2018-12-11 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                             11 DECEMBER 2018


Byron Shire Council agreed to take the lead on identifying the next steps and their Mayor, Cr
Richardson identified that he thought that there would be benefit for a collegiate group of Councils
to join together who could be a strong voice for local governments facing issues associated with
tourism.

2.     Joining the Australian Tourism Councils Advocacy Group

Noosa Council has recently received correspondence from Byron Shire Council requesting our
Council to join a proposed Australian Tourism Councils Advocacy Group (ATCAG) that will be
auspiced by Byron Shire Council.

A copy of the fact sheet for the proposed ATCAG Group is provided as Attachment 1 to this report.

As can be seen from their proposal, there are four main issues that the group proposed to focus
on:
1.   Tourism impacts on infrastructure;
2.   Lack of public transport;
3.   Increases to holiday and short-term rentals and their impacts; and
4.   Creating sustainable tourism opportunities and Agritourism.

The recommendation in this report is to join ATCAG as an initial member and to monitor how it
progresses. If it is successful, there is probably some benefit to our Council in being part of an
Australian wide group of local governments who are dealing with similar tourism issues. We would
have the opportunity to learn about how other Councils are managing these issues and have a
collective voice if any lobbying of government is required. One of the challenges of course, is that
tourism issues are different from State to State and from Council to Council.

Nevertheless, for a relatively low investment, we can join ATCAG and monitor whether it is
successful in its aims.

Previous Council Consideration
Nil.

Finance
There is a proposed cost of $1,000 to join the group (annual amount). Membership is on a calendar
year basis and would commence from 1 January 2019. This membership fee was not budgeted as
the request was only received recently. The cost will be absorbed into existing budgets. If the
group proposes any research or a communication campaign, any costs would need to be covered
by members provided that a majority of members approve any such costs.

Risks & Opportunities
There are three key issues to be considered in terms of risks. Firstly, will ATCAG be successful?
The issues facing Councils across Australia who are impacted by tourism are many and varied. It
may be difficult to find common ground. For example, some local governments are in declining
tourism markets and seeking to focus on improved marketing and opportunities. Others are facing
overcrowding from too many tourists.

Secondly, many of the issues that have been identified need to be addressed at a State
government level. With a majority of members likely to be from New South Wales, there may be
some risk that there is too much focus on advocacy to the New South Wales State government.




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