2022-05-10 Planning and Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   10 MAY 2022




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                10 MAY 2022

              Our environment

              Current trends

              Local market

              In 2020 Noosa Council's economic profile listed just under half (25,302) of Noosa Shire’s
              56,587 residents as employed, with 24,286 of those jobs considered local. The ongoing
              fallout from the Covid pandemic could see these figures fluctuate.
              According to the Noosa Council website the Noosa economy reflects many national trends
              such as an ageing population and growth in the health care and social services,
              professional, scientific, and technical services. Noosa’s economy relies significantly on the
              tourism, retail and construction sectors and is home to approximately 7,263 mainly small and
              micro businesses. A more diversified industry base, geared more towards knowledge-based
              sectors such as healthcare and wellness, digital economy, environmental industries, rural
              enterprise, creative industries, and professional services, are recognised by Council as
              priority industry sectors of competitive advantage that will support economic growth and
              provide employment opportunities.
              The LEP indicates a desire by Council to strive to a more diversified economy and identifies
              effective land use planning; enterprise support; essential infrastructure; skilled and
              connected businesses and implementation; and monitoring and reporting as key themes to
              achieve diversification. A range of very successful entrepreneurs and skilled businesspeople
              also call Noosa home. Attracting and retaining people with the skills and talent to deliver to
              these goals along with creating and sustaining collaborative alliances and networks is
              integral to success.
              According to Noosa Council’s Economic Profile and Economic Development Plan to inform
              and assist business and industry decision making:
              e  Noosa has an ageing population. In 2011 the median age for the Shire was 46 years
                 compared to 38 and 36 years in South-East Queensland and the State respectively.
              e  Three of the top five employment sectors focus primarily on providing for residents, and
                 tourism driven industries. They are retail, accommodation & foods services, and
                 construction. The retail and accommodation and food services sectors also offer the
                 lowest wages, and this, combined with high proportion of part-time work in the region,
                 sees Noosa Shire report a median household income below that of the SEQ Region and
                 the State.
              e  Noosa Shire has an unemployment rate of 7.3% (prior to Covid) and significant
                 underemployment, particularly among youth (cited in 2015 by Sandy Bolton as
                 potentially as high at 49%) and lower than average household income.
              e  Noosa Shire Council's Gross Regional Product is estimated at $3.00 billion in the 2020
                 economic profile which represents 0.8% of the state's GSP (Gross State Product). Prior
                 to Covid, this was growing at a rate of around 2.5% per annum (LEP) up from around
                 $2.6 billion in 2013-14.

              The Chamber's role - transitioning to a, diversified, innovative future

              For Noosa to realise economic diversification and sustainable growth in knowledge-based
              industries — innovation, change and investment is needed. A unified, collaborative approach
              will be needed to encourage and enable new sector investment in Noosa.

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