Planning for Purpose: How Queenslanders Might Flourish in the Challenging Times Ahead

Given climate change, how can Queensland’s planning systems be rendered fit for purpose? Obviously, the correct answer is “They can’t be,” and we can just leave it there and head to lunch … but, if that is to be the answer, surely more is demanded. How is it that in an advanced society such as Australia, it is nearly impossible for citizens to recognise and respond to a shared threat like climate change? Why is it that our institutions appear to have so little ability to protect the public interest? And, given those problems, is there a credible alternative vision or course of action that could benefit us in these challenging times? I’ll take a punt. The following assembly of thoughts is an invitation to briefly set aside our cultural common sense so that, by stepping outside the norms of ‘business-as-usual’ (BaU), the possibility of novel insights can be established. Dysfunctional systems are rarely set right by using the same assumptions that created the system, so it’s important to get outside the planning framework far enough to create space for new perspectives.