Hi all,

I wanted to provide a quick update on the progress / impact of this petition so far.

All signatures and comments were again sent today to The Sunshine Coast Council and Mayor. They have also been sent to Spencer Shaw - the Maleny Commerce president.

I spoke to the Mayor at length about this issue over the phone a week or so ago. She was surprisingly receptive to this petition and fairly diplomatic. However she made no assurances that this development is going to be cancelled.

The primary focus of these conversations has been on stopping this development. But in addition to this, I have raised a number of issues with her in regards to the rampant gentrification of Maleny.

Things mentioned in this petition such as; almost no local affordable housing, music being stopped at Maleny Lane, multiple major private housing developments being approved, skate park upgrades, the continued destruction of our biodiversity / nature and more.

I also proposed a number of practical solutions, in an effort to make this more constructive and practical. Things such as; raising the rates for B&Bs / holiday accommodation drastically, funding Barung Landcare / local bush regeneration initiatives, funding The Maleny Neighbourhood Center to help support the community, no more private housing development approval, enforcing strong penalties and regulation for developers clearing without permits, allowing music at Maleny Lane again, funding local art initiatives, upgrading the skate park and more.

The outcome of this is currently unclear. However it does feel like progress and the channel of communication is currently open in regards to this.

Thanks again for your support everyone. Please keep sharing and signing this petition. The more people that sign it, the more important it will become.

I will continue to keep everyone updated as this progresses.

Cheers,
Jamen