FEATURING ON STAGE
TOOLS FOR BUILDING
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY LIVING
PAST EVENT
#HousingActionNow
PUBLIC MEETING
SUNSHINE COAST
Saturday 19th March 2022
10am (10.30am - Speakers)
Maleny Lane
38 Maple St
MALENY QLD
THREE URGENT STEPS
SPEAKERS
AHTEE CHIA (B Arch, M Sc Social Ecology) • Event Organiser, Maleny Workgroup, polkadot
Town Planning, Communities & Tiny Housing
Ahtee Chia grew up in an extended family village living on a hillside where every person shared the family name of 'Chia', where respect for elders was shown, and people supported each other through community.
His fields of expertise include town planning, sustainable development, social ecology, architecture and design, and tai chi.
He is working on a local, state and national level with all the relevant advocacy groups on relaxing regulations on micro-housing (Tiny Houses) and is also playing a key role in our community submission to the Sunshine Coast City Council. He sees a future pathway for Tiny Housing, micro communities, Community Land Trusts (CLTs) and all the benefits they can bring in terms of Affordable Housing, as well as social and environmental benefits that may lead to a more meaningful way to live. He has also been working on a game-chaing efficient building system for affordable Tiny Houses.
DAVID Gookegen Nanangi PETERS • Performer, Yidaki
David's amazing presence and ability to navigate spellbinding emotion through his performances (using his Yidaki, perhaps similar to a Digeridoo) sends audiences on a journey through time and space building their connection to land and place and self.
He is also the co-director of G.M.U. (Gifted Murris Unit), and is an accomplished artist and jeweller, gifting the community his talents and energy to help others.
We are very much looking forward to having David join us on this day.
RICK PAGET • Coordinator, Maleny Neighbourhood Centre (MNC)
Facilitator, Maleny Workgroup
Homelessness & Social Support
Maleny Neighbourhood Centre's Co-ordinator & Development Worker, Rick has been witnessing first-hand the devastation of Homelessness is having on the community at the hands of Housing Affordability.
This entire initiative was hatched and facilitated by Rick Paget's community development work at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre.
Rick's career life work has been passionately focussing on life coaching and personal development as well as guidance and consultation, helping people discover and realise their purpose.
Cr DAVID LAW • Sunshine Coast City Council, Community Portfolio
Community & Social Health
Councillor David Law is genuinely and sincerely passionate about his portfolio and area of interest for the Sunshine Coast City Council being within the broader scope of 'Community', and to serve his represented constituency within Division 10.
Cr David Law is an accomplished community services manager and leader with considerable success improving the lives of people who are disadvantaged, by using a person-centered approach and upholding their human rights.
A dynamic and inspirational leader with a ‘make it happen’ attitude and approach to work with 12 years in Disability Employment Service.
David has spoken at our events previously and has been invited to join us o once again due to his deeply personal and sincere interest for the well-being of members of our community.
HELEN ANDREW • MC, Maleny Workgroup, PriorityPurpose
Multiple Dwellings on Rural Properties
Helen Andrew is an active changemaker on the Sunshine Coast.
Her story is about a lady isolated on the Sunshine Coast due to border closures to her home state of Western Australia. She was kindly offered her a place to park her caravan beside which she pursued gifting a permaculture organic garden to the property.
A notice of 28 days was shortly received ordering the caravan to be removed.
Helen helped play an organising role in the Sunshine Coast Council declaring a Climate Emergency, has been involved in social enterprises, an active member of Transition Towns Sunshine Coast, launching a food sharing app, technology and innovation, among many inspiring projects she has been involved.
ROB LANGSTAFF • Musician/Performer
Top Of The World
Rob is an exceptional musician and a local who grew up roaming freely on the fields of Reesville/Maleny. He has witnessed changes to the region. And not always for the better. He has documented this in song & verse.
Rob is a regular at the Front-Up Club on Monday nights at Maleny Lane, a feature artist at the Woodford Folk Festival, and performs at a myriad of local musician nights all around the region, with his wide repertoire of acoustic musical skills, genres, and talent that places him in an international league of truly talented musicians.
He may have written a song or two about the changes he has seen in his years around the area, and today he might just inspire us and make us laugh again with a couple of them.
JIMMY HIRST • Web & Event Organiser, MC, Maleny Workgroup, polkadot
Tiny Houses & Tiny Villages
Jimmy is a mainstream social change agent and has been advocating for greater sustainable living and community guided living principles.
He has beenworking on a new building system for affordable + mobile Tiny Housing, as well as an App that will help people place them under landsharing arrangements and create mutually beneficial synergies to enable Rural Farmworking & Aging in Place, while broadly building greater sustainable community living.
Find out about Tiny Houses & Tiny Villages. How they may be the key to creating connected and sustainable communities for the future. Learn how this type of eco smart, mobile housing can overcome community isolation and disconnection, and start to regenerate the small village living model for a more meaningful and effective way to live.
MICHAEL WOLF • Maleny Community Men's House, Elder Founder,
Community & Social Men's Health
Michael is a Manhood Educator and active community member, is one of our local heroes, helping people through the Maleny Community Men’s House, his home : an open door house that has been supporting men & women alike for over 25 years.
Michael has won several national awards for his suicide and domestic violence prevention programs. Maleny Community Men’s House helps place a roof over many people who have encountered difficulties in the current culture and are in need of support, a warm and compassionate ear, a couch to surf, and is a philanthropic venture from the whole Maleny community.
Michael use the First Nation proper law of Respect, responsibility and kindness for self and others. He has organised regular retreats for men, hosts a regular weekly potluck dinner and firepit, and opens his door warmly to anyone and everyone to join his community, and has played a key role in helping organise some of our amazing speakers for this event.
His invitation is to drop by for a cuppa and a yarn anytime.
ANDREW MCLEAN • Maleny Workgroup, Maleny Eco Village
Eco Villages Australia
Andrew McLean is one half of a powerful duo advocating for more eco village living by doing it.
Maleny Eco Village is perched adjacent to the Maleny Showgrounds, a former collective, which has been transitioned into a popular residential and educational center for sustainable community living.
As well as being our Local Greens Candidate, Andrew is a sincere, active and authentic representative for the values and practices of ecovillage living, as well as an active new member of the Maleny Community and wishes to see more progress through in these areas politically.
GINETTE FLAMIA • Maleny Community House
Affordable Housing for Women
Ginette Flamia is an intelligent, well-spoken, and proud mother, yet has recently has found herself couch-surfing to simply keep a roof over her head.
Ginette is not alone. Many women have been "hung out to dry" increasingly finding it difficult to find housing in their chosen communities of interest, forced to relocate to sometimes hostile and insecure faraway housing, some even living in their cars.
Ginette was recently lucky to receive a lifelife at the Maleny Community House invited by Amanda Joy and Michael "Laughing Wolf" to be offered a bed until she could find a more stable living situation.
Maleny Community House has a history of extending a roof for many people who have encountered difficulties in the current culture and economy and are in need of support, and it is a philanthropic venture backed by an established town local.
Dr JASON HILDER (PhD) • CoCreating.Community
CoHousing & Eco Hamlets
After spending many decades conducting academic and practical research on intentional communities (ICs) he has found that those which developed an holistic approach to their community lived more affordably, socially connected, were ecologically regenerative and culturally aware.
Following the founding work of the Global Ecovillage Network, he has formed this new social enterprise with the aim of supporting the development of regenerative communities that are socially, ecologically, economically and culturally regenerative.
Jason sees a future for more cohousing, smaller eco hamlets, engaging a company title methodology to help people invest, grow and form regenerative communities and acts as a professional consultant available to work in this field.
Jason's new enterprise can be found at cocreating.community
BRUCE THE CABBIE • Maleny Local
Locals Under Housing Distress
Bruce has seen it all.
He has been driving the cabs around Maleny & surrounds for many years, an embedded popular and caring Maleny local with his finger on the pulse and very much a communitarian who has been witnessing the despair many residents have been suffering through the escalating cost of housing in Maleny for many years even before the mass migration due to covid-19.
Bruce may be sharing some heart-breaking stories of how the escalating price of housing has been eroding the very community values that have been built by the strongly community-minded folk Maleny over the decades, which we are losing through the needless over-commoditization of land & property.
BACKGROUNDER
Let your local member know what you want from the new planning scheme. Your feedback early in the process will influence the preparation of the proposed planning scheme.
Make it personal, express your concerns and share how they could use the new planning scheme to increase housing affordability, housing diversity and reduce homelessness. Each area of the Sunshine Coast will have different housing needs, let’s try and get a planning scheme that meets them. What residents near the beach want when it comes to housing affordability will be different from those living on rural properties?
They must read and respond to every email/letter they receive, after all, they are our elected representatives, and we are their constituents/clients.
Direct contact is the most effective, tried-and-tested method for citizens to bring about regulatory change.
And it works.
We are all experiencing housing or lack of housing in different ways. It is important that our elected representatives understand how it is affecting you. It is important to share, here are some suggestions.
Surveys do not capture your stories or thoughts, but it is important our councillors hear directly from you. Share your own story, your current experience, and what you want in the future.
Everyone should have a home, but many don’t. Access to housing have become tight for many residents of the Sunshine Coast. Homelessness is increasing at a rapid rate, houses are becoming unaffordable, and the rental vacancy rate is almost zero. It common to have 60 to 70 people at a rental inspection. Many are suffering, stressed, and depressed, not knowing if they will have to move away from family and long standing friends to find cheaper housing.
Sunshine Coast Council is preparing a new planning scheme that will replace the current Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014. The new plan process is anticipated to take two to three years to complete. We are at the initial step, the preliminary public consultation stage. An opportunity for us to have our say and what we would like in the new town plan.
Here is an overview of the New Planning Scheme - https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Development/Planning-Documents/New-Sunshine-Coast-Planning-Scheme/Preliminary-consultation
To learn more, there are several online information sessions for each local community https://haveyoursay.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/newplanningscheme/information-sessions
We have a rare opportunity to influence how our council tackles housing affordability in our new town plan. If we want to improve our housing diversity beyond typical suburban houses, high density housing like Aura, apartments, and retirement villages, then we need to let them know of the viable affordable alternatives. What type of housing do you want and how would you like to see it developed. If we want something different that meets our changing need, we need to speak up. Take the survey to let them know what you think or tell them how you are experiencing housing stress in the survey links above.
If you are experiencing homelessness or housing distress, or know someone who is, please contact us.
We have a rare and limited opportunity to have our voices heard. Please use this opportunity in the three ways we have mentioned. The last thing you can do is please share this with your community/network. The more people who contribute, the better the outcome.
Thank You & Love From Us
Maleny Workgroup on Housing Affordability & Homelessness
Initiated by the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre + Affiliated Centres
Also in support of this project -
• Maleny Neighbourhood Centre (Initiating Organisation) - https://www.malenync.org.au/
• Maleny Community House: (Michael "Laughing Wolf")
• Glasshouse Over 55s Women's Accommodation
• Polkadot Community Incorporated Association
• Eco Villages Australia - https://www.ecovillages.com.au
• Tiny Towns Australia
• Dr Jason (DJ) Hilder (PhD) - https://cocreating.community/
• Tiny Rooms
• Smart Living Society Incorporated
• Tiny Homes Expo (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne)
• Transition Towns Sunshine Coast
+ Participating Regional Neighbourhood Centres