But Bushfires...The Full Aussie Experience

The Scottish group left for Perth and Singapore this morning and it feels very strange without them. We spent the last few days up in the Dampier peninsula meeting social entrepreneurs and community leaders who openly shared with us their hopes for, and the challenges of, sustaining their work in widely dispersed communities. They were universally strong and positive in the outlook for the future but our group reflected that the support role we would expect from the government or enterprise agencies was visibly lacking. Add to that the ongoing impact of colonisation on Australia's indigenous people and a sense of injustice and isolation became acute. The four white Australians travelling with us were quick to point out that it was early days for reconciliation (the government only said sorry to its indigenous people last year) and it was too simple to call this racist. But nor could the folks from Melbourne and Sydney explain why there is no national vehicle like Social Investment Scotland in Australia. As is the case when travelling with a group of Scots, politics was never far away! Wednesday we woke to the smell of wood burning and were instructed by the authorities not to proceed to Broome. Our hosts, Goolari Media Enterprises quickly organised with the local community at Lombadina and we were both accommodated and fed well in no time at all. But bushfires! I guess we can say we really have had the authentic Aussie experience. Last night we were welcomed to Kevin Fongs house in Broome. Pat Dodson thanked our delegation, we shared our collective thoughts and then there was music. Jim recited Robbie Burns and we sang a couple of rapidly rehearsed numbers. The local politicians also interacted with us. I felt proud to be part of our group and humbled to be in the presence of a man like Pat. It is quiet now and I find it hard to find the words to describe what has happened on this trip. But I know we have forged deep friendships and I sense that the interconnectedness will continue. We have far more in common with our indigenous Australian brothers and sisters than we have differences. As the bard himself said...

The Power of Knowledge Sharing

I am now in Broome in the state of Western Australia. It is taking us - being Scots- a bit to adjust to the overpowering heat . Our schedule is flat out. Yesterday we were on the go from 5 in the morning till after midnight. But the learning and connections we are making, both with each other and with Australian social enterprises, are now deepening and becoming the basis for future action. I have been very impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit of the projects we have visited. Everything from medical services supporting remote communities (and in the context of the size of this continent I mean remote!) to employee apprenticeships and training programmes for young marginalised indigenous people. As is always the case with such inspirational community based projects it seems it works best without government intervention or dependency on government grant. In housing terms though it is clear that the community housing movement is in its early stages of development. People here are hungry for information and advice from the Scottish delegation. The power of the knowledge sharing and the enhanced networking capacity that I am getting (and hopefully all SFHA members will in due course benefit from) from this trip will become even clearer when we are all back home.

Inspiration is perhaps the best word

It is difficult to succinctly describe the power of the experience of this conference. To say positivity breeds positivity seems inadequate but that statement is certainly part of the flavour of it all.

Inspiration is perhaps the best word.

I have met so many people who are genuinely involved in the struggle to improve the lives of people living in poverty (4 billion worldwide) through a whole range of social enterprises. All of them have an interesting story to tell. All of them are motivated by a desire to impact on peoples lives - particularly those groups who are traditionally excluded or marginalised.

It occurs to me that the founding principles and values of Scotland's housing associations make us a natural vehicle for using our asset base and income streams to further the delivery of improved equality and social justice in Scotland. Additionally our sectors commitment to addressing climate change means how we build and manage our stock must be set in the context of reducing carbon emissions and supporting the sustainability of communities.

These ideas may sound grand, particularly in light of funding and political changes we are currently facing. But I sincerely believe that by focusing on the big issues of climate change and the reducing availability of public finance. - Scotland's housing associations will come up with creative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

It seems to me that the leaders in our sector have a moral imperative to think big on these issues. And the SFHA needs to find effective ways to support members in that.

On study tours tomorrow and Saturday so more later...

Grasp the Moment

"As I write I am about to attend the opening speeches of the Social Enterprise World Forum. I This is such an exciting, and potential, time for social enterprises globally (given the global financial crisis) and it is vital that we grasp the moment. I hope that when I get back to Scotland, and during discussions with the other 19 Scottish delegates here (including Calum Macauley from Albyn HA) , ways of supporting our members to step up their role and their contribution to social justice via social enterprise activity.
More very soon ..."

Less than a week till the conference starts

It is less than a week now till the conference starts in Melbourne. My impressions of Australia's housing situation are deepening. The complexity of Federal Government adds a new dimension. Currently the Federal (or Commonwealth as it is also known) government is in dispute with New South Wales. The federal govt stepped up money to pensioners in benefits - worth about 30 dollars a week. NSW are about to put the rents in govt properties up by 7.50 a week. Hence the people the FG were trying to help... NSW argue it is the only way they can raise funds to maintain homes and build new ones. You get the picture? Sound familiar?Next week I will want to share my first impressions of the World Social Enterprise Forum where I will be joined by a dozen other Scots. Watch this space.."

First Week...

I have been a week in Australia and already feel immersed in housing systems! The Australian dream is of the red brick house set in its own quarter acre of land. So what you have in Sydney is a city the size of Greater London with a quarter of the population. Urban sprawl. Or, speaking as a visitor, the whole place feels like one big suburb.The madness of unregulated housing markets here has also been damaging and affordability is a major issue. There is a significantly sized private sector in renting. Quality is at best a question mark from what I can see. Thankfully community (housing association type organisations) and public (local authorities and state government) housing has received a major boost from the Federal government and large building programmes for subsidised housing are currently underway.Housing certainly gets everyone talking. But today the big topic is the weather. The worst dust storms in 70 years. We were up at 6am and to say the sky was orange would be an understatement. Tons of top soil from the west blowing over the area, while Kevin Rudd and his team are working on climate change diplomacy in the USA. It feels very fitting and reminds me of the very real importance of ensuring that housebuilding and climate change policies are integrated.That's it for now folks. Am off out to see the yellow (so they are saying on the radio) opera house ...

Getting ready to go...

Today is my last day in the office before embarking on the Australian trip about which I am getting very excited. The study tours look really interesting and it will be great to meet up with the rest of the Scottish delegation in Melbourne on the 5th October. More later....