2021-06-16 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                  16 JUNE 2021


Submission Topic   Detail
                   Noosa Council would do well to concentrate on its true core business. Basic items,
                   such as maintaining a supply of dog bags along Gympie Terrace, recycling bins for
                   Cooroy, roundabouts for Cooroy, sealing unsealed roads, and the Noosa Waters
                   fountain which has sat as an eyesore for well over a year. A Council that can't manage
                   such minor issues should most definitely not be involved in a $1.2 billion + business
                   that it clealy doesn't understand

                   Submission 53
                   As a member of Tourism Noosa I wish to register my feedback and questions in
                   response to the 21-22 Draft Budget as follows: The proposal to bring the Tourism and
                   Economic Development Levy under General Rates is alarming for the tourism industry.
                   Where will we see the current transparency around how our Tourism Levy funds are
                   used, as we do in Tourism Noosa's Annual Reports? With protection removed, there is
                   no guarantee that Council or future Councils will continue to use the funds for their
                   purpose, or will even fund Tourism Noosa for the purpose of tourism promotion. In this
                   uncertain Covid world, now more than ever before our tourism industry needs security
                   and the continued good work of Tourism Noosa. Surely a consultative approach with
                   Tourism Noosa, it’s stakeholders and members is the best way forward in order to
                   resolve funding issues.

                   Submission 54
                   I object to the proposal to move funds collected through the Tourism & Economic
                   Development Levy into General Rates and completely reject Council’s statement that
                   “tourism promotion has evolved into core Council business”. I request that Council
                   removes this proposal from the Draft Budget and gives one of our Shire’s biggest
                   industries – a $1BILLION+ industry (Tourism Research Australia figures 2019) – the
                   courtesy of an explanation and the chance to discuss its potential impacts and
                   ramifications. When did tourism evolve into core Council business? If that was the
                   case:
                    Why has Council been funding Tourism Noosa to carry out destination promotion
                       for 20 years?
                    Why has Tourism Noosa had to receive Council approval for the Annual Reports,
                       annual budgets and strategic plans and also present twice-yearly activity reports?

                   What tourism promotion does Council carry out as “core business”? Until Council can
                   provide evidence of this and rationale for removing the current protection provided by
                   this special levy that ensures the funds are used for destination promotion, this
                   proposal should be dropped. Don’t just give a stock answer to the people who have
                   provided feedback to this “consultation” (which I would’ve thought was a 2-way process
                   but there’s been nothing from Council in the way of explanation). The tourism industry;
                   Tourism Noosa, its 900+ member businesses, staff and Board; the levy payers and the
                   Noosa community, many of whom indirectly benefit economically from tourism, all
                   deserve to hear Council’s side of the “consultation”. It is not provided in your Budget
                   papers.

                   How can legitimate feedback be provided to Council on something to which there is no
                   rationale, no explanation? What has suddenly changed after 20 years? What have
                   Tourism Noosa and the local tourism industry (the Shire’s largest employment sector)
                   done to deserve having this change forced on them without the courtesy of one iota of
                   explanation or discussion of the implications? Council has a representative on the
                   Tourism Noosa Board – was the proposal mentioned to the Board? Where was the
                   discussion about this extraordinarily significant change as an election issue last year?
                   There was none.

                   There are so many questions that Council has not addressed that this proposal is an
                   insult to levy payers, the Noosa community and the tourism industry, particularly as
                   they face great challenges and uncertainty due to Covid. What guarantees can Council
                   give the Tourism Levy rate payers that the levy funds, if bundled into General Rates,
                   will continue to be used for their intended purpose, i.e. destination promotion which


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