2021-06-16 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                   16 JUNE 2021


Submission Topic   Detail
                   properties – hosted and unhosted – that participate in the industry have people staying
                   at the property for less time than if the property was a principal place of residence
                   (PPR). So it follows that council facilities and amenities are being used less in
                   association with these properties rather than more. A different way to look at this is if
                   every STRA property become a PPR, what approach would Council take to balance its
                   budget and more importantly create a local economy that could support the same
                   number of businesses and jobs that are currently reliant on tourists. This is an issue
                   that must be reconciled before any further changes are made.

                   The current ad hoc and uncoordinated approach to STRA by Noosa Council is not part
                   of an overall plan and has no evidence-base supporting it. We ask again that the Noosa
                   Council work with the State Government on a State wide plan to manage STRA, or at
                   a minimum hold off making changes to local policies, regulations and rates/levies until
                   the State Government Industry Reference Group process has run its course.

                   Stayz reiterates that it is a strong supporter of putting in place the right policies,
                   regulations and funding base for STRA. We have demonstrated this commitment in our
                   partnerships with State Governments and Councils around Australia. We seek a
                   commitment from Noosa Council to work with us to co-design the settings that address
                   the issues at the heart of Councils concern as well as allow the STRA industry to
                   continue its valuable contribution to the local economy. We are confident from our
                   experience across the globe that there is a better way than what the Noosa Council is
                   proposing.

                   We hope to hear from you to set up a meeting to discuss the points raised in this letter
                   and our previous engagements in more detail.

                   Submission 8:
                   Shame on you Noosa Council for planning such extravagant rate increases on holiday
                   property investors. My family and I have been investing in and enjoying holidays in
                   Noosa for over 40 years. In late 2019 we invested in a holiday unit ( a strata of 8). In
                   our first year 2020, we had almost no visitors due to Covid and we made a significant
                   loss on the property. And now you want to introduce a major rate hike and significantly
                   above CPI. Shame on you! Why are you gouging the small investment property owners
                   who have made a significant contribution and investment in Noosa for over 40 years
                   helping to make it the wonderful Australian iconic tourist destination it is today. Shame
                   on you Noosa Council

                   Submission 9:
                   Why penalise the properties that bring tourists to Noosa do you want to tax us more?

                   Submission 10:
                   We own a 2 bedroom holiday let and are retired. We use our unit about 3 to 4 months
                   a year , and let it out via a local agent for the remaining 7 to 8 months , where the
                   occupancy is around 70% . I understand the council intends to increase the rates on
                   short term rentals by 16% in 2021/2022. Like many people who own units in our block
                   we are not rich and bought our unit many years ago. As retired people we net about
                   $10,000 a year from our apartment after expenses and this helps fund our retirement.
                   We and our guests have never used many of the councils facilities eg library, swimming
                   centre, childrens playgrounds etc. We our our guests spend money in local shops and
                   contribute to local businesses.

                   The council says "short term residents" need to pay their fair share , I object to this on
                   a number of grounds:
                   - Most of the facilities the council spends money on are not used by short term rental
                   clients
                   - Our unit is completely vacant 2 to 3 months a year - adding no cost to the council.
                   - The can find no reasoning or rational behind this comment and given the limited use
                   of council assets and the unit being vacant I would assume we already pay "more than
                   our fair share"

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