Port Hedland Community Development Strategy - Case Study Example

Running Head: Port Hedland Community Development Strategy Port Hedland Community Development Strategy: Name: University: Date: ABSTRACT: The main aim of this paper is to provide a well planned long term solution to problems faced by the Port Hedland community. The community is faced with a number of challenges including lack of accommodation and the lack of infrastructure. The principles of community development, the rational planning approach and community based focus are discussed and some of the challenges that are likely to be faced when implementing plans. INTRODUCTION: A community can be defined as a group interacting individuals who share common beliefs, culture, interest or location. With reference to Port Hedland the community can be defined as all the individuals living in Port Hedland who pursue the same economic interest which is iron ore mining. The community has low social capital given that the most individuals are not actively involved in the life of the community due to their temporary residence characteristic. Port Hedland community has faced many challenges that would be resolved through proper planning, the iron ore mining is the main economic activity in the area and it offers high wage rates. The main problem is that out of 2.6 billion generated from the mining activity only 2 million is returned to the council for development. The indigenous people are the main losers, they receive loyalty fees from the mining companies who mine their land but over the years the families have increased and the loyalty payment has been close to nothing and families are now living two to three in one room. The state government releases land for private development in small quantities and irregular basis, this has resulted into high house prices and high rent rates, houses at pretty pool costs over 1.3 million and rent rates in this area are as high as 1,400 per week. Majority of workers however live in the caravan park where rent rates are 250 per week but the waiting list is long. The area also faces high alcohol consumption, crime and antisocial behavior problems, there is nothing for entertainment and many individuals result into alcohol consumption. Other individuals take Amphetamine and this has increased violence behavior among individuals, lawlessness has also increased given that individuals are away from home and that they are not accountable to anyone. The indigenous people are the main looser given that only 2 million out of 2.6 billion revenue is returned for purposes of development, the fly in fly outers take the money and run and this has resulted into unsustainable development of South Hedland. Majority of individuals feel that the area has no infrastructure and therefore cannot live in the area for long despite high revenue collected from the economic activity. ISSUES AFFECTING THE COMMUNITY: The major issues affecting the Port Hedland community is accommodation problems, house and rent rates are relatively high. According to the documentary the community is endowed with land but the government releases this land for private development at irregular basis. According to real estate developers in order for the government to release land the demand for land private developers need to prove demand for the land, therefore as a result of high demand the real estate agents result into increasing rent rates to over $1400 a week. The other problem facing the community is excessive alcohol consumption, according to local police officers in the region excessive alcohol consumption by individuals has been one major problem in the region. Residents state that there is nothing much to do in the area and therefore they result into alcohol consumption. The high consumption of alcohol has also resulted into lawlessness by individuals whereby individuals are away from home and are not answerable to anyone. The other problem is lack of social amenities such as schools and hospitals and this has resulted into non settlement in the area, many individuals do not settle in the area and the reason given include lack of land and high rent rates and house prices, The other problem is that workers will only work for a few weeks and then leave the area and they are referred to as fly in fly outers, people will earn money in the area and when they have and enough they will leave the region. The other problem is that revenue generated from the economic activity in the area does not benefit the region, according to the documentary 2.6 billion is generated from the mining activity and only 2 million is returned to the council and this result into unsustainable development. Structural issues: Local authority land release policies have greatly affected the community, the lack of planning and unsustainable development of the area has resulted into the housing problem. The local government has failed to address the housing problem in the area by failing to release land to private developers. The local government has also failed to encourage people to live in the area and this problem has been due to failure to provide better social amenities such as hospitals, schools and other forms of infrastructure. Mining companies also offer accommodation to its workers but this is not enough for all the workers, according to the documentary land owners live in hostels where two to three share a room and although they are paid loyalty fees this is not enough for them to live a decent life. Majority of the individuals working in the area do not plan on living in the area in future and prefer to live in other areas. In the next five years the mining activity is expected to expand and workers are also expected to triple, with the current poor planning in the area the problem is expected to worsen and therefore there is a need to improve lives of the individuals in the area by improving infrastructure. OBJECTIVES: One of the objective is the development of infrastructure, this include development of infrastructure including increased housing infrastructure, better hospitals, roads and schools. Housing is the main problem and this can be achieved through development of a plan involving all stake holders including individuals, mining companies and local authorities to come up with a solution to the housing and other infrastructural problems faced by the community. The other objectives is to enhance asocial capital given that the communities social capital is relatively low, social capital can be defined as involvement of individuals in the life of the community. It is the networking of personal relationships in the workplace, families and neighborhood. With high social capital the community crime and social disorder tend to decline. Therefore the community should aim at advancing social capital in order to resolve some of the problems its faces. Social capital is classified as bridging and bonding, bridging social capital is vertical social capital that is social capital between communities while bonding social capital refers to horizontal social capital among members in the community. Boding social capital should be developed at Port Hedland community whereby individuals are not involved in the life of the community; some of the challenges expected include temporary residence of the community and cultural difference. However social capital can be developed through the organization of workshops that educate community members on the importance of high social capital. METHODOLOGY: In order to achieve the set objectives a community developer should take into consideration the problems, possible solutions and benefits accrued. Working from the local government position is the best position to implement set plans, at the local government position it is easy to mobilize resources and also organize meetings with residents and other stake holders. This position will also help in resolving issues of conflicts to those who may resist proposed change and development of the community. This position will also make it easy for the collection of information required to implement plans including the population size and available land that can be utilized in order to provide more housing units. Information: In order to implement the housing plan for the community information is required regarding the population size. This will help in identifying the required land that should be released by the government and also the number of houses that will be put up in order to accommodate the members of the community. This information can be gathered from the local authority. Information regarding other challenges faced by residents should be collected in order to implement projects that attracts and retains people in the community. Information can be collected through the involving all stake holders in identifying problems and also in decision making. Strategy: Community development can be undertaken using a number of approaches and they include asset based community development, rational planning and community organization. Asset based community development involves undertaking work locally by mobilizing resources in the community. Rational planning involves the use of external resources to improve a community and community organization involves control within the community and the use of external resources. Rational planning strategy is the most appropriate approach in the Port Hedland community case. This is because this approach adopts equitable planning whereby this approach aims at addressing issues of economic well being and adequate housing. Community driven focus: The community driven focus should be adopted whereby community members should identify their own needs and also highlight the problem they face. The members of the community will also make contributions to the decision making process and this will help in the realization of set goals that will be considered rational to everyone. Underlying Principles: Improving peoples lives: One of the principles of community development is improvement of lives of individuals in the society, the lives of the Port Hedland community should be improved by the provision of more land for development, and this will help resolve the housing shortages in the community that has led to high house prices and high rent rates. Inclusiveness: All members of the community should be involved in making decisions regarding plans of developing Port Hedland. There should be a partnership between Individuals, local government, real estate developers and mining industries, all the stake holders therefore should be engaged in the process in order to come up with an action plan that is rational and meets the needs of the community. Equity: Another principle of community development is equitable distribution of resources, this is achieved where changes are made that enable members of the community to access resources such as land and employment opportunities. EVALUATION: Currently the indigenous people of Port Hedland are the main losers given that revenue from the mining activity is invested in other areas, and that only 10% of indigenous people are employed in the mining industries. Residents of the area are also oppressed due to the high rent rates and therefore the main beneficiaries will the local community. More housing will be available for the indigenous people and the workers who work at the mines. The above approach is consistent with participatory development given that the rational planning approach is used, this approach involves the involvement of all the stake holders in decision making and therefore the proposed plan promotes equity and the advancement of social capital in the community. SUMMARY: From the above discussion it is evident that the rational planning method is the most appropriate strategy to use in resolving the housing problem at Port Hedland, the underlying community development principles include improving the lives of the community, promoting equity and inclusiveness. The plan is to engage all stake holders including mining industries, the local government and individuals in the collection of information and in decision making. REFERENCES: ABC, 2009, Four Corners: Money Pit, Retrieved on 27th August, from Houston, L and Dixon, J. 2003, Community Practices in Australia, Pearson Education Australia, and French’s Forest. Ife, J. and Tesoreiro, F. 2006, Community Development: Community based Alternatives in an Age of Globalization, 3rd Ed, Pearson Education Australia, French Forest, and NSW. Kenny, S. 2006, Developing Communities for the Future: Community Development in Australia, 3rd Ed, Thomas Nelson, Australia. Smith, A. and Flo, F. 2004, The Community Development Handbook: A Tool to Build Community Capacity, Retrieved on 27th August, from Read More