Initial research to develop the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan 2011 – 2014 began before March 2010. A multi-layered process involving research, public engagement and information synthesis was undertaken to arrive at the future directions indicated in this document.

The framework employed for the Plan’s public engagement programme is that advocated by the International Association for Public Participation (I.A.P.2). This particular methodology provided a comprehensive approach to defining the parameters of the community engagement. It also guided the extent to which the public could be accommodated to provide input into the planning process so that the final document would be representative of the interested parties and members of the public who chose to be involved. 

In order for the Plan to relate to the operations and mission of Townsville City Council, reviews were made of Council documents including the Corporate Plan 2009 – 2014, Corporate and Operational Planning Discussion Paper (2008), and the Community Research Report (2008) – the latter a study about the community perceptions of Townsville encompassing issues such as lifestyle, economic and community development, cultural integration, accessibility, safety, the built and natural environments, and population forecasts.

The findings from the Community Research Report indicated several key themes and phrases quoted from the Townsville public which formed baseline data to guide the development of the plan document. These themes and phrases included:

• Lifestyle – an excellent place to live; attractive climate/weather; improvement in education, recreation possibilities, facilities and infrastructure
• Community Development – priority to improve health and wellbeing, and activities for people of all ages
• Community / Cultural Integration – recognising all aspects of Townsville’s arts and cultural heritage and encouraging community involvement
• Accessibility /Transport / Business / Economic Development – development of greater number of transport options
• Built Environment – protecting our built assets for future generations whilst maintaining and improving existing community assets
• Water / Environmental Issues – protecting our natural assets and habitats

Whilst not all of the themes listed above would be relevant to the direction of future cultural planning, the findings of the Research Report confirmed the necessity to align the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan with the foundations of Council’s Quadruple Bottom Line: Governance, Social Sustainability, Economic Sustainability and Environmental Sustainability. Relating to these themes, and more specific to the Plan, were a number of concepts or values revealed in the Report. Particular lifestyle descriptors desired by the public surveyed for Townsville to grow into included the following:

• Vibrant
• Community focused
• Modern
• Liveable
• Affordable
• Educated
• Tropical
• Active
• Entertaining
• Historic
• Youth Friendly
• Family oriented
• Wealthy/Prosperous
• Forward thinking/Progressive
• Friendly/Happy

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From here, a review was then made of the cultural plans of the two former local government areas, Townsville (2001) and Thuringowa (1998 – 2001), which were compared and contrasted to identify commonalities and clues to possible expectations the public might voice in the community engagement programme.

In order for the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan 2011 - 2014 not to be developed in isolation to the cultural trends and endeavours of other cities and states of Australia, it was considered important to review the plans of other councils also. Beyond the applicability of two Queensland Government plans (Queensland Arts and Cultural Sector Plan 2010 – 2013 and Artbeat: Regional Arts and Culture Strategy 2010 – 2014), some of the plans reviewed were of towns and cities of geographic or demographic similarity to Townsville, while some bore no relation to Townsville’s position as a major centre in regional Queensland. Nevertheless, the survey provided a general impression of current trends in cultural planning, and similarities and differences of context and content were noted.

Four themes were identified through the review process of these cultural documents, and were initially generalised under four headings as Community Cultural Capacity Building, Cultural Heritage, Artistic Excellence and Cultural Sustainability. Planning information, such as strategies and actions, contained in these documents, including those of former Townsville and Thuringowa councils, were then chunked under these four headings. This stage of the research afforded opportunity to see further patterns emerge, and to determine which subject matter might be useful in addressing the cultural needs of Townsville’s future.

The next stage in the methodology involved scoping the community engagement programme. An assessment within Council was undertaken to determine potential stakeholders and what issues there might be associated with the Plan’s development. A notional list of stakeholders was made comprising individuals, groups and organisations from the arts and cultural sector, representatives from government and non-government departments and agencies, as well as possible interested parties from the private sector. Pinpointing the geographic location of the stakeholders afforded an appreciation of the influence of arts and culture in specific areas of the city or economic sector. Potential issues were identified based upon the themes and concepts revealed in the research undertaken of the cultural plans and considered matters of interest relating to quality of life; recreational pursuits; cultural and religious identities and histories; education; professional development; equity, access and participation; cultural tourism; cultural sustainability; and the natural and built environments. The level of stakeholder concern or interest was then considered in relation to these issues that might arise or be regarded as important. This afforded a better understanding as to which stakeholders might have the greater interest in the cultural planning process and where efforts should be directed to engage them and how to do this adequately.

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From here, perceived public expectations in relation to the scoping process were weighed against the expectations of Council in order to determine the extent to which the public would be engaged. The decision to work directly with the public throughout the engagement process was agreed upon by the Plan’s Project Leadership Group, and was articulated to stakeholders as follows:

“Townsville City Council believes that meaningful participation by the public leads to decisions that reflect the interests and concerns of those who may be affected by the development of the city’s plan for arts and culture. We believe the public should have a say in decisions about actions that affect them and that the public engagement process will let participants know how their input affected the development of the plan for arts and culture. We commit to conduct public engagement at least to the level of Involvement and by this we mean that our promise to the public is to work directly with the public throughout the process to ensure that public issues and concerns are consistently understood and considered.”

Promotion of the development of Townsville’s Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan was then begun based on the stakeholders identified in the stakeholder and issues assessment. Calls for interest to be involved in the planning process were undertaken via a diversity of networks. The majority of the promotion was undertaken via direct e-mail; however, news of the development of the Plan was included in the Townsville Bulletin, Magnetic Times and The PLACE Street Press newspapers. The call for interest was also promoted through several community newsletters including Volunteering North Queensland; Barrier Reef Institute of T.A.F.E.; James Cook University; Townsville Cinema Group; La Luna Youth Arts; Music Centre North Queensland; Umbrella Studio; Townsville Division of General Practice; the Roman Catholic and Anglican dioceses of Townsville and North Queensland, respectively; and the Community Information Centre Arts E-Bulletin, to name a few.

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The promotion resulted in the establishment of a database and electronic distribution list of around 150 stakeholders representing personnel from a wide diversity of backgrounds, comprising:

•  The Women’s Centre
• Kith and Kin
• Croft-Gilchrist School of Dance
• Community Information Centre
• Anglican Diocese of North Queensland
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville
• Townsville Uniting Church
• Adventist Health and Lifestyle
• North Queensland Jazz Club
• Dance North
• Extensions Youth Dance
• Full Throttle Theatre
• Music Centre North Queensland
• Queensland Health
• Australian Concerto and Vocal Competition
• Spinal Injuries Association
• Townsville C.B.D. Taskforce
• Lifeline Community Care
• Barrier Reef Institute of T.A.F.E.
• Townsville Art Society
• Townsville Cinema Group
• Gulumba Aboriginal Dance Group
• Townsville Little Theatre
• Townsville Musicians and Performing Arts Society
• Townsville Aboriginal and Islander Health Services
• Townsville Chamber of Commerce
• Australian Institute of Architects
• Townsville Folk Festival
• Magnetic Island Film Society
• Fibres and Fabrics
• Townsville Modern Quilting Guild
• Performing Arts Historical Society of Townsville
• Northern Beaches Festival
• Townsville Toastmasters International
• Volunteering North Queensland
• Townsville Choral Society
• North Queensland Opera and Music Theatre
• Indian Cultural Society
• Disability Services Queensland
• Black Ink Press
• Museum of Tropical Queensland
• North Queensland Recorder Society
• Townsville Regional Arts Development Fund

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In addition to these stakeholders, a number of individuals from specialist areas were involved, including those from the business sector, volunteering, education, allied health, defence, music, visual arts, theatre, dance, writing, jewellery and fashion design, museology, community arts, community development, social work, architecture, sustainability and lifestyle design, public art, graphic art, arts administration, photojournalism, and publishing.

Stakeholders were provided with a synthesis of the research undertaken of the information common to the several cultural plans reviewed and were asked to provide feedback on the content and how it might articulate in a cultural plan for Townsville.

On the basis of this information synthesised, several presentations were made to the public. As a means to not only inform the general public about the development of the Plan but also to consult and involve them in the public engagement programme, presentations were made to the advisory groups of Council: Seniors, Community Safety, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, Learning Communities, Disability, Families and Women. In addition to this, discussions and presentations were held with Townsville Art Society and Townsville Toastmasters International.

An assessment of the means that might be employed to elicit the most direct and active input from the stakeholder group was based on time and resources. The world café and Samoan Circle were selected on their effectiveness to gather a large amount of information in a relatively short amount of time. They also proved to be an ideal opportunity for stakeholders to network with one another.

Two world cafés were held at the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Riverway Arts Centre on separate dates and at different times of day. In order to maximise attendance, one of the world cafés was held during an evening and the other was held at a later date during a morning. Each café ran over a period of three hours and topics for discussion were based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats considered to be factors contributing to the present state of arts and culture in Townsville. Aspirations were considered in the world cafés as a means to elicit information pertinent to the city’s future arts and cultural profile, and the possible results of what the Plan might deliver were considered in order to obtain a clear idea as to where the planning process might lead with respect to the Plan’s 20 year vision.

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A total of 52 patrons attended the world cafés, while the Samoan Circle facilitated discussion for 11 participants. Focus groups were utilised to delve deeper into matters of interest, and seven group discussions permitted the contribution of 33 participants.

Community engagement firm Engagement Plus conducted a sector-specific consultation as part of the Speak Up! to develop the Community Plan and this forum held in the conference room at the Tony Ireland Stadium attracted 15 participants.

Towards the conclusion of the public engagement programme, three comment walls were organised for Council staff and members of Townsville’s Indigenous Australian communities to record their thoughts on the research to date and prioritise the notional goals and strategies developed. These three interactive programmes yielded feedback from 55 people.

Not including the contributions made by members of the general public as part of Council’s Speak Up! community engagement efforts to develop the overarching Community Plan, more than 30 people provided written feedback in a Delphi process throughout the community engagement programme and 185 people provided direct, face-to-face input to the development of the Arts and Culture Strategic Action Plan, which equates to over 300 contact hours’ worth of stakeholder involvement.

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