2021-03-02 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA   2 MARCH 2021




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SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                    2 MARCH 2021

     for the vulnerable resident population. This risk is exacerbated when events take
     place in and spill over into shared public spaces.
     + This ts of particular concern in Noosa where specific, enclosed spaces for larger
     scale outdoor events such as stadiums are absent. One of the key tenants of
     managing risk for events is a clear separation of activity. Without this separation, risk
     management plans are somewhat futile. This is possibly the single most crucial
     difficulty in managing risk for events in Noosa, the intrusion into spaces and facilities
     used by and inhabited by people (residents and tourists) who are not part of the
     event.
     + Many of Noosa’s events rely heavily on volunteers from the community for a
     multitude of tasks both on and off the event site. For volunteers, particularly older
     volunteers, exposure to large numbers of visitors from outside the Shire and/or State
     presents an additional risk of exposure to infection.
     * The State provides guidance on developing risk management plans and checklists
     for Category Three events that do not require State approval and while event
     organisers are responsible for these plans, it should be understood that planning
     provisions and ticking boxes are not the same as ensuring compliance. The State
     requires all risk management plans to have provisions for 2 sqm for each person
     (including staff and organisers) on site and 1.5m but we have all seen in recent
     events and general activity in Noosa that compliance with, or enforcement of, risk
     management plans is difficult and at times impossible.
     + As a venue owner and having approved the staging of events and risk
     management plans, Council would be responsible for ‘ensuring that specific public
     health measures applicable to their venue (as set out in legislation or venue-specific
     COVID Safe Plans) are understood and implemented by event organisers operating
     in their venues’ (QLD Tourism Industry Council — Industry Framework for OVID-safe
     Events 2020), so while event organisers might be responsible for developing plans
     and compliance, Council also has liability for ensuring implementation of plans it has
     approved for events in its venues. Assessing this ability to ensure compliance must
     be a key issue for Council in any approval process.
     + Events come in many guises, and rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Council
     would be wise to consider each proposal in relation to specific critena relating to the
     event, the proposed site and Noosa specific risks. While current Queensland-wide
     restrictions allow Category 3 events to complete a checklist rather than present a
     detailed plan, given the particular vulnerabilities present in our shire, Council should
     still seek a detailed risk management plan before approving events.

     Rod Ritchie
     President
     Cooroy Area Residents Association
     4 January 2021

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