MAYORAL MINUTES · Attachment 1 to the Ordinary Meeting Minutes dated 19 March 2026 - Noosa Council Submission_SCWA Bill 2026

   2. Whether the Bill can be amended or supported by regulation to require system specific
      planning where materially di erent management approaches are warranted.
   3. How the Authority intends to incorporate community expectations and environmental
      sensitivities into strategic planning for the Noosa River, given the strong community
      preference for preserving its low impact, nature based character.
Providing clarity on this matter is essential to ensuring that the SCWA’s planning framework can
appropriately respond to the unique management needs of the Noosa River, uphold the
community’s long-standing stewardship expectations, and protect the ecological values that
underpin the region’s identity and the Noosa Biosphere Reserve designation.


A12. Impact of SCWA on Sand Pumping and Sediment Management at the Noosa River
      Mouth
Noosa Council seeks clarification on Bill will a ect the management of sand pumping and
sediment movement at the Noosa River mouth, acknowledging that these activities are currently
administered under the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995 and associated State
coastal management programs.
The Bill assigns the SCWA the function to “monitor and manage the movement of sand or
sediment in the Sunshine Coast waterways and in coastal waters, or on land, adjacent to the
waterways” (Bill, Clause 11(1)(d)), and to “manage navigational access to, and within, Sunshine
Coast waterways” (Bill, Clause 11(1)(c)). At the same time, the Bill states that these functions “do
not operate to the exclusion of a similar function performed by a local government or another
entity” (Bill, Clause 12). This creates uncertainty regarding the respective roles of SCWA, DESI,
TMR, and Council in managing sand pumping operations at the river mouth.
Accordingly, Council seeks advice on:
   1. Whether the SCWA will assume any operational, planning or approval responsibilities for
      the Noosa Council sand bypass/recycling system at the Noosa River mouth under Clause
      11(1)(c)–(d), or whether responsibility remains solely with agencies administering the
      Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995. It is noted that Noosa Council is the only
      LGA of the 3 covered by SCWA that has a sand bypass system.
   2. How SCWA’s 10year Waterways Management Strategy and 3year Waterways
      Management Program (Clauses 13–21) will influence or interact with existing sediment
      management frameworks, including coastal hazard adaptation planning and State led
      sediment allocation programs.
   3. Whether SCWA’s sediment management functions could alter, duplicate or override
      current coastal engineering approaches, dredging triggers, or sand redistribution
      requirements at the river mouth.



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