FACULTY OF ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES

Australian local governments & planning for religious diversity: the refusal of a Hindu temple in Sydney

Department of Sociology & Social Policy Dr. Laura Beth Bugg

Citizenship & Belonging

•  Citizenship “has been extended from formal matters of belonging to a nation-state to more substantive ones of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights and obligations” (Rogers 2000: 283).

•  “Ordinary Citizenship” - the “ways in which citizenship is simultaneously constituted through encounters with law and daily life” (Staeheli et al 2012: 630)

Multicultural Policy & Planning

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Australians “of all backgrounds” should be entitled “to celebrate, practise and maintain their cultural heritage, traditions and language within the law and free from discrimination” (DIAC 2011: 6)

NSW Community Relations Commission and Principles of Multiculturalism Act (2000) - groups must be free “to profess, practise and maintain their own… religious heritage”

Australian Local Govt Association (ALGA) endorses Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society – Govt services “should be free of any form of discrimination irrespective of a person’s country of birth, language, culture, race or religion”.

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Case Study Context

•  Rural-urban fringe suburb •  25% of residents from NESB •  Large numbers of amenity migrants •  2009 – development application lodged for

Swaminarayan temple in rural-residential area

Case Study Context• Baulkham Hills Shire Council

• Pop 176,487 (ABS 2006)

• 22% NESB (ABS 2006)

• November 2007 SwaminarayanHindu temple lodged DA forplace of worship

• on land zoned rural, places ofworship permitted

Source (both): Smyth Planning

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33 Nelson Road, Nelson Statement of Environmental Effects

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Figure 10. Another Residence on McHales Way (Note the dome)

Figure 11. Another Residence on McHales Way

33 Nelson Road, Nelson Statement of Environmental Effects

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Figure 8. The Residence on McHales Way NE of corner of the Site

Figure 9. Another Residence on McHales Way

Houses adjacent to proposed temple

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Proposed temple design

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Urban Planners

(1)  rural space has distinct land-uses (agriculture and rural- residential);

(2)  rural space has a particular settlement type and traditional aesthetic;

(3)  rural space is associated with Anglo-Christian churches.

Planner: We have a zoning that permits places of public worship; traditionally that has meant the bush church, you know…. I always think that people know what they are getting with traditional churches, and I guess my view is that it is a little more open ended with other religions.

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Local Residents

(1)  rural space is a peaceful idyll; (2)  rural space is aligned with Anglo-Australian settler

history, values and practices; (3)  rural space is absent of ethnic minorities

Resident submissions to Council: “Local residents have chosen to live in the area because of its amenity and privacy, the lifestyle, the quiet rural surroundings and the pioneer heritage of the area, which has connections to Lord Nelson and William Bligh….” “The noises and smells produced by other cultures are quite offensive to us”.

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Temple Members

(1)  assertions of sameness (2)  rural space as ideal for prayer and meditation; (3)  rural as prime site for transmission of cultural values and

religious practice. Letters of submission to Council from the Swaminarayans:

The land itself is in a peaceful and calm area, so it will be good for our worship and our practices. It is important for worshippers to have a silent and peaceful environment for prayers. It is obvious that prayers are always chanted in a silent environment.

[The temple] will help us maintain our culture and pass it on to the next generation. Our culture preaches about kindness, honesty, independence, team work and respect.

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Conclusions

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•  Planners codify landscape and ‘define the terms of belonging’ (Trudeau 2006)

•  Local residents use discoursive strategies to ensure the stability of their position as elites

•  Swaminarayans re-appropriate and subvert the hegemonic understanding of rural space