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UNE research centre completes social plan for Tamworth region

November 07, 2006

TamworthPlan.thumb.JPGA newly-prepared report by researchers at The University of New England will provide Tamworth Regional Council with the information it needs to lobby for improved services - particularly for its rural communities - over the next five years.

The leader of the UNE team, Dr John Scott, said the report revealed the "diverse and vibrant" nature of communities in the Tamworth region. "It also reveals the difficulties that many of those communities face - in common with their counterparts throughout regional Australia - in gaining access to an adequate level of services such as health care and transport," Dr Scott continued.

Prepared over the past eight months, the 150-page Draft 2006 Tamworth Regional Social (Community) Plan provides a "snapshot" of community services in mid-2006. "It will be a very useful reference point when we are advocating changes in service levels," said the Council's Cultural and Community Services Manager, Meg Larkin. "We're very happy with the work the UNE team has done. It included some good research on the demographics of our region, and a great deal of consultation."

UNE's Centre for Applied Research in Social Sciences (CARSS) carried out the research in collaboration with the Council's Community Services Division. Visiting communities throughout the Tamworth region, the team of five UNE researchers convened community meetings and focus groups, and interviewed more than 300 people representing more than 100 organisations. They also carried out an extensive mail survey.

Tamworth Regional Council approved the draft plan at its meeting on Tuesday 24 October. Professor Kerry Carrington (the Director of CARSS), who presented the draft to Council, said: "The 175 recommendations, if adopted, will significantly enhance regional residents' quality of life by improving access to services. I am delighted that UNE has been able to provide Tamworth Regional Council with the solid evidence base it needs to lobby for more and better services for rural communities in the region."

The draft plan is available for viewing at all of the Council's Customer Service Offices, at the libraries in Barraba, Kootingal, Manilla, Nundle, Tamworth and South Tamworth, and on the Council's Web site. The Council is seeking community feedback during the 28-day display period, after which it will send the final version of the plan to the NSW Department of Local Government.

"Our work in CARSS provides an example of how UNE can commercialise its expertise and engage with regional communities, achieving a real and sustained impact that improves the quality of life in our region," Dr Scott said. "It also emphasises the fact that regional experts have a better understanding of regional issues. There used to be a 'rural cringe', prompting local business and government to use city-based research consultants, but groups like CARRS are creating a better alternative."

THE PHOTOGRAPH displayed here, taken outside UNE's "Booloominbah", shows the five members of the CARSS research team. They are (from left) Ron Reavell, Ruth Bohill, Professor Kerry Carrington, Santi Owen, and Dr John Scott.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at November 7, 2006 03:13 PM