IF you can imagine the look and sound of a government department kicking and screaming all the way to Beerwah, you will have a fair idea of Transport and Main Roads’ mood a couple of weeks ago.
A small group of bureaucrats was sent up the Bruce Highway to address mounting frustration over the lack of information surrounding the proposed demolition of the Beerwah Co-Op to make way for a four-storey car park and retail development.
What locals are asking for is not radical.
It is basic respect. When decisions will directly affect a town, the people who live there deserve clear explanations and timely information, not silence followed by reluctant appearances.
Instead, Transport and Main Roads managed to avoid the larger public meeting held the night before, opting for a quieter session with the Co-Op board and the Heart of Beerwah Action Group. That choice was noticed.
So too was the absence of political representation, particularly from the Member for Caloundra, Kendall Morton.
Those who did attend were told the department was listening.
Whether that listening extends beyond the room remains to be seen. There has certainly been little urgency in answering basic questions put to the department by GC&M News, despite ample time to do so.
Talk of an information centre opening in the coming months suggests the department may finally understand that keeping people in the dark is not a strategy.
We will believe it when we see it.
Given the scale of disruption the Beerwah to Nambour project is already causing, and will continue to cause, getting ahead of the message with the Wave rail expansion should be obvious.
There is a worrying habit in politics that once a decision is made, community buy-in becomes optional.
The thinking appears to be that if a project is happening, people will simply have to accept it.
That approach creates its own problems. The Opposition has clearly sensed an opening, reflected in the visit by Shadow Transport Minister Bart Mellish last week.
And regardless of which side of the tracks or fence you sit on, one truth holds firm: when information is withheld, the vacuum will be filled. Rarely with facts.
All in on community
It is great to see some genuinely positive and valuable initiatives getting off the ground early in the year.
As Sonia reports this week, the Beerwah Neighbourhood Centre has launched, fulfilling a long-term vision that gives locals a place to access support services and build social ties.
You do not need to be Einstein to understand how important this is in today’s world.
Read the full story on the next page. We also have pictures from the Australia Day Expo, a great initiative of the MDSRC that connects people with local groups and organisations (p8–9).
Happy reading!