Caloundra youth jail plan sparks community leaders’ comments on consultation process

Prominent community figures have weighed in on consultation processes as a stoush erupts over a youth jail plan in Caloundra.

Community consultation over a controversial new youth jail proposed for Caloundra is about to kick off as leaders weigh in on current public engagement processes.

The state government has proposed to turn the Caloundra Watchhouse into a youth remand centre understood to be up to 30 beds in capacity.

Sunshine Coast councillor Terry Landsberg called for the state government to abandon the $16m, five-year plan and engage in “genuine consultation” with the community before it proceeded.

On Friday Mr Landsberg acknowledged the state government would have its own guidelines but he would like to see the community given as long as possible to have its say.

He said the council’s mass transit consultation process had been almost eight weeks long and a standard material change of use application could include 15-30 days of consultation.

Mr Landsberg, who noted he had a strong working relationship with Caloundra MP Jason Hunt, said it was difficult to keep everyone informed with so many different media platforms available.

Caloundra Watchhouse is set to become a youth detention centre. Picture: Tegan Annett

He said his “biggest concern” from a community perspective was that consultation on the proposed youth remand centre was objective and the public’s views were taken into account.

He said it was a “major change of use” for the facility and its impact on the community would be significant.

Mr Landsberg said the new term of Sunshine Coast Council had been “very strong on transparency”.

“We just want to see that transparency from the state government,” he said.

Mr Landsberg also responded to questions about some criticism of the council’s mass transit consultation process and whether he considered it to have been genuine.

He said he attended all pop-up meetings in his division and one in Division 3.

“I was impressed with the officers’ approach and listening to the local residents’ concerns,” Mr Landsberg said.

He said he was looking forward to picking apart the data collated from the feedback and hearing views of residents around the region.

But The Beach Matters spokeswoman Rachael Bermingham questioned the consultation process carried out for the proposed mass transit project.

The appointment of a Brisbane-based firm to conduct the consultation and PricewaterhouseCoopers as a business case advisor were points of interest for the community campaigner.

“You can hire whoever you want to sing your song, but is that genuine consultation?” she said.

“We totally agree that community consultation done right can show a true view of what the community really wants to see.

She said that should be facilitated by a locally-based, independent company who offered a transparent, unbiased directive and detailed report.

“It’s when feedback is not encouraged or directed to a particular outcome that the community gets angry – we saw lots of that in the mass transit community engagement,” she said.

“It needs to be genuine and transparent across the board.”

Caloundra MP Jason Hunt said on Friday consultation on the proposed youth remand centre would kick off “next week” through ministerial meetings with Mr Landsberg and a community group.

Mr Hunt said the facility already existed as accommodation for “short term custodial management”.

“The meeting and the processes will roll out next week and will involve myself, the Minister and representatives from the department,” Mr Hunt said.

Mr Hunt said he thought Sunshine Coast Council had undertaken a “very lengthy and wide-ranging consultation process” in relation to its proposed mass transit project.

“With the Sunshine Coast growing as rapidly as it is, I am very pleased that as many public transport options as possible are up for consideration,” he said.

Nicklin MP Robert Skelton was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline.