Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, Senator Boswell, in Poatina, in the northern midlands of Tasmania—a beautiful spot just below some great fishing opportunities for anybody who would enjoy them in the central highlands of Tassie. The village has a population of over 200 and commercial enterprises include a motel and self-contained accommodation, a general store, a gift shop, an art gallery and a picture-framing business. I enjoy visiting Poatina and in particular I appreciate their can-do attitude, especially on Australia Day.

Poatina village also serves as Fusion’s international office and training centre. Over the past three years Poatina village has seen students from Albania, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Nigeria, South Africa, UK and USA participate in training programs and take away valuable skills to implement in their communities around the world on their return.

Poatina village is operated under strata title and governed by a body corporate. Individuals who purchase property in the village can receive a discount in return for serving within the community. Regular working bees and community get-togethers also ensure that the residents have a strong connection to the general amenity and quality of life in the village. Based on the success of the Poatina model, Fusion is establishing a community of low-cost houses at Rocherlea, a northern suburb of Launceston, able to be purchased by current Housing Tasmania rental clients with repayments no more than they are presently paying in rent. It utilises a number of the concepts successfully developed within the Poatina village experience and translates them into the suburbs. The unique feature of the ‘villagette’ concept is that it provides not only ownership of affordable housing but also a sense of belonging and community within a caring community. It offers hope and a future for some of those from sectors of society that often are not doing so well.

The project so far has been able to advance to this stage because of architects, town planners, property developers, solicitors, surveyors, builders, and others of goodwill from the Launceston community who have already contributed pro bono or discounted services. For example, a major hardware group have committed to providing a significant reduction on a wide range of building materials. As well as that there has been the support of the Launceston City Council. However, there are still considerable material and labour outlays in constructing the houses. But Fusion is continuing to liaise with the wider Launceston community to make this project happen. They have a can-do attitude and I am sure they will gain success.

This plan has caught the attention of community leaders in Ghana, Nigeria, Canada, and India. As well, ministers of the South African government are keenly interested, with a senior minister insisting it is not just an idea; it is now, in fact, government policy. I am advised that the South African government has invited Fusion to partner them as they address the significant challenges they face in housing and employment. Fusion has developed extensive local networks across South Africa and in a number of parts of India. As with Poatina, support is being given to facilitate development of local enterprises to enable the emergence of local autonomy as quickly as possible.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead said, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’ and for some years Fusion has worked under this adage and has been investing in urban renewal, seeking to capacity build towns and suburbs so that young people have the best chance of growing and making a contribution to their communities. Mal Garvin, the founder and former head of Fusion, has always been very strong on the need to build communities, grow communities and network amongst communities. He is a man of vision and has delivered a tremendous outcome for Fusion and indeed for many other organisations around Australia.

Globally, Fusion has developed a successful pattern of involving themselves in high-profile sporting events as a legitimate pretext in countries around the world for community-gathering events where locals have identified with the goals and values of the program and formed new partnerships with one another to make a difference through a range of entrepreneurial activities.  Fusion has already embarked on programs to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the Commonwealth Games in Delhi for 2010, with community ‘open crowd’ festivals being planned to coincide with these events—again, community-building efforts.

In addition, with thousands of local street children in mind, a mango farm has been purchased in Vijayawada, India for vocational training, housing development and enabling sustainable local income sources. In Delhi, local Indian leaders who have joined Fusion have commenced small businesses and are developing a range of grassroots community services supported by these entrepreneurial ventures—a real spirit of enterprise.

Locally Fusion’s home base at Poatina Village is also the home of 95.7 HeartFM community radio station, a northern midlands owned community radio station. This radio station was opened in Longford and I enjoyed the celebration at the opening with other community and business leaders just a few months ago. Through HeartFM, Mal Garvin has hosted the radio program Conversation of the Nation which goes out via satellite to over 70 stations every Sunday around Australia. I have enjoyed being interviewed by Mal Garvin and being part of this program.

Countless men and women have contributed to Fusion’s first 50 years of success. On a special note, I would like to refer to Fusion’s national administrative directors, Michael Cleary and Noel Sewell, as well as Ian l’Anson, Ken Ferdinands and John Latten. Anne Nanscawen, a long-term backbone facilitator for the movement, should also be noted. The emerging field leadership team of Perry Anderson, Matt Garvin, Wells O’Neil and Dave Hammond are a tremendous attribute for Fusion. The wonderful Marty Woods is a passionate man of great character and a good friend. He is currently developing the work of Fusion International in Europe and Africa and the last I heard was that he was based in Berlin, Germany.

I want to say congratulations and well done to Fusion for their first 50 years, and I hope and pray that the next 50 years will be equally or indeed more successful than the last. Recently I read from Ephesians 3:20 and 21: ‘and believe that the Lord will grant to them more than they can ever imagine or ask’. I certainly hope and pray that that will be the same for Fusion International.