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

    empowered to deliver. This clarity is particularly important in light of the Bill’s amendment to
    the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, which designates the SCWA as the default manager of
    public marine facilities within Sunshine Coast waterways.


A5. Overlap in sand and sediment management responsibilities
    Part 2, clause 12(d) of the Bill assigns SCWA responsibility for monitoring and managing sand
    and sediment movement in waterways and adjacent coastal waters and land. The
    explanatory material accompanying the Bill indicates that this function does not operate to
    the exclusion of similar functions currently undertaken by local governments.
    This dual responsibility is insu iciently defined, raising several risks:
        1. duplication of monitoring e orts;
        2. conflicting decisions on dredging, erosion mitigation, or river health;
        3. uncertainty over the controlling agency when sediment related issues arise quickly
            (e.g., rapid shoaling).
    For a dynamic estuarine system such as the Noosa River, unclear delineation may hinder
    rapid, coordinated responses.
    The establishment of the SCWA introduces several areas where the Authority’s
    responsibilities appear to overlap with, duplicate, or conflict with Noosa Council’s existing
    statutory functions. These risks arise because the Bill confers broad responsibilities on the
    SCWA while simultaneously stating that the Bill does not displace local government
    obligations under the Planning Act 2016, Local Government Act 2009, or the Coastal
    Protection and Management Act 1995. This creates an environment where multiple entities
    may hold intersecting mandates over the same waterways, infrastructure assets, and land
    water interfaces.
    For a highly constrained waterway like the Noosa River, which has shallow bathymetry,
    sensitive ecosystems, and significant environmental overlays, unclear responsibility for
    sediment interventions could lead to:
        1. inappropriate dredging;
        2. altered hydrodynamics;
        3. habitat loss;
        4. elevated community concerns.

Part 2, clause 12(d) of the Bill assigns the SCWA responsibility for monitoring and managing sand
and sediment movement in waterways and adjacent coastal waters and land. The explanatory
material accompanying the Bill notes that this function does not operate to the exclusion of
similar responsibilities currently undertaken by local governments.

However, this dual responsibility is insu iciently defined and introduces several risks, including:


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