Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to raise a serious issue that pertains to the Oxenford and Coomera Community Youth Centre in Oxenford on the Gold Coast. The centre was founded seven years ago by the Oxenford Christian Fellowship, who raised approximately 90 per cent of the $1.5 million to get the centre established, with significant support from the Gold Coast City Council.

It is the only substantial youth centre in the northern Gold Coast, which is the fastest growing region in the nation—and, indeed, Fadden is the fastest growing federal electorate in the nation. In brief, the youth centre is governed by a set of rules that require the board to stand down for re-election every two years at an AGM. The last AGM was in 2003. The current board are therefore acting ultra vires. They are beyond power and acting in breach of the constitution and must stand down now for re-election by the full membership.

The eight-person board are now at loggerheads, with four of the board seeking to gain control of the centre and, indeed, sack the founding Oxenford Christian Fellowship from their management role. These four have taken what I consider the extraordinary action of refusing to acknowledge approximately 100 members who have sought join the centre, and they have also sought to deny the membership of those members who existed pre association.

All members should be able to vote, including those who were members prior to incorporation—these members are referred to in the original application as inaugural members. Approximately 100 community based people have sought to become members of the community centre by filling in the appropriate form and sending a donation, yet none of these memberships have been processed.

The Gold Coast Sun on Tuesday named these four board members, including the board secretary, Queensland Police Inspector Des Lacy. I have recently been provided with a statutory declaration stating that these four board members sought guarantees that their position on the eight-person board were secure. When this guarantee could not be given they apparently sought to call off an AGM that had been set for 28 November last year and sought to remove the Oxenford Christian Fellowship as managers of the centre.

The Sun stated that Inspector Lacy is further resisting any move to call an AGM until December 2008, even though the last AGM was in 2003 and the constitution requires an AGM every year and the board to be re-elected every two years. There is also contention now that only the eight on the board are voting members. Clearly, this situation is unacceptable.

Furthermore, the board secretary has stated in writing that, should the other board members legally contest any actions, he will defend these with the costs borne by the Oxenford youth centre. I again find this completely unsatisfactory and question its legality, considering the board is at loggerheads and should therefore have little authority to make such decisions.

There is a complete governance breakdown, with the board unable to agree to call an immediate AGM and not willing to stand down to allow the members to vote. Furthermore, members are being denied their right to vote. The centre is managed by the Oxenford Christian Fellowship, who founded the centre and are not having their management contract renewed at the end of this month, even though the board is deadlocked and should not be able to make such a contractual decision.

I have publicly called for the board to stand down. They have not done so. The current media coverage shows the depth of community feeling on this issue, which I can attest to in the fact that I have fielded more calls on this issue than on any previous issue.

There is also a $1.5 million grant through the Regional Partnerships Program currently under consideration by the federal government. Clearly this grant cannot be awarded with the centre governance in such a parlous state and the eight-person board not standing down to allow the members to vote. I have previously spoken in this House to urge the responsible minister to expedite this approval and I will continue to fight for the Oxenford and Coomera Youth Centre, but I expect it to operate properly. I have formally written to the Queensland Attorney-General asking for immediate intervention and calling on the management committee to stand down. Only this will engender the satisfaction that the community demands. There is a mechanism to break the eight-person management committee deadlock, through the Gold Coast division 2 councillor acting as a mediator with binding powers. I will be asking the new division 2 councillor to exercise their power of mediation as soon as possible following the election this weekend to call an AGM. I have no involvement in the centre nor do I have a conflict of interest with any of the eight members. This is truly a community issue that needs to be addressed in a bipartisan fashion in the interests of the youth and community of the area. I call on all parties to do the right thing. (Time expired)