ZERO EMISSIONS NOOSA (ZEN) Inc. ALLIANCE AGREEMENT · Report

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                         6 OCTOBER 2026


                               Risk
            Risk                                          Proposed Mitigation
                              Rating
Alliance funding increases
reliance on Council or               Annual reporting of Council funding as a proportion of total
                              Low
reduces incentive to                 income and activities undertaken to diversify income.
diversify income
Reliance on key volunteers
and individual office holders        Maintain project-management/administrative capacity;
may affect organisational Medium ensure strong oversight and early reporting on project
continuity and project               progress.
delivery
                                     Council representation on working groups, strong
Staffing or organisational
                                     relationships with key staff, Councillor observer on Board,
capacity issues result in
                              Medium Annual Operational Plan, annual progress reporting, ability
underspend or delays in
                                     to vary agreed activities where justified, and agreed
delivering agreed activities
                                     treatment of material underspends.


OPPORTUNITIES

Continuing its three-year alliance with ZEN Inc provides Council with considerable opportunities for
engagement with the Noosa Community to reduce emissions and enhance its resilience through
the continued valuable contribution of ZEN Inc's growing volunteer base.

Opportunity
Leverage Council
                              The partnership provides an opportunity for ZEN Inc to attract grant
investment to attract
                              funding, sponsorship, in-kind assistance and substantial volunteer
external funding and
                              contribution.
volunteer contributions
                             ZEN Inc. provides specialist community-based capacity that
                             complements rather than duplicates Council resources. The 2025
Increase Council's effective
                             Council assessment acknowledges that the partnership enables
delivery capacity
                             delivery that would otherwise not be possible using existing Council
                             staff capacity alone.
Strengthen delivery of       The agreement requires cooperation on activities aligned with the
Council's climate and        Climate Change Response Plan and progress towards reducing
sustainability priorities    community emissions.
Maintain access to an        ZEN Inc. has demonstrated significant reach through initiatives
established community        including the EV & Electrify Everything Expo, Rewiring Noosa, Solar
network and trusted delivery for Strata and community battery work. Maintaining the Alliance
partner                      avoids having to recreate this community network within Council.
Use the updated agreement
to strengthen governance Rather than simply continuing the existing arrangement, the updated
and organisational           agreement has strengthened governance.
resilience


Human Rights
Human Rights Compatibility Statement
In developing this Report, the subject matter has been considered in accordance with the
requirements of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. It is considered that the subject matter
does not conflict with any human rights and supports a human rights approach to decision making