected Australian non-metropolitan regions that exchanges experience and wins support and resources to meet water, land use, extraction industry and social development needs.
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Annex - Information Sources (a) Documentary Sources • PASCAL Darling Downs Regional Visit Report (RVR1) 2009 • Surat Basin Population Report June 2010 Office of Economics and Statistical Research, Queensland Treasury • State of the Regions 2011-12, National Economics, for the ALGA • Southern Downs Community Plan 2030 Final 23 November 2011 • Income Tax Zones Ian Manning 2011 • The mineral resource boom and the economy of South West Queensland, commissioned by RDA, DD&SWQ, Ian Manning 2011 • Darling Downs and South West Queensland Regional Road Map 2011, Regional Development Australia, Queensland Government and Australian Government • Queensland Regional Profiles Surat Basin Region Profile generated 11 October 2011 Office of Economics and Statistical Research, Queensland Treasury • Surat Basin Future Directions Statement 2010, Office of Economics and Statistical Research, Queensland Treasury • Queensland Regionalisation Strategy (public consultation document). Strengthening Queensland’s Regions July 2011 Growth Management Queensland • Darling Downs and South West From Toowoomba west to the South Australian border and south to the New South Wales border, Growth Management Australia, from Queensland Infrastructure Plan, Growth Management Queensland 2011 • Scoping Study – Mining and Coal Seam Gas, Regional Development Australia: Regional Development Australia, Darling Downs and South West Queensland, Parsons Brinckerhoff, August 2011 • Protecting Queensland’s strategic cropping land. Draft State Planning Policy. Department of Environment and Resource Management, Tomorrow’s Queensland, Queensland Government, august 2011 • David Charles, The Role of Universities in Building Knowledge Cities in Australia, Built Environment vol.37 no. 3, 281-298 2011 • Sustainable Regions Institute. USQ Vice-Chancellors Committee Briefing Document November 2011 • GraniteNet Phase 2 Evaluation Report, Catherine Arden USQ 2009 • USQ / RDA PURE Breakfast Symposium: Synopsis and analysis of Presentations and Discussion, December 2011, L van der Laan and S Rose (b) People consulted on the CDG visit Regional Development Australia - Darling Downs and South West Inc (RDA DD&SW) • Councillor Bill Cahill (Chair, RDA DD&SW Committee, Toowoomba Regional Council Environmental and Community Services portfolio and C4C Reference Group) • Cr Jo Sheppard –(Deputy Chair, RDA DD&SW Committee and Mayor, Paroo Shire Council) • Megan O’Hara-Sullivan (Secretary, RDA DD&SW Committee) • Derek Tuffield (Treasurer, RDA DD&SW Committee and General Manager, Lifeline Darling Downs and South West Qld) • Brian Hewitt (Chief Executive Officer, RDA DD&SW) • Michael Kitchener (Regional Manager, RDA DD&SW) • Bryan Gray (Executive Assistant, RDA DD&SW) • Michele Alroe (RDA DD&SW Committee Member)
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• Paul Clayton (RDA DD&SW Committee Member) • Councillor Vic Pennisi (RDA DD&SW Committee Member and Councillor, Southern Downs Regional Council) • Lyndon Pfeffer (RDA DD&SW Committee Member) University of Southern Queensland • Professor Bill Lovegrove (Vice-Chancellor and President and Chair, C4C Reference Group) • Professor Peter Goodall (Dean, Faculty of Arts and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice) and C4C Reference Group) • Professor Don Gorman (Director, Centre for Rural and Remote Area Health) • Professor Glen Postle, Honorary Professor, Project Coordinator – Community for Community (C4C) Project, USQ • Professor Cath Rogers-Clark (Head, Department of Nursing and Midwifery) • Professor Mark Toleman (Head of School (Information Systems), Faculty of Business and Law and C4C Project Team) • Professor Janet Verbyla (Dean, Faculty of Sciences and Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Learning) and C4C Reference Group) • Associate Professor Geoff Cockfield (Associate Professor (Government & Economics) and Deputy Dean, Faculty of Business and Law) • Dr Paul Collits (Research Program Director, Office of Research, Australian Centre for Sustainable Business and Development, Fraser Coast Campus) • Dr Linda Galligan (Senior Lecturer and Academic Liaison Officer, Department of Mathematics and Computing, Faculty of Sciences) • Dr Andrew Hickey (Senior Lecturer (Cultural Studies and Social Theory), Faculty of Education) • Dr Tek Maraseni (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments) • Dr Bruce Millett (Senior Lecturer (Management), Faculty of Business and C4C Project Team) • Dr Shahbaz Mushtaq (Research Fellow, Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments) • Dr Rebecca Scollen (Manager, Artsworx) • John Neville (Chief Executive Officer, Queensland College of Wine Tourism) • Sharon Nehring (Associate Lecturer, Student Centre Coordinator, Queensland College of Wine Tourism) • Dr Luke Van Der Laan (Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Scholarship) and C4C Project Team) • Catherine Arden (Lecturer (Teaching and Learning in Vocational Education and Training/Senior Schooling), Faculty of Education, C4C Project Team and GraniteNet) • John Clarke (Senior Executive Officer (Policy and Planning), Office of the Vice-Chancellor and C4C Project Team) • Kathie McDonald (Sciences Research and Special Projects, Faculty of Sciences and C4C Project Team) • Mary McGilvray (Project Officer, Faculty of Sciences and C4C) • Dianne Paez (Project Manager, Diversity and Structural Adjustment Project) • Kevin Stapleton (General Manager, USQ Student Guild) • Anna Stephenson (Manager, Community and Government, Office of External Relations) Regional Councils • Councillor Peter Taylor (Mayor , Toowoomba Regional Council) • Councillor Paul Antonio (Deputy Mayor and Water Services portfolio , Toowoomba Regional Council)
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• Councillor Peter Marks (Planning and Development Services portfolio , Toowoomba Regional Council) • Councillor Mike Williams (Financial and Sporting Services portfolio , Toowoomba Regional Council) • Councillor Denise Ingram (Southern Downs Regional Council) • Councillor Ray Jamieson (Western Downs Regional Council) • Councillor Mally McMurtrie (Southern Downs Regional Council) • Councillor Neil Meiklejohn (Southern Downs Regional Council) • Brian Pidgeon (General Manager of Environmental and Community Services , Toowoomba Regional Council and C4C Reference Group) • Darryl Bates (Coordinator, Regional Community Development, Toowoomba Regional Council and C4C Reference Group and Project Team) • Shelley Burnfield (Community Liaison Officer, Oakey, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Pam Burley (Community Development Officer, Southern Downs Regional Council) • Jason Driscoll (Community Liaison Officer, Pittsworth, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Erin Ford (Community Liaison Officer, Greenmount and Clifton, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Simone Mooketsi (Coordinator Policy, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Rebecca Schroder (Community Development Officer, Youth, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Christine Taylor (Librarian, Stanthorpe Library, Southern Downs Regional Council) • David Totenhofer (Community Liaison Officer, Oakey, Toowoomba Regional Council) • Shane Charles, Chief Executive Officer, Toowoomba Regional Enterprise (correspondence) Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE • Athol Kerridge (Director, Corporate Services) • Ailsa Leacy (Director, Education and Training) • Kylie Lee (Faculty Director, Manufacturing and Built Environment) • David Taylor (Faculty Director, Faculty Business & Education - Director Warwick Campus and C4C Reference Group) • Courtney Jackson (Indigenous Student Support Officer) • Charlene Keller (Project Officer, Business and Education) Community • Sarah Buckler (Executive Regional Director – South Region, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation) • Craig Rutledge (Director Business and Industry Development, Strategic Projects and Planning, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation) • Mal Martin (Manager, Planning and Policy, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation) • Wanita Judge (Principal Officer - Regional Engagement and Strategic Projects, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation) • Vikki Seekamp (President, Queensland Chamber of Commerce and Industry) • Geoff McDonald (President, Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Industry) • Greg Johnson (Chief Executive Officer, Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce and Industry) • Charmaine Aldridge (Regional Planner, Community Services) • Elyce Bichel (Stakeholder Engagement and Partnering Program, GP Connections) • Jim Cavaye (Cavaye Community Development and C4C Reference Group) • Mark Cook-Long (Acting Resource Officer, Community Services, Sport and Recreation, Department of Communities)
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• Sue Gordon (Community Development Coordinator, The Advocacy and Support Centre (TASC)) • John Gouldson (Dornbusch Partners and C4C Reference Group) • Robin Grundon (Business Development Manager, Aon Risk Services Australia Limited and donnC4C Reference Group) • Garry Hansford (Program Coordinator and Community Support Worker, GP Conections and C4C Reference Group) • Sheena Liley (Empire Theatre and C4C Reference Group) • Tanya Pauli-Myler (Senior Health Promotion Officer, Queensland Health and C4C Reference Group) • Sergeant Tony Rehn (Crime Prevention Officer, Queensland Police Service and C4C Reference Group) • Barry Sheehan (Director, Centacare) • Donna Smith (Donna Smith Consulting and C4C Reference Group) • Ross Watt (Managing Director, Buchanan Advanced Composites and C4C Reference Group) • Ryan Williams (Regional Broadband Coordinator, Toowoomba to Arcadia Route, Department of Broadband, Communications and The Digital Economy) GraniteNet and Queensland College of Wine Tourism – Stanthorpe • Ray Humbly (President, GraniteNet Board) • Kath McLachlan (Community Development Coordinator, Community Development Services Inc and Member, GraniteNet Board) • Vicki Brown (Voluntary Trainer and Vice-President, GraniteNet Board) • Keith Barnett (Secretary, GraniteNet Board) • Maria Giacosa (Treasurer, GraniteNet Board) • Deborah Bailey (Voluntary Trainer and Member, GraniteNet Board) • Maria Rooney (Volunteer) • Sue Dean (Chair, Community Plan – Community Advisory Group) • Michael Jensen (Member, Community Plan – Community Advisory Group) • Mike Roselt (President, Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery)