By JONATHON HOWARD
CHAIR of Noosa Biosphere Limited (NBL), Dr Sue Davis, has spoken out about Noosa Council’s restructuring of the NBL which she says is a move in the wrong direction.
In an exclusive interview with Noosa Today, Dr Davis said the NBL group had been under a “sustained guerilla campaign” to dislodge the group and which ultimately led to the restructure.
Dr Davis recently announced her resignation as NBL chair, effective from June 30, after Noosa Council agreed upon a restructure of the UNESCO recognised Noosa Biosphere.
Noosa Today asked Dr Davis to answer five questions and her responses are provided in full below:
1. Could you please highlight some of the key successes Noosa Biosphere Ltd achieved during the past five years?
In real terms it has been the establishment of a relatively inexpensive model for promoting awareness of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve program and maintaining a community/council advisory and governance function under an amalgamated council.
We have worked hard to maintain an independent voice, providing spaces for professional discussion in considering community issues. When there have been differences of opinion we have looked at the different perspectives and evidence-base and tried not to get embedded in local adversarial politics. Interactions have been collaborative, informed and open.
In terms of more tangible outcomes these include the development of a comprehensive website, brochures and info sheets, the establishment of the Partners Program, annual Biosphere Festivals, hosting a successful international conference, hosting regular visitations by international student groups and delegations, strategic projects such as the Climate Change Action Plan and State of the Biosphere Report and many, many more.
NBL has recently been invited by UNESCO to attend a series of international biosphere reserve meetings (attendance fully funded by them). They see our progress in six years as a ‘success story’ that they wish to share with other biosphere reserve managers. That is something we can be proud of, yet it is deeply disappointing that we haven’t had that level of recognition and support (by Noosa Council) at home.
2. What in your opinion is driving change and the closure of Noosa Biosphere Ltd (NBL)?
The reasoning given has changed over time and I guess you could talk about the differences between the stated and unstated reasons.
Noosa Council says it’s to set up an entity that is not, in the end, ‘owned’ by Council and can apply for other funding, but really they could have changed the existing company structure and worked with the existing Noosa Community Environment Trust to do that.
In the background there has also been a sustained guerilla campaign waged against NBL since its inception. Some people, including Noel Playford, Tony Wellington, Michael Gloster and their NPA offshoot, Noosa Biosphere Association, never accepted the legitimacy of NBL as a Noosa-based, independently minded organization and previously had called for it to be disbanded. So I guess one shouldn’t be surprised that now Noel Playford is Mayor that is exactly what is happening.
3. Could you please outline your concerns for the future of Noosa without NBL? And how could these concerns impact the community?
In the short term, we’ve lost about a year’s worth of activity and opportunities to build on positive community awareness, developing Biosphere related tourism opportunities and other products and projects. It is now going to take many months before the new entities will be up and running effectively.
I think there has been significant collateral damage from this whole process as well. Many of the current Biosphere board members and partners feel very devalued and disaffected. It has felt like the efforts of those volunteers who have already been ‘doing’ for the Biosphere Reserve enterprise have been cast aside in favour of the critics who have been standing on the sidelines. Going forward, some people may be completely put off by all the argy bargy over the Biosphere and not want to stay involved. So there is the real possibility of the loss of local talent and commitment from very good people.
4. What message would you like to give our readers in relation to Council’s handling of NBL?
Noosa Council went into this biosphere review saying it was all about ‘community engagement’. This is not what good community engagement looks like, sounds like or smells like! We proposed they set up a cross-sectoral reference group to demonstrate community consultation and to take advantage of grassroots biosphere experience and different perspectives, but it didn’t happen. Also, the periods of time given for community input, and then responses to their first draft, were extremely short. Finally, as a result of the last Council report, a brand new, complex structure was introduced and approved two business days later, with no community consultation.
The minutes of the Council meeting gives little detail but, after the initial establishment of the Trust, it seems that Noosa Biosphere enterprise will be handed to five individuals of Council’s choosing – “Captain’s picks” essentially – with the Noosa community having no say or power over what the Trust does. The Trust will be self-perpetuating and unelected.
This seems to be a strange way to promote ‘bottom up’ management and also demonstrate a shared ownership of the enterprise between Council and the Noosa community. Over time there is a real danger of the new Association and the Trust being at odds with each other, or competing, especially when you consider Noosa’s unfortunate history of power plays over the Biosphere.
5. Lastly, will you continue the fight for Noosa’s biosphere, perhaps in other ways?
The principles of what Noosa Biosphere Ltd has been about are part of who I am. I will probably take some time out to repair and recuperate and just focus on doing some things I enjoy and that sustain me. I have a lovely project I’m working on with the Sydney Theatre Company that is going to be trialed next term, looking at focusing on sustainability issues through drama and the arts with early childhood educators. I will also continue to support the efforts of Biosphere Partner organizations, such as NICA and Noosa and District Landcare, and also reconnect with my creative community and endeavours.
Life goes on and we can all make decisions about what we do and how we do it. I therefore encourage everyone to embrace the Spirit of the Biosphere – showing care and compassion for our environment and our community.
