The Blueprint series of workshops was conceived in mid 2022 by myself and Dan from Hunter Renewal to engage communities in post-mining land use planning (PMLU). The catalyst was the publication of economic modelling from EY that found there was compelling predictions for jobs and economic opportunities if mine rehabilitation was done right. While this vision was attractive, there was no pathway set by EY to achieving it. The community’s voice was also missing from this vision.

 

The whole project was aimed at learning alongside local community and local academics about their concerns and their preferences for how the Hunter should proceed with post-mining land use planning, and then translating those concerns into pragmatic recommendations and principles that could be actioned upon by government.

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The methodology for the Blueprint project was inspired by a paper from Revez et al. (2020) who suggested that there would be benefits in combining knowledge of technical experts with local knowledges to develop a broader understanding of the social and technical implications of energy transitions. Alongside Dan and Dr Liam Phelan from the University of Newcastle, I used the Revez et al. model to develop an approach we called ‘Delphi and Deliberation.’  In our variation we purposely sought expert input and then gave sufficient space for deliberation and the negotiation of meaning to take place by community.

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We first created a set of draft principles and recommendations ahead of an academic reference group review which took place asynchronously and synchronously. An edited set was then taken to community groups across the Valley through online focus groups and then a survey. Each focus group was based on a different topic so that people could choose to take part in the things that most interested them. This was a learning from the Future-proofing workshops where people were put into topic groups rather than being able to self-select. The survey was designed to allow respondents to rank and comment on all principles and recommendations rather than only a single topic.

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The final set of principles and recommendations can be seen below or read on this page (text only). The report has been used by Hunter Renewal to advocate for an review of mine rehabilitation regulations. Following its publication, the NSW Government have opened an inquiry regarding post-mining land use (to which I made a submission), and have also belatedly published a website that tracks the progress of individual mine rehabilitation. This demonstrates how grassroots organisations are able to shape the public agenda through more effective and meaningful community engagement.