2021-03-02 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                2 MARCH 2021


11.   Stakeholder Feedback - Council Proposal to allow larger events
In December 2020, feedback from individual precinct stakeholders and Noosa and Cooroy resident
and ratepayer groups was sought in relation to Council allowing larger events. This feedback is
provided in Attachment 2 and summarised below.

Hastings Street Association
•     The HSA supports Noosa Council retaining its own directive on an Events Policy in relation to
      assessing non community events.
•     Acknowledge the merits in aligning to the State Event Guidelines which provides clear
      understanding for industry state-wide.
•     State Event Guidelines do not appear to take responsibility for an under-performing operator
      and any ramifications of such would only be dealt with post the event, and therefore irreparable
      damage to the industry and Noosa community would be costly.

The HSA is of the view that major events need to deliver:
•    An independent economic pre-event assessment of the proposed event demonstrating the
     value to the local economy and the viability of the event noting the assessment is in the best
     interest of the event organiser given the level of investment required to deliver a major event,
     and secondly it respects the investment by Council officers in assessing event applications.
•    An assessment of their Queensland Health COVID safe plans initiatives by a pandemic
     specialist, such as Respond Global, based in Noosa Junction, at the event operators own
     expense. The HSA believes this measure would identify major event operators who were
     genuine in their COVID safe delivery and hope this would allow the community to recognise
     the level of responsibility placed on event delivery to protect the wellbeing and the reputation
     of Noosa.

Lastly, the HSA does not believe capacity needs to be ring-fenced to 500 people but each event
application assessed on measures outlined above and crucially the capabilities check of the Event
Organiser and its Entity.

Discussion
•    While an economic pre event assessment is important it is not directly related to the subject of
     this report and is proposed to be discussed separately with the HSA.
•    COVID Safe Plans for Category 1 and 2 events are approved by the Chief Health Officer/
     Public Health Unit. There is a high level of confidence in the ability of the State to undertake
     this task and the proposal for individual assessments of State approved plans is not supported.



Noosaville Business Association (NBA)
•     Possibly allow events with greater numbers depending on uniqueness, i.e. distance
      participants are spread over.
•     Event organisers need certainty to plan for events which may be 12 months away.
•     Preference for aligning with Framework given the State is doing a better job with hotspot testing
      rather than a more conservative approach sympathetic to age demographic.

Subsequent feedback from the NBA indicated support for ‘the need to have a group available to
assess applications for events based on merit, QLD Health guidelines as a baseline and then
assessment assuming they meet those guidelines’.




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