Protected: Red Earth – Evolution, Mount Perry Community Trust

Overview of a Resilient Future for Mount Perry

Mount Perry is a town with a rich 160-year history of mining and grazing, currently at a pivotal transition point. Evolution Mining is shifting its operations from gold mining, which is set to cease in FY25, towards a proposed  Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project. While not yet confirmed, this transition, combined with the North Burnett Regional Council’s (NBRC) strategic goal of rationalizing its asset portfolio to reduce depreciation and maintenance costs, creates a unique opportunity. The proposed Community Land Trust (CLT) offers a sophisticated and sustainable solution that aligns the objectives of the community, local government, and industry partners. This model can serve as a replicable blueprint for the Red Earth Community Foundation (Red Earth) to expand its impact throughout Queensland.

Video Proposal for Red Earth/Evolution

Blueprint Video Proposal for the Public

Video about the Junior Development Board

Audio about Proposal

Overview of a Resilient Future for Mount Perry

Mount Perry is a town with a rich 160-year history of mining and grazing, currently at a pivotal transition point. Evolution Mining is shifting its operations from gold mining, which is set to cease in FY25, towards a proposed  Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project. While not yet confirmed, this transition, combined with the North Burnett Regional Council’s (NBRC) strategic goal of rationalizing its asset portfolio to reduce depreciation and maintenance costs, creates a unique opportunity. The proposed Community Land Trust (CLT) offers a sophisticated and sustainable solution that aligns the objectives of the community, local government, and industry partners. This model can serve as a replicable blueprint for the Red Earth Community Foundation (Red Earth) to expand its impact throughout Queensland.

The Expertise of Key Partners

The success of the Mount Perry CLT hinges on a powerful coalition of partners, each bringing distinct and complementary expertise.

Evolution Mining: A Proven Community Partner

Evolution Mining, the 100% owner of the Mt Rawdon operation, has a long history in the region, with gold production commencing in 2001. The company demonstrates a strong commitment to community engagement and partnership.

• Community Partnership: Evolution actively partners with the local communities of Mt Perry, Gin Gin, Biggenden, and Gayndah to achieve meaningful outcomes and generate shared value. They prioritize local procurement, employment, and training opportunities, as well as supporting health and well-being initiatives.
• Sustainable Transition: The company is leading the transition from a mining operation to a sustainable, large-scale pumped hydro power station. An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project was submitted in 2024, signaling a long-term commitment to the region’s economic future beyond traditional mining.
• Strategic Role in the CLT: Evolution Mining is proposed as a Public Interest Representative on the CLT’s tripartite board, embedding their professional expertise directly into the Trust’s governance and ensuring alignment with regional industry goals.

Red Earth Community Foundation: Deep Regional Expertise

Red Earth is a community foundation dedicated to the Burnett Inland, with a mission to “invest in people as a catalyst for the Burnett Inland to thrive into the future”. Their expertise is multifaceted and deeply rooted in the region.

• Leadership Development: Red Earth runs a flagship Red Earth Community Leadership Program, which has over 220 alumni, and an annual Leadership Forum, directly building the skills in governance, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement that are vital for a successful CLT.
• Philanthropic Structure: The foundation has a robust philanthropic structure that allows it to auspice fundraising initiatives and facilitate tax-deductible donations through its Giving Sub Fund. This provides a trusted platform for the CLT to attract funding.
• Regional Knowledge and Networks: With a board and team who live in or have deep connections to the Burnett Inland, Red Earth has a strong understanding of the region’s unique challenges and opportunities, ensuring initiatives are culturally appropriate and effective.
• Direct Governance Role: Red Earth is proposed to be a Public Interest Representative on the CLT board, directly embedding its strategic oversight and community development expertise into the trust’s governance.

Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR): National Exposure and Governance Expertise

FRRR is a national foundation with 24 years of experience connecting donors with grassroots community organisations across Australia. Their involvement lends significant credibility and provides access to national networks.

• Charitable and DGR Status: The plan specifically recommends approaching FRRR for its expert assistance in establishing the necessary charitable and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. This is a critical legal advantage for attracting grants and donations.
• Access to National Funding: FRRR offers a wide array of grant programs highly relevant to a CLT, such as “Strengthening Rural Communities” and place-based capacity building initiatives like “Investing in Rural Community Futures” (IRCF). In FY24 alone, FRRR awarded $24.5 million in grants across 579 postcodes.
• Capacity Building for NFPs: FRRR’s IRCF program specifically focuses on building the capacity of local not-for-profits (NFPs) in areas like strategy, systems, and efficiency. This directly supports the Mount Perry NFPs that will form a key part of the CLT’s governance structure.
• Credibility and Strategic Alignment: As a trusted national partner, FRRR’s involvement signals credibility to councils, government, and other funders. Their strategic priorities, including climate and economic transitions and enhancing remote liveability, align perfectly with the CLT’s long-term vision. Notably, Red Earth’s Chairperson, Georgie Somerset, also serves as a director for FRRR, facilitating seamless collaboration.

A Unified Voice for Mount Perry’s Not-for-Profits (NFPs)

Mount Perry’s many NFPs—including the Art Gallery, Museum, Community Development board, Men’s Shed, CWA, and various sports and emergency service groups—are the heart of the community. The CLT model is designed to give these vital organizations a unified voice and a sustainable operational framework.

The proposed tripartite governance structure is key to this empowerment. The board would be composed of three equal parts:

1. Leaseholder and NFP Representatives: A coalition of Mount Perry’s NFP organizations.
2. Community Member Representatives: Elected from the general public.
3. Public Interest Representatives: Comprising the NBRC, Evolution Mining, and Red Earth.

This structure ensures that the NFPs, as the primary users of the community assets, have a direct and powerful voice in all decision-making. By placing assets like the Art Gallery into the CLT, the trust can act as a central body for managing facilities, reducing overheads, and coordinating fundraising efforts, creating cost savings and long-term security for all participating NFPs.

A Statewide Blueprint for Community Resilience

The Mount Perry CLT is designed not just as a local project but as a replicable blueprint that Red Earth could champion across Queensland.

The Phased Implementation Plan

The plan proposes a clear, actionable roadmap for establishing the CLT:

• Phase 1: Foundation & Mobilisation (Years 1-2): This phase focuses on establishing the core structures. Key actions include formalizing a Community Steering Committee with facilitation from Red Earth, developing a comprehensive Strategic Community Plan, and completing the legal incorporation of the trust with guidance from FRRR to secure ACNC registration and DGR status.
• Phase 2: Building Momentum with a Pilot Project (Years 2-4): The focus shifts to tangible outcomes. This includes securing the first asset (the Art Gallery) to build a proven track record and incubating a high-visibility, low-cost circular economy initiative like a “Library of Things” to demonstrate immediate community value.
• Phase 3: Scaling for Long-Term Impact (Years 5+): Leveraging early successes, the CLT can expand its asset portfolio by taking on other community facilities and pursuing larger, capital-intensive projects identified in the strategic plan, such as a local food hub.

Attracting Business and People to the Region

The CLT acts as a dynamic engine for local economic development, making the town more attractive to new residents and enterprises.

• Securing vital community facilities enhances the town’s liveability.
• By incubating social enterprises like a Repair Café or a local food hub, it retains wealth locally, creates volunteer and employment opportunities, and builds valuable skills.
• This proactive, community-led approach fosters a sense of empowerment and self-determination, creating a more connected, resilient, and vibrant community that people want to be a part of.

A New Sustainability Model for Local Councils

This model offers a “win-win” solution for councils like the NBRC that are facing financial pressure from depreciating assets.

• By transferring a community building to a CLT, the council can remove the asset and its associated depreciation and maintenance liabilities from its financial statements, achieving a key fiscal objective.
• Simultaneously, because the CLT is legally bound to steward the asset for public benefit in perpetuity, the council fulfills its public duty by ensuring the facility is permanently secured for the community.
• This transforms asset management from a burden into a strategic partnership that strengthens both the council and the community. This model of community stewardship is a sustainable and replicable strategy that can be adopted by regional councils across the state.

FAQ’s

1. What is a Community Land Trust (CLT) and why is it a suitable model for Mount Perry?

A Community Land Trust (CLT) is a non-profit, community-controlled corporation that acquires and holds title to assets like land and buildings in perpetuity. This legal separation of asset ownership from its use protects the asset from being sold on the speculative private market, ensuring it serves community purposes for generations. The CLT then provides secure, long-term tenure (e.g., a 99-year ground lease) to the user, such as a community group or local enterprise.

For Mount Perry, the CLT model is ideal due to its flexibility beyond housing; it can steward diverse assets like community facilities (e.g., the Art Gallery), commercial spaces, and open spaces, allowing the community to start with a pilot project and expand over time. Its emphasis on permanent community benefit and control, combined with a unique tripartite governance structure, ensures democratic oversight and long-term asset protection. This makes it a strategic tool for local economic resilience and self-determination, especially for a small regional town looking to manage and grow its communal resources.

2. How is the Mount Perry CLT structured to ensure democratic community control?

The Mount Perry CLT will adopt a tripartite governance structure to ensure genuine, democratic community control by balancing the various interests within the community. The board of directors will be elected by a broad community membership, with seats allocated equally among three distinct groups:

• Leaseholder Representatives: These will be the direct voice of the community groups using the CLT’s assets, forming a coalition of Mount Perry’s not-for-profit organizations (e.g., Art Gallery, Museum, Mens Shed). This ensures their day-to-day needs are represented.
• Community Member Representatives: Elected from the general membership of the Trust, these directors will represent the wider residents of Mount Perry and the surrounding district, ensuring the Trust’s activities serve the interests of the entire community.
• Public Interest Representatives: This segment provides strategic oversight and professional expertise. Proposed partners include the North Burnett Regional Council, Evolution Mining (Mt Rawdon), and the Red Earth Community Foundation. Their involvement ensures alignment with regional development goals and robust stewardship.

This balanced structure acts as a “powerful immune system” against mission drift and potential asset loss, legally binding the Trust to uphold its charitable purpose and ensuring perpetual community benefit.

3. What are the specific advantages of partnering with the Red Earth Community Foundation for the Mount Perry CLT?

Partnering with the Red Earth Community Foundation (Red Earth) offers several key advantages for the Mount Perry CLT:

• Direct Governance Involvement: Red Earth is proposed as a Public Interest Representative on the CLT’s board, embedding their strategic oversight and community development expertise directly into the CLT’s governance.
• Expert Guidance and Facilitation: Red Earth can provide expert guidance for formalizing the Community Steering Committee and co-design sessions, ensuring alignment with the broader community vision and helping to build consensus for the Strategic Community Plan.
• Capacity Building and Leadership Development: With a mission to “invest in people as a catalyst for the Burnett Inland to thrive,” Red Earth offers leadership programs that can empower local leaders with essential skills in governance, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement.
• Philanthropic Structure and Fundraising Auspicing: Red Earth has an established philanthropic structure, including a Giving Sub Fund, that can auspice fundraising initiatives and facilitate tax-deductible donations, providing a trusted platform for the CLT to attract funding.
• Regional Understanding and Networks: Operating within the Burnett Inland, Red Earth brings deep local knowledge, established networks, and a commitment to the region, ensuring CLT initiatives are culturally appropriate and address specific local needs.
• Shared Governance Link: Georgie Somerset, the Chairperson of Red Earth, also serves as a director for FRRR, which can facilitate seamless collaboration and strategic alignment between the two key partners.

4. How will the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) contribute to the Mount Perry CLT’s success?

The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR) will play several crucial roles in the establishment and ongoing success of the Mount Perry CLT:

• Charitable Governance and DGR Status Expertise: FRRR will provide expert assistance in establishing the necessary charitable and Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. This is critical for the CLT to offer tax deductibility to donors and maximize its ability to attract grants. FRRR is specially listed in legislation as an Item 1 DGR entity.
• Independent Mediation: FRRR is proposed to act as an independent mediator during the establishment phase and initial asset transfer discussions, particularly with the North Burnett Regional Council. This ensures impartiality and good faith during crucial negotiations.
• Access to Diverse Funding Opportunities: FRRR offers a wide array of grant programs (e.g., “Strengthening Rural Communities,” “Investing in Rural Community Futures,” “Disaster Resilient: Future Ready”) highly relevant to the diverse projects a CLT might undertake, providing direct funding and signaling credibility to other funders. In FY24, FRRR awarded $24.5M via 1,188 grants to 579 postcodes across Australia.
• Capacity Building for Not-for-Profits (NFPs): FRRR’s programs like Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) focus on building the capacity of local NFPs, which will directly benefit the “Leaseholder Representatives” segment of the CLT’s board by helping them improve systems and strategy.
• Credibility and Strategic Alignment: As a national foundation with 24 years of experience and a “community-led, place-based philosophy,” FRRR lends significant credibility to the new CLT, crucial for securing support from councils, government, and other philanthropic organizations. Their strategic priorities, including climate, economic, and land use transitions, and enhancing remote liveability, align well with the CLT’s long-term vision.

5. What is the proposed phased action plan for establishing the Mount Perry CLT?

The establishment of the Mount Perry CLT will follow a clear, phased action plan:

Phase 1: Foundation & Mobilisation (Years 1-2)

• Formalize a Community Steering Committee: Gather a core group of motivated residents to champion the project, with Red Earth providing ongoing facilitation.
• Develop a Strategic Community Plan (SCP): Lead an inclusive community engagement process to create a shared vision for the town’s future, building consensus and ownership.
• Establish Mount Perry Community Trust (Legal Pathway): Incorporate the trust as a legal entity (e.g., an Incorporated Association), draft a constitution embedding CLT principles and tripartite governance, appoint initial directors, and register as a charity with the ACNC, with FRRR’s guidance for DGR status.

Phase 2: Building Momentum with a Pilot Project (Years 2-4)

• Secure the First Asset: The Art Gallery: Successfully negotiate and complete the transfer of this public asset into the Trust. This “first win” builds credibility, provides practical experience, and establishes a proven track record.
• Incubate Circular Economy Initiatives: Launch high-visibility, low-cost community projects like a “Library of Things” or a monthly Repair Café to build engagement and demonstrate immediate value.

Phase 3: Scaling for Long-Term Impact (Years 5+)

• Expand the Asset Portfolio: Use the Art Gallery transfer as a model to take on stewardship of other key community assets (e.g., community halls, local parks).
• Tackle Larger Projects: Attract major grants and strategic partnerships for capital-intensive projects identified in the SCP, such as a local food hub or other economic diversification initiatives.

6. What tangible outcomes can Mount Perry expect from establishing a CLT?

Establishing a Community Land Trust (CLT) in Mount Perry is expected to yield profound and transformative long-term returns:

• Permanent Security for Community Assets: Vital community assets like the Art Gallery will be legally protected forever through the CLT’s constitution and principle of perpetual stewardship, preventing their sale on the private market.
• Mutually Beneficial Partnership with Local Government: The CLT offers a “win-win” solution for the North Burnett Regional Council, allowing it to reduce its asset portfolio and associated financial liabilities while ensuring the facility is permanently secured for community use.
• An Engine for a Resilient and Circular Local Economy: The CLT will become a dynamic engine for local economic development by incubating social enterprises (e.g., “Library of Things,” Repair Café, local food hub) that retain wealth locally, create volunteer and employment opportunities, transfer skills, and build resilience by reducing reliance on external supply chains.
• Community Empowerment and Self-Determination: The entire process builds invaluable community skills in governance, financial management, strategic planning, and stakeholder engagement. It represents a fundamental shift towards residents actively shaping their town’s destiny, fostering a more connected, skilled, and empowered community.

7. How does the Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project relate to the Mount Perry community’s future and the CLT?

The Mt Rawdon Pumped Hydro Project is investigating the conversion of the Mt Rawdon mine into a sustainable low-cost, large-scale pumped hydro power station at the end of the mine’s production. While the Mt Rawdon mine is ceasing mining operations in H1 FY25 and processing of stockpiles by the end of FY25, its owner, Evolution Mining, is identified as a proposed Public Interest Representative on the Mount Perry CLT’s tripartite board.

This connection highlights Evolution Mining’s ongoing commitment to the local communities of Mt Perry, Gin Gin, Biggenden, and Gayndah, even as its mining operations conclude. By having Evolution Mining as a Public Interest Representative, the CLT benefits from industry expertise and ensures alignment with broader regional development goals, potentially facilitating opportunities related to the pumped hydro project or other economic transitions. This partnership demonstrates a “local approach” to support regional economic benefit and community sustainability beyond the mine’s operational life.

8. What kind of financial support and technical expertise is available for the Mount Perry CLT?

The Mount Perry CLT can access a range of financial support and technical expertise:

Financial Support:

• FRRR Grants: FRRR offers numerous grant programs, such as “Strengthening Rural Communities,” “Investing in Rural Community Futures,” and “Disaster Resilient: Future Ready,” which can provide direct funding for operational costs, pilot projects (like a “Library of Things” or Repair Café), and larger capital works. In FY24, FRRR raised $39.4M in donations and awarded $24.5M in grants.
• Red Earth Community Foundation Philanthropic Structure: Red Earth’s Giving Sub Fund and auspicing capabilities allow the CLT to attract tax-deductible donations and funding for projects.
• Queensland Government Grants: Programs like “Building our Regions Program” and opportunities under the “Communities 2032 Action Plan” are suitable for larger infrastructure and community development projects. The Queensland Government Grants Finder is a key resource.
• Federal Government Grants: The “Growing Regions Program” offers funding for community-led capital works, and Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees can help align projects with federal funding.
• Corporate & Philanthropic Grants: Organizations like Queensland Gives, Queensland Country Bank (Good for Good Community Grants), and Powerlink Community Grants offer funding for various initiatives, from seed funding pilot projects to larger community capacity building.

Technical Support:

• Australian CLT Network: This is the primary source for expert advice, operational manuals, case studies, and model legal documents (e.g., constitutions, ground leases) to adapt to Queensland’s legal requirements.
• Australian Library of Things Network (ALoT): Provides practical guides, templates, and peer support for launching a “Library of Things.”
• Australian Circular Economy Hub: Offers case studies, resources, and connections for implementing circular economy principles.
• Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME): Provides critical data, frameworks, and case studies for towns navigating post-mine economic transitions.
• Legal Advisors: Professional legal advice is strongly recommended for drafting the constitution and navigating incorporation.
• ACNC Registration: Guidance from FRRR will be essential for navigating registration as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) and securing DGR status.