In Bundaberg, a quiet but powerful shift is underway. Community groups, families, services, and government agencies are working together in new ways not by imposing solutions, but by starting with what local people say they need. This community-led, place-based approach is proving to be one of the most effective ways to tackle entrenched disadvantages and improve outcomes for children and families.
The national Stronger Places, Stronger People (SPSP) initiative highlights how this approach is delivering early results in sites across Australia and Bundaberg is following a similar path. The idea is simple but transformative: local people have deep knowledge about what works in their community. When they are supported with the right infrastructure, partnerships, and decision-making power, they create solutions that are more relevant, sustainable and impactful.
Research from the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) shows that early intervention works best when it’s driven locally. In regional communities like Bundaberg, place-based approaches allow services to be more flexible and responsive, especially in areas where traditional systems have failed to reach or understand families.
Importantly, this work is not just about delivering better programs, it’s about building relationships, trust, and shared responsibility. That means community members are not just passive recipients of services; they are active drivers of change. As The Water of Systems Change reminds us, changing a system means changing the conditions that keep problems in place including power dynamics, relationships, and deeply held beliefs.
Across Bundaberg, we are seeing this shift in action through localised planning, improved collaboration between services, and community members stepping into leadership roles. It’s not a quick fix, but it is creating the foundation for long-term change. And that’s why community-led, place-based change matters because it gives local people the tools, voice, and agency to build a better future on their own terms.
Find the Full The Water of Systems Change Report and SPSP Early Evidence Report of Community-Led Change for further reading.
Written by Gayle Reynolds (Co-Founder Welcome to Bundaberg)
