Snapshot of Letter from Premier Campbell Newman
The Samford Commons’ vision is of creating a community hub for a range of activities, and has already attracted local, statewide, national and international attention
This week, in a strong show of support to back our vision, we received a response from Premier Campbell Newman’s office’, to our letter, indicating the LNP will support the Samford Commons vision, if re-elected.
In our December 15 blog we wrote on both the Hon Dr John McVeigh, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Hon Ian Walker, Minister for Innovation, Science, Information Technology and the Arts, visiting the Samford Commons site in November 2014.
LNP Brad Henderson (in his letter on behalf of The Premier’s office) quotes “Both ministers have conveyed to me how impressed they were with the vision for Samford Commons”.
The Hon John McVeigh was very impressed and sees the possibilities of
- The site’s tourism potential as an agricultural attraction
- Linking the vision to institutions such as UQ Gatton’s Agricultural College, the Toowoomba based University of Southern Queensland and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Forestry’s Gateway Schools program
- Successfully attracting and encouraging young people to develop an interest in farming and agriculture
The Minister “would welcome formal approaches for support from Samford Commons in the areas of Agricultural Training” a possibility only if the population of Queensland elects the LNP to lead another term.
Furthermore, the letter indicates the LNP embraces both the strong community focus, as well as values placed on volunteer contributions by Samford Commons.
“with this in mind, the Hon Tracy Davis, Minister for communities, Child Safety and Disability Services, would be keen to hear further details of the project as it progresses with a view to understanding whether Samford Commons could be a potential partner in community service delivery in the Samford Community”
As the LNP elects to focus on agriculture, construction, resources and tourism, the Samford Commons vision appears ideally placed to receive funding. The LNP offers “a range of options for pursuing specialised grants and partnerships to support specific aspects of the Samford Commons as your project progresses”
The possibility of pursuing any or all of the above options will be clear after the 31 January election.
2015 is already off to a great start. The vision is gathering momentum and we expect to be bringing news and updates on funding in the near future.
Thank you for your support in contacting local candidates to express your interest in Samford Commons!
