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

    SCWA should be legislatively required to:
       1.    adopt ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles;
       2.    ensure no net loss of fish habitat or foreshore vegetation;
       3.    prioritise sediment management approaches that protect natural hydrodynamics;
       4.    undertake cumulative impact assessments for proposed works.


B8. Governance Principles for SCWA
    To ensure the Authority delivers safe, sustainable and community-aligned outcomes,
    Council recommends that the Bill include or reference a set of governance principles
    requiring SCWA to:
            a. Prioritise Local Place-Based Planning
            SCWA should be required to demonstrate consistency with:
              1. Noosaville Foreshore Masterplan;
              2. Noosa River Management Plan;
              3. Future foreshore and riverside Masterplans;
              4. local planning scheme policies;
              5. Coast and Catchment management strategies.

            b. Protect Environmental and Cultural Values
            SCWA’s planning and operational decisions must uphold ecological resilience, water
            quality, biodiversity and cultural heritage, particularly in waterways with nationally
            recognised environmental significance such as the Noosa River.
            c. Apply Proportionality and Suitability Tests
            SCWA should be required to ensure that infrastructure proposals are:
              1. physically suitable for the waterway (e.g., Noosa River depth constraints);
              2. compatible with environmental overlays;
              3. proportionate to local demand and amenity capacity;
              4. supported by contemporary and methodologically robust modelling to address
                  current and future demand requirements.
            d. Maintain Transparent Decision-Making
            SCWA should:
              1. publish detailed justification for inclusion or exclusion of projects in the Strategy
                 and Program;
              2. disclose consultation outcomes;
              3. openly report performance against environmental, social and economic
                 metrics.


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