3. Workshop Results

Following is the information that was developed from the participants, working in the four groups - Economy, Society, Well-being and Nature.

TCC Deputy Mayor, Manager Council Parks Services and
State Government representative from EPA.

Profiling the City
The first part of the workshop considered the Assets and Concerns within the City of Townsville. "Assets" are positive attributes, things that are working, the solid legacy of the past. "Concerns" are worries about the future, based on perceptions of current trends.

Participants, were encouraged to also consider any Current Conditions or Problems that might create additional future Concerns, and any Key Values that might be additional Assets. These were the results.

Economy Assets

• Good Transportation / logistics potential
• Development of Sustainable Industries for the future
• Community / social capacity to support growth (lifestyle)
• Tourism Potential
• Industry Cluster tropical health
• Major Employers Defence
• Employment Generation
• International Geographic location
• Strategic Integrated Approach
• Minerals Processing Value Adding potential
• Human capital expertise
• Deep water port
• Diversity of investment
• Broad Economic base
• Industry cluster - marine science
• Manufacturing potential (range of industry sectors)
• Education Potential
• Regional Strategic geographic location
• Attractive Natural Resources
• Agribusiness Potential
• Townsville Port Authority
• Mineral processing
• Tourism GBR (Great Barrier Reef)
• Primary Agriculture / fisheries
• Strand
• Education R&D (Research & Development)
• River - urban sprawl
• Defence
• People

Society Assets

• Regional hospital
• Sporting institution
• Cultural institutions
• ATSIC (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission) groups
• People internal growth age distribution
• Health of population
• Diverse means of transport into & out of city (air, train, bus, road)
• Educational institutions are represented
• Range of commercial organisations
• Range of employment base opportunities
• Habitats and Locations
• Tourism Opportunities
• Lifestyle and place activities
• Job security
• Lifestyle

Wellbeing Assets

• Clean air, water, & natural environment Access to services / facilities in a compact setting -(size of Townsville eg. airport, university etc.)
• Type of people, laidback friendly, helpful city
• Diversity, natural and social
• Diversity of economy and industries
• University
• Healthy lifestyle
• Regional Location
• Natural Assets
• Sense of Community
• Travel Time
• Climate
• Proximity

Nature Assets

• Hilltops
• Woodlands
• Wetlands
• Magnetic Island
• Reef
• Diverse Habitats
• Coastlines
• Aesthetic Landscapes
• Bird life
• Fauna
• Flora
• Dry Rainforest
• Wet Closed Forest
• Undisturbed Nature
• Connectivity
• Clean Air and Water
• Tranquillity
• Land

Economic Concerns

• Potential Loss of Knowledge
• Declining Minerals Resources
• Over Dependency on key Industries and infrastructure (hospitals / education)
• Public Sector Investment
• Design for Competitiveness and competitive regional advantage now to ensure City is competitive in the future
• Dependency on natural resource economies
• Minerals resources
• Water availability - agribusiness
• Knowledge retention - how to focus on global market
• Perception of declining resource industries - need to consider alternatives
• Community bearing cost of sustainability
• Internationally competitive electricity
• Solid social support services / infrastructure
• Knowledge based potential - design
• Professional arts industry
• Internationally competitive gas Services Potential

Representatives from the State (EPA & State Development), Townsville Port Authority (TPA),
TCC and CoT Managers in the Economy Group discuss Sustainable Townsville.

Social Concerns

• Fast growth of the City - no time for effective planning and reflection
• Access to regional hospital
• Lack of collaboration between educational institutions
• Capacity of CAN.org (Coordinated Assistance Network) is to provide services
• How socio / economic guages access to services / facilities
• Demographic sustainability - movement of people from Ayr / Ingham
• Preparedness / understanding / awareness of sustainability
• Access to facilities - transport / disability access
• High level of alienation, re: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Social cohesion
• Growing social isolation Community safety
• Affordable Housing

Wellbeing Concerns

• Job Diversity
• Job Opportunities
• Loss of Life Style
• Safety
• Quality of Shopping
• Public Transport
• Taxes
• Quality Schooling
• Lack of Diversity of communications (wireless)
• Lack of Sophistication

Nature Concerns

• Open space and parkland: Community participation - management and maintenance cost - protection from development
• Water availability & quality of water: Management - creek to coral - compartmentalised raw water - ecosystem - support for human uses - wastewater management - future needs
• Southbank: Fishing nursery close to Townsville - large extensive area measuring productivity - carrying capacity - monitoring/survey
• Ross River & Ross Creek: Water quality - weed management - Recreational access - scenic amenity - habitat - (including banks) - fauna
• Renewable energy: Solar - wind - biofuels - hydro
• Renewable - Amount energy generated - energy used - efficiency - opportunities
• Flora & Fauna: Biodiversity of Townsville - Survey - what we are losing - habitat restoration - weeds / pests
• Air quality: Travel-smart - smog density - respiratory health - visibility - chemical congestion (particulates - urban load)
• Ecotourism opportunities: Visitor numbers - qualitative surveys - to measure visitor reactions - ID ventures - low management - frequency of use

The Natural Systems Group - Nature

• Vegetation management: 60% good quality
• Vegetation Management - amount clearing - satellite images loss - significance
• Beaches: Strand - Rowes Bay Pallarenda - Cungulla
• Amenity - visitation - native condition - cleanliness - erosion + recovery $ - water safety
• Urban oasis: Green city (going up)
• Amenity - community participation (RA) - cost of managing water cost
• Marine environment - Fringing coral reefs - seagrass - box??
• Health of marine - reproduction of animals - safety
• Landscape - backdrop - Mt Stuart - Mt Elliot - dry tropical savannah and vine thickets
• Scenic beauty - appreciation - loss and management - opportunities for recreation - walking/bikeways
• Traditional owners - role in shaping & managing landscape
• Traditional owner involvement in planning and implementation
• Towns Common wetlands - Serpentine Lagoon, water quality - vegetation diversity and quality - fire management - weed / pest management - community ownership
• Floodplain: compartmentalised - Stuart - Louisa - Lakes
• Floodplain - urban impacts - erosion - flooding - degradation - water quality
• Wetlands - Wider asset - neighbour - landscapes and environments - Thuringowa - Paluma - Burdekin - Dalrymple - Hinchinbrook
• condition of - amount retained - management of
• Magnetic Island - World Heritage Area - Koala sanctuary
• village like - population management - native title
• Regional waste management - disposal quantities - recycle rates - water / environmental quality monitoring - rate of rationalisation of landfill facilities - compliance - unit costs - litter levels

Contents:

Executive Summary

1. Council Executive Briefing
2. Business and Community Partners Executive Briefing
3. Townsville Have Your Say (THYS) sustainability presentation