2019-05-07 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                        7 MAY 2019


Already there are a number of local entrepreneurs well-advanced in ground-breaking projects,
from new systems to feed the planet, to a method of speeding up production of vaccinations by
boosting algae production.

Another recent example is the establishment of the USC Centre for International Development
Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership right here in Noosa at the J. The Centre’s objectives are
aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with the end goal of improving
people’s livelihoods around the globe utilising the university’s collective capability to respond to
the world’s most critical issues. The centre’s approach is to adopt and adapt innovative practices
to overcome complex global challenges while remaining committed to developing local talent to
solve local problems. The centre already has demonstration of delivering over a 100 projects that
tackle local and global challenges and have social impact.


3.    Alignment with Council strategies

Council has developed or is developing a range of key strategic documents that clearly articulate
specific objectives for Noosa to be well managed and sustainable, to ensure our economy is
diverse and resilient, to engage with our community using best practice and to ensure
sustainability principles are at the heart of all we do.

Council’s Local Economic Plan (LEP) specifically articulates a vision for Noosa to have ‘a
dynamic and resilient economy for generations to come’. The achievement of this is underpinned
by a set of clear objectives in this plan to strengthen and diversify the economy, to explore and
develop collaborative models and partnerships, to connect and share knowledge and data and to
utilise and leverage the strong Noosa brand and commitment to sustainability.

Council’s Environment Strategy which is nearing completion, provides an overall framework and
high level strategic direction on the management of the environment and advancing
sustainability. It sets intentionally aspirational targets and will direct and guide research, action
and activity as well as provide a decision support framework to help prioritise investment and
resources to advance us towards these targets.

Council’s Social Strategy at its core articulates objectives to sustain and enhance the quality of
life of our community, through collaboration and partnerships. Critical to this is access to
information and opportunity.

Collectively these three key strategic documents provide an overall framework that can be used
to identify the key sustainability challenges and opportunities we face as a community and the
associated opportunities for research, action, partnerships and solutions to address these.

Council is therefore well positioned to enable and guide a coordinated and strategic approach to
both the identification of sustainability issues and challenges and a guiding framework to direct
future action and research. Council also acknowledges that the sustainability challenges we face
cannot be dealt with or responded to by one organisation but need collective and collaborative
response, action and investment by many if not all.

4.    Proposed way forward

It is clear from the supplementary information on local examples that there is already a significant
amount of activity, investment, research and action occurring around sustainability, and that what
is lacking is coordination of this effort, collation of data and research, shared access to research
and outcomes, clear strategic direction and strategic identification of key sustainability challenges
and broader general awareness of these.



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