2020-05-12 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT                                                                                                 12 MAY 2020


BRANCH ACTIVITIES               RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS                            CURRENT PRIORITIES                         THE NEXT QUARTER
Industry & Sector Development   Tourism                                           Tourism –work closely with Tourism        Digital Hub expansion – lead design
                                o Regular Tourism Noosa and Noosa                  Noosa on strategic response to             of next stage as part of Rufous Street
                                   Council teams meetings.                         business re-opening.                       project.
                                o Finalised Noosa Trails Network report.          Digital Hub – continue strong growth      Increase partnership opportunities
                                o Management of the Regional Tourism               and plan for expansion.                    with Tourism Noosa related to
                                    Bushfire Recovery Grants.                     Education Sector – NETA focus on           new/expanding markets – digital/tech
                                                                                   progressing Learning Hub proposal          tourism, education tourism, food
                                Tech/Digital
                                                                                   and providing a submission to CQ           tourism, indigenous tourism.
                                o Half year report presented to Council
                                    in February showed the Digital Hub             University proposal.                      Complete      submission     to    CQ
                                    finished ahead of financial targets,                                                      University.
                                    24% growth in membership of digital
                                    sub-sector groups, 4 new FTE
                                    positions and 5 p/t roles created from
                                    within Hub businesses.
                                o Firetech Connect secured $100k
                                    Federal funding and $50k from the
                                    State government to support the
                                    delivery of a business development
                                    program        and        international
                                    conference (now virtually).
                                 o Rufous Street expansion – finalising
                                    options for next stage of the digital
                                    hub.
                                Education
                                o NETA (Education and Training
                                   Alliance) focused on three projects:
                                   Future Skills Hub, Career Pathways
                                   and Noosa as an Education
                                   Destination
                                Environment.
                                o Earthtech Summit.
                                   This industry led group, ‘birthed’ at the
                                   Hub held a youth summit on
                                   Makepeace Island for the 10 winners
                                   of a global competition to provide
                                   technology      solutions      to     UN



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