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Ministerial Regional Community ForumQUT Carseldine Regional ProposalLinda Carroli
Over a year ago, the Community Forum became aware of the pendingclosure of QUT’s Carseldine campus, located on the outer northernsuburbs of Brisbane. From January 2009, the campus will no longer beused for teaching. The Greater Brisbane Community Forum has identifiedthis as an opportunity to undertake a bit of an experiment to enhanceBrisbane’s northern corridor. The University will retain possession of thesite so that it can recommence teaching at a later date. Presently, it isconsidering options for interim uses. The opportunity to step into a ready-made facility is rare in a suburban area and one we shouldn’t let slipthrough our fingers.After preliminary and informal consultation about embracing thisopportunity, we are proposing:
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Establishment of a new and emerging business hub emphasising socialenterprise and flexible space and facilities for small businesses
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Streaming of some of the activities of the state government’s proposedDesign Centre to develop heightened awareness of environment,design, urban and architectural issues and ideas
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Accommodation for non-profit organisations and social enterprises This is consistent with and would support some of the other proposals forthe campus under consideration such as establishing a knowledgeprecinct. This proposal outlines some of the reasons why it makes sensefor the government, community and QUT to collaborate to explorepossible uses for the Carseldine campus so as to enhance community andeconomic development along the northern corridor. Some of the slidesbehind me show aspects of the suburban and regional context.
 
 This proposal has specific regional relevance because of:
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Potential for innovative, diverse and new enterprises along thenorthern corridor of Greater Brisbane2.A lack of suitable office accommodation for community groups andnon-profit organisations in the northern region.
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A growing interest in social enterprise and growth in this sector beyondcharitable non-profits – some of the slides show the diversity of socialenterprise in the Brisbane region4.Growing concern about environmental sustainability in relation tourban planning and design issues in suburban growth areas The Northern Corridor has been identified as an area warranting andrequiring social and economic development and diversity. This has beenexpressed by Brisbane North Development Forum and is explicit in theSEQ Regional Plan, which clearly shows fewer industry and economiccentres on the northside than the southside. The Forum has also been made aware of social and economicdisadvantage hotspots along the northern corridor indicating a need forstrategically located social services and linkages. Accommodation forcommunity groups and non-profit organisations is a region-wide issue andhas been reported to forum members by several sources. It is particularlymarked in the northern region due to weaker interagency links and lack of government owned/developed infrastructure. Carseldine campus isalready used for community purposes including office space for Catalyst Youth Arts and as a meeting place for the North Brisbane region elders.Social enterprise is a growing sector in Australia. This sector will growmore dynamically if appropriately resourced and regarded as a legitimatebusiness activity. There is a cafe on the campus which may be an idealcontext for a social enterprise or catering business incubator. The AspleySpecial School next door also operates an environment and recycling
 
social enterprise. While several social enterprise networks have emergedin Brisbane, the government has not yet developed policy focused on the Third Sector as an economic driver. In this respect, this proposal has adirect relationship to the Forum’s work on non-profit governance whichwe’ve heard about today. The facility can develop as a hub of socialinnovation. There is growing concern, if not urgency, about environmentalsustainability in relation to urban planning and design issues in suburbangrowth areas. The state government is planning to develop a DesignCentre in the inner city within an established creative precinct. We wantand need a design centre and strategy for the whole community and thewhole region, not just another city-centric cultural institution. The campushouses professional standard theatre and gallery that could be used todeliver some of the program activity of the Design Centre, particularlythose concerned with environmental, urban design, architecture andsustainability issues. The Carseldine campus presents a vehicle for a moredispersed approach to environmental, urban and design education,particularly given the extent of land release in the northern sub-region.Of particular interest is the identification of Fitzgibbon, adjacent to theCarseldine campus, as a potential priority area by the Urban LandDevelopment Authority (ULDA). A decision on this is pending.
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 The ULDA works with local and state government, community, locallandholders and the development industry to help deliver commerciallyviable developments that include diverse, affordable, sustainablehousing, using best-practice urban design.
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As well as planning and development assessment, the ULDA will alsodevelop key sites and priority infrastructure within selected urbanareas. The opportunity exists to pilot an approach to infrastructure atQUT that could inform the development of infrastructure in theFitzgibbon UDA.
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