Annual Report 2019-20

          Noosa Shire Council                                                                                                                                                            2019 - 20 Annual Report



  Corporate Plan - Theme 1: The Noosa Environment                                                       •	Solar systems were installed at Noosaville Library, Noosa River Holiday Park and Cooroy Butter
                                                                                                           Factory as part of Council’s Zero Emissions Noosa Action Plan. Council also partnered with
  Key achievements as we work towards our long term goal include:                                          Australian Energy Foundation to provide a free advice line for the community on solar and battery
                                                                                                           power and energy efficiency which has been well utilised.
  Specific Operational Plan Priorities
                                                                                                        •	Former Mayor, Tony Wellington, was awarded the Climate Council’s Cities Power Partnership
  •	The Noosa Environment Strategy was unanimously endorsed by Council and implementation has             Climate Ambassador Award in recognition of his leadership in driving climate action and emissions
     commenced. The progress on implementation actions will be reported back to Council on an              reduction in his community and beyond.
     annual basis and progress on achieving the targets every 2-3 years.                                •	The three-year partnership between Noosa Council and The Nature Conservancy commenced with
  •	A key part of the implementation of the Noosa Environment Strategy was the introduction of a          the initial aim of starting to restore the lost oyster habitat that once formed the basis of the Noosa
     new, multi-year, environmental grants program. The first round of the grants allocated $750,000       River ecosystem ultimately improving biodiversity in the river.
     over three years to community and not-for-profit organisations to support projects that aligned
     directly with Environment Strategy priorities including;                                           Other Initiatives to enable Council to achieve its goal for this theme
    •	Work to assist in the restoration of coastal sand dunes to provide better habitat and improve    •	Noosa Council became the first Queensland local government to declare a climate emergency,
       resilience to future climate change impacts.                                                        joining other governments across Australia in calling for swift action to minimise significant global
    •	Keep It In Kin Kin project supporting landholders to repair degraded riparian areas in the          repercussions caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions and climatic change.
       upper catchment of the Noosa River.                                                              •	The Voluntary Conservation Agreement program was expanded with five new properties coming
    •	Supporting business and community behavioural change in the use of plastics to reduce               on board: the first new properties in the program since de-amalgamation.
       resource use and the amount of plastic and litter flowing into our rivers and creeks.            •	Council introduced a new Land for Wildlife incentive scheme providing free trees, training, and
  •	Council undertook extensive community consultation on the second draft of the Noosa River             contractor support to eligible properties. There are currently over 300 Noosa properties in this
     Plan. A stakeholder reference group will be convened to finalise and implement the Plan.              valuable voluntary conservation program.
  •	Additional vertical wells were installed in Council’s Eumundi Rd waste landfill site which has     •	Through the Environment Levy, Council purchased a significant parcel of land near Boreen Point for
     increased the capture and flaring of methane, a significant contributor to greenhouse gas             conservation. The 51-hectare property contains important wetlands and koala habitats.
     emissions.                                                                                         •	Council completed a new Biosecurity Plan, the first under the new State legislation for Biosecurity.
  •	Council has successfully implemented the State Government’s $70 per tonne landfill levy that          The plan outlines how we will broadly deal with pest plants and animals, and how we will prioritise
     commenced on 1 July 2019.                                                                             our actions.
  •	Council worked with key partners to transition the Yurol and Ringtail forestry areas to National   •	A new program to monitor turtles started on Noosa’s North Shore to gather data and understand
     Park. Harvesting of pine and hardwood forests has commenced and a community tree planting             turtle behaviour.
     at Ringtail saw 140 volunteers plant 2000 trees.                                                   •	UNESCO commended the Noosa Biosphere Reserve at its 10-year review recognising the ongoing
                                                                                                           work that the community has done in balancing the relationship between people and the
                                                                                                           environment.
                                                                                                        •	The Noosa River catchment maintained its A- rating in the 2019 Healthy Land and Water Report
                                                                                                           Card, with the river also scoring a five-star economic and social benefit rating.
                                                                                                        •	Council commenced work on a new Waste Strategy to guide responsible waste management over
                                                                                                           the long term.
                                                                                                        •	The garden waste bin service was expanded
                                                                                                           to include units, resorts and other commercial
                                                                                                           premises in an effort to divert more waste from
                                                                                                           landfill. The changes also relieve resort and business
                                                                                                           owners of paying the State Government’s new
                                                                                                           waste levy to dump garden waste.
                                                                                                        •	Council continued to crack down on illegal
                                                                                                           dumping with an improved surveillance program
                                                                                                           thanks to a $50,000 Queensland Government grant.
                                                                                                        •	Council worked with Plastic Free Noosa to embed
                                                                                                           waste reduction practises across the organisation,
                                                                                                           in particular reducing single-use plastics in
                                                                                                           community buildings and facilities.
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