Visions in Leisure and Business Volume 14 Number 4 Article 2 1996 Building Community Commitment for a Region's Future: The Case of Port Stephens, Australia Harold Richins The University of New Castle Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions Recommended Citation Richins, Harold (1996) "Building Community Commitment for a Region's Future: The Case of Port Stephens, Australia," Visions in Leisure and Business: Vol. 14 : No. 4 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/visions/vol14/iss4/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Visions in Leisure and Business by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. BUILDING COMMUNITY COMMITMENT FOR A REGION'S FUTURE: THE CASE OF PORT STEPHENS, AUSTRALIA BY DR. HAROLD RICHINS,SENIOR LECTURER AND TOURISM COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF LEISURE AND TOURISM STUDIES THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY DRIVE CALLAGHAN, NEW SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION With tremendous growth in coastal A number of coastal communities of · communities of Australia within the last two Australia have seen tremendous growth in decades, intense pressures have been placed the last 10-20 years due primarily to on localcommunities, especiallyin the areas increased interest in domestic and where tourism is a growing phenomenon. international tourism. In addition, there has People living in these sensitive regions have been strong movement away from cities been searching for long term solutions. (over 80% of Australian live in cities), There are many challenges, however, in where people have sought "lifestyle" meeting the needs and dealing with the changes and the dream to "live in paradise." complex relationships between tourists, This growthhas created intense pressures on residents, investors, providers of tourist and local commumnes in culturally and lifestyle experiences, non-government and environmentally sensitive regions. (Figure 1 government organisations. To meet these graphically shows this exodus of people in difficulties, community groups have the regionsnear Sydney.) attempted to gain local awareness of the costs and benefits of more responsible, In order to minimise the potential negative community based approaches to tourism and impacts of increased tourism, recreational other types of developments. This paper home and residential development, people looks at how a community that has been living in these sensitive areas have looked embracing tourism while allowing increased for long term solutions. The complex residential development in a sensitive relationships between tourists, residents, region, is also attempting to facilitate investors, providers of tourist and lifestyle interaction and influence decision making experiences, non-government and govern­ within the community. ment organisations, however, have created great challenges in meeting their needs. With their diverse needs and little interest in integrating their needs, communities have often felt disenfranchised. 5 To meet these difficulties, community Others have expanded on the nature by groups have attempting to gain local which the community participation process awareness of the costs and benefits of more is effective (4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 20, 33). A responsible, community based approaches to number of key elements in community tourism and other developments. In involvement are identified below. addition increased interest, involvement and a feeling of empowerment of people in the decision process has led to potential for Elements of Community Involvement decisions that are "in the best interests" of a broaderrange of the community. Elements of community involvement have included: the commitment communities This paper will look at how a community have to provide for local involvement, the that has been embracing tourism as well as a understanding of local attitudes toward strong growth in residential development, is decisions on future policy as well as also attempting to facilitate interaction and individual projects, the development goals influence decision making within the and priorities coming from local residents, community. The issues covered by this the extent of involvement and consultation paper include aspects of community including a multi-level and multi-sector participation and involvement in the approach, the stages of the planning and decision processes and how cooperative development process that should include actions can affect the potential for balance community participation, the continuous or parity within a community regarding its nature the involvement process, the future sustainability. In discussing these flexibilityin attempting differentapproaches issues, the community of Port Stephens in for different situations, and the synergistic New South Wales, Australia, which has seen approach a community can take in order to sizeable pressures from tourism and recent achieve a "win-win" type of outcome. A lifestyle change, will be traced over a ten number of elements that have been year pericxl up to 1995. Finally, a number embraced by a number of writers are of approaches, gained from the Port included in Figure 2. Stephens case study will be suggested in moving toward balance and long term These elements of community involvement sustainability within a community. areelaborated further below: Providing opportunityfor local involvement: COMMUNITYINPUT AND A number of writers have pointed to the PARTICIPATION need of providing real opportunities for local involvement and consultation in the Input from the community has been a decision process (7, 9, 10, 14, 17). Few, crucial area of consideration in tourism as however, have discussed how that process well as other types of development. might take place and what approaches are Community participation in the planning, the most effective or ineffective. There is development, implementation ·and monitor­ some evidence that has shown a lack of ing of tourism projects has been mentioned comprehensiveness in the involvement of by numerous writers as an important local residents due to motivations and component in the decision making process. interests within the community (26). 6 Understanding local attitudes: Dowling static, but should be an interactive and discussed the importance of tourism continuous process in seeking out and developers taking account of local incorporatingdiverse views (8). community attitudes, including: "the way Flexibleapproaches to tourism planning: A that a local unaltered environment number of approaches have been attempted contributesto a community's sense of place" in utilising community participation in (7). Keogh, however, discussed the tourism planning. Some of these are difficulties in gammg representative elaborated below: Inskeep outlined a understanding of first, the informationneeds method for maximum involvement of the and then the attitudes of local community community in both the planning as well as residents (15). the decision-making process of tourism. This would involve "participation in the Goals and priorities that come from actual development and management" of residents: D'Amore, in his studies of tourism projects (13). Haywood discussed tourism development in Canadian communi­ "a tourism planning committee with ies, suggested that tourism development representatives from all sectors of a goals should be identified primarily by local community" (12). In a more involved residents (4 ). approach, Inskeep suggested the creation of . "tourism advisory boards that involve all Multi-level involvement of diverse sectors stakeholders" (13). In the late 1980's, including the community: While Alberta put forward an elaborate involvement in an integrated manner of a "Community Tourism Action Program" diverse group of affected parties, has been which included a four step awareness, proposed, (14, 3) recognition of the need to information sharing, assistance and public increase the involvement of "community input process. This process was intended to groups, environmental groups, industry assist commumbes (defined as any groups and the general public has also been incorporated municipal jurisdiction) to take put forward (3). Public participation ownership of where they wanted t� aim, through a multi-level approach has recently regarding tourism (33). been discussed in the development of local and regional coastal planning. This includes Synergistic relationships and a consensus of a range of levels from the development of opinion: Murphy's work suggested "that if more comprehensive policies to involve­ the public and private groups are given the ment on specificdevelopment projects (3 ). chance to participate at an early stage there is sufficient consensus of opinion to permit Participation during each stage of the broadly based planning objectives" . (21). planning process: Public participation has This indicates that, with constructive and been shown to be more effective at each facilitated contact between diverse groups stage of the planning process, and especially on policy and specific projects there can be at the earliest possible stage. This is "before greater potential for consensus, and commitments are made and battle lines therefore improved results. Murphy also drawn (21). suggested that the most positive working relationship will be a "synergistic one, Continuous process of involvement: where... parties are seen to gain from each Dowling suggested that the community other's