COMMUNITY HOUSING NEEDS MORE CONSIDERATION IN A 21ST C CONTEXT

 

From: jack.bower@bigpond.com Date: Thursday, 8 August 2024 at 4:35 pm To: George Town Council , West Tamar Council , North Midlands Council , Meander Valley Council , Rosemary Armitage MLC , Archer, Bridget (MP) , Senator Polley , Felix Ellis , Dean Winter , Hon Clare O'Neil MP Cc: Examiner Editor , MERCURY , I43-1 , School of Architecture UTAS 

Subject: FW: AGAIN: Question on Notice .... COMMUNITY HOUSING 

To whom it may concern, 

I write now having just read the very disappointing response I have received from my question on notice to Launceston’s councillors and copied to those receiving this email. ........................... First of all, in the light of the seriousness of the city’s, indeed Australia’s, constituencies’ recalcitrant homelessness the Councillors find themselves totally unwilling commit to addressing the problem in any meaningful way. The proposition here is if you can see an issue and the social devastation it brings about, as a representative, you are obliged to muster the required resources needed to address it. ........................... More to the point, it was very disappointing to address my question to the councillors and to have received a response from a staff member who it seems, given the response, has questionable expertise relevant to my question. As well, I asked, “will Launceston Council in collaboration with adjoining councils now look with an open mind” and the answer I received indicated that Launceston Council has a closed mind on this, but to what end one must wonder. ........................... I had hopped that there might have been an indication that Launceston Council is intent on opening a conversation with adjoining councils but that seems very unlikely. From what I have been able to discover none of the councillors at Launceston have all that much direct experience as project designers of the kind needed to address the complex issues governments now need to address the housing issues they are confronted with. ........................... In Launceston well away from public view. Councillors seem to find comfort in keeping things the same and to continue to use the same bureaucratic machinery. There is no doubt that the self-satisfied are content with its plan for a new housing estate that will mirror the treeless lowest common denominator investment opportunities in metropolitan Australia. Today Council agreed to appoint a consultant without any hint of an open transparent deliberative consultation process. No Councillor raised the slightest concern about the community being sidelined. ........................... Also, at one Councillors likewise endorse Housing Tasmania’s plan for a ghetto next to Ravenswood where the rents will no doubt be just affordable for some and not so for all so many. ........................... Therefore, with this in mind ignoring homelessness and claiming that it is not an issue for a council it makes it possible look away day to day and look after their own interests in relative safety. This is not representative governance. ........................... However, there is no safety looking ahead as the numbers of those the economy leaves behind is likely to keep on growing leaving in its wake social mayhem, increasing direct activism, and with all the makings for disruptive dissidence none of which profits anyone in any way in the long term. ........................... To intensify the problem, currently governments rarely appoint architects to their administrations and when they do, their plans are set in stone. Therefore, the lowest common denominator always wins, it being the least threatening to the self-nominated incumbent’s world view. That is the thing that fails people looking for an innovative housing options for them, and relevant to their long-term aspirations. Not so curiously, it just seems to be the case and that the investment industry is quite happy with all that for now. ........................... However, it is said that it was not raining when Noah built his ark and likewise if we can sit quietly in the shade somewhere, it is because someone planted the tree, or they just stood aside and let that tree grow. ........................... Because governments, particularly local governments, are populated by self-nominating elected representatives this mitigates against there being a cohort of decision makers with all the appropriate expertise working for the common good. In so much of what any government needs to make good decisions, it is sound expert advice and the local Govt Act 1993 in Tasmania sort of guarantees that. How? Well, if you self-nominate and you are not Mother Teresa, your motives are always questionable. ........................... By extension when experts are appointed to fill credibility gaps, usually they are chosen by managements, who themselves are often challenged or the chosen are a part of their managerial network. They offer almost nothing that can be considered fault free, not suspected of being damaged goods. Even if that is ignored these experts ought not be granted the freedom that otherwise wouldn't have been believed possible. ........................... It is apocryphal that we should let this alone, as when the blind lead the blind the blind lead the blind, and both will fall into the ditch. The trouble being that there is a lot of looking away and the supposed way ahead has many more ditches to fall into. ........................... Achievers know that if they to achieve exceptional things, really big things, even ordinary things, just two things are required; a plan, and not quite enough time to do what needs doing. Urgency is a winner. ........................... The spiral towards some lowest common denominator begins when the time for it is allowed. This may well be an outcome that is fit for purpose on average, but not always, or even likely. Local distinctiveness is always that which is ignored or put aside in leu of some size fits call that most often turns out to be a very poor fit. ........................... The self-nominating pragmatists who claim representational authority turn out to be mere chancers in one sense and covert orchestrators for some cabal in another. Whereas real leadership is about unconditional regard for those leaders lead for and that being reciprocated. It’s about selflessness all round, and with the need to put the common good ahead of personal and sectional interests. ........................... What is often forgotten is out there in the community there are a great many experts who for their own reasons do not, indeed often will not or cannot, nominate for election, who have expert advice to offer. ........................... Recognising this, and the limitations of representational governance, it is the foundational rationale that underpins direct deliberative democracy initiatives. All the necessary expertise needed to deal with issues that require community endorsement is not to be found within any group who self-nominate nor among those they appoint to do their bidding. ........................... It stands to reason that if a problem seems to be intractable you throw everything you have available at it. However, political battles are won when the rich favour the winning but in community housing the battle should not be political. If it is, its lost cause. Napoleon was a great general because he knew that when he did win battles it was the expertise in warfare to be found within his armies. Lose sight of that and the battle is lost before a shot is fired. ........................... It is quite evident that right down to an individual, Launceston’s elected representatives are minding their own business and that is where the conflicts of interest are to be found. One or two will mouth platitudes and you can listen to what people say. But it is far more effective if you pay close attention to what a representative will and will not do. As in Britain right now great store can be placed in those who come out with their mops, brooms, and shovels to clean up the handiwork of the frighted and unintelligent fire bombers doing the bidding of the unintelligent status quoists. ........................... Without question a mindset shift is needed if Australia’s and Tasmania’s and in fact the region’s housing options and opportunities are to meet diversifying communities’ current needs and aspirations. Clearly, better understandings of community needs are required, and it is highly unlikely that they are well understood within the status quo bureaucratic planning structures that has evolved within local governance. ........................... Concerningly, today the City of Launceston voted to send the Mayor and the city CEO to a national housing conference with the subliminal factor being that they would be the informal representatives for the region therefore assuming a somewhat arrogant stance on housing. ........................... Converse to the City of Launceston’s stance, Citizens Juries and Assemblies have a record of successively providing expanded understandings, consequently by now there should be no realistic inhibition applying this method of direct and deliberative community consultation. ........................... Against the backgrounding set out here I am formally requesting that Tamar Regional Local Govts formally consider: 1. Initiating a formal open deliberative process that engages a broad-spectrum sampling of the aspirations of communities in the region; and 2. Proactively engage with each other regarding developing a diverse fit-for-purpose 21st C relevant strategies for people seeking to make a home relevant to their needs and aspirations so that the status quo can be challenged openly; and 3. Deliberately and actively engage with the wide range experts within the region who have a direct interest in developing a sustainable place to live and for various reasons have not self-nominated to serve on a governance body. I look forward to being advised of your respective determinations with considerable interest. ........................... Yours sincerely, JJ Bower