NOOSA BIOSECURITY PLAN 2026-2031 · Report

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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                               9 JUNE 2026


A. Note the report by the Coordinator Biosecurity to the General Committee dated 9 June 2026 for
   the Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2026 – 2031;
B. Approve the Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2026–2031 provided at Attachment 2, for the purposes
   of community engagement;
C. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to undertake community consultation on the Draft Noosa
   Biosecurity Plan 2026–2031 in accordance with Council’s Community Engagement Plan
   provided at Attachment 3; and
D. Note that a further report will be presented to Council following completion of the community
   engagement process, including a summary of submissions and any proposed amendments to
   the Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2026–2031.


REPORT
Biosecurity is defined as efforts to prevent, respond to and recover from pests and diseases that
threaten the economy and the environment. Under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014 all public
and private landowners have a general biosecurity obligation to take all reasonable and practical
measures to prevent or minimise biosecurity risks on human health, amenity, economy and the
environment.

The development of the Noosa Biosecurity Plan is consistent with the Noosa Environment Strategy
2019 for biodiversity and sustainable living goals of improving the condition and extent of our natural
ecosystems and adopting sustainable agricultural practices.

The Plan does not consider fauna species protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 that
may be a nuisance to some residents, such as flying-foxes, magpies, brush turkeys and snakes.
The purpose of the Plan is to manage invasive plant and animal biosecurity risks to people
biodiversity, and the local economy based on priorities and actions that are reasonable and practical
for the community and land managers.

A biosecurity risk assessment using the standardised approach developed by Biosecurity
Queensland has identified the highest priority invasive species, their management feasibility, and
appropriate management approach across the Noosa Shire. Invasive species have been
categorised into four management objectives based on the risk assessment results: Prevention,
Eradication, Containment and Asset-based protection. Although landowners have a biosecurity
obligation for all scheduled species, identifying priorities allows a planned approach to invasive
species management, particularly for large landholders like Council.

The Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2026 -2031 applies the Biosecurity Act 2014 at a local level and covers:
•   Roles and responsibilities of Council, other public agencies and private landowners
•   Processes for reporting of invasive species and management responses
•   Shire-wide risk assessment to establish priorities for managing invasive species
•   Reasonable and practical measures for managing invasive species through prevention,
    eradication, containment and asset-based protection depending on the extent of infestation and
    management feasibility
•   Methods and timing for management of invasive species
•   Invasive species management tools and support
•   Regulation and compliance
•   Information capture, methods used for detection and reporting to broaden current knowledge of
    the distribution and abundance of invasive species

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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                              9 JUNE 2026


An Implementation Action Plan forms part of the Biosecurity Plan. The Implementation Plan has
twenty actions including research and monitoring, community capacity building, planning and on-
ground works.


Link to Corporate Plan
Theme No 1 - Environment
Focus areas include the natural environment, built environment, waterways and coasts and
conservation and heritage.
Objective 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3: by protecting biodiversity, improving waterway health and building
resilience to climate change through invasive species management
Theme No. 2 - Liveability
Liveability encompasses housing, facilities and services, transport, health and wellbeing to enable
an inclusive, connected and vibrant community.
Objective 2.1 and 2.2: by maintaining environmental amenity and reducing risks to community
health and safety
Theme No. 3 - Prosperity
Focus areas include economic development, local business, innovation, arts and culture, waste and
a circular economy.
Objective 3.1 and 3.2: by supporting sustainable agriculture and protecting economic assets from
biosecurity threats
Theme No. 4 - Future
This theme is focused on our future, strengthening our relationship with First Nations peoples and to
ensure our community is prepared and resilient to change. A focus on youth, climate resilience and
adaptation, sense of place and destination management.
Objective 4.1 and 4.2: by enabling adaptive, evidence-based responses to emerging biosecurity
risks
Theme No. 5 - Excellence
This theme focuses on customer experience, financial sustainability, innovation and technology,
levels of service, governance, our employees and volunteers, funding streams and asset
management practices.
Objective 5.1 and 5.2: by delivering Council’s statutory biosecurity responsibilities through
coordinated, efficient and accountable service delivery.




Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 20 February 2020
That Council note the report by the Principal Environment Officer to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 11 February 2020 and
A. Note the submissions received as summarised in Attachment 1 and thank the submitters for their
   input into the Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2020;
B. Adopt the Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2020 as shown in Attachment 2; and
C. Note that subject to Council adoption of the Biosecurity Plan a 2020/21 budget submission will
   be made to undertake a data mining and mapping project to help build knowledge of the extent
   of invasive species across the shire and assess the effectiveness of management controls in
   accordance with the Biosecurity Plan.


Finance
The Noosa Biosecurity Plan 2026-2031 can largely be implemented within existing resource
allocations. However, the Implementation Action Plan identifies several actions which are currently

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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                              9 JUNE 2026


not being undertaken and will require additional resources to complete. These include the following
items:
•   Develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide emergency response for major
    biosecurity events where the Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) is called on by state
    agencies to assist with control of animal diseases (e.g. African Swine Fever, H5 Avian Influenza,
    Foot and Mouth Disease).
•   Initiate targeted education of market sellers and small nurseries regarding the sale of invasive
    plants.
•   Develop and promote increased community awareness of the impact of straying cats and dogs
    on native wildlife.
•   Implement weed management along Lake Flat Rd, Johns Landing and other known sites to
    protect the threatened plant species known as Bacon Wood (Archidendron lovelliae).
•   Investigate the reported effectiveness of bounties for toad control and regular community-based
    toad busting activities targeting removal around sensitive habitats, high value natural areas and
    wetlands.
These projects are over and above current resource allocations and are recommended for
consideration through the future budget process. The estimated cost of these projects is
approximately $30,000.


Risk & Opportunities
The release of the Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan may raise concerns from some members of the
community regarding the use of chemicals for managing invasive species. Council follows industry
best practice and codes for invasive species management. These standards are provided in the
Draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan and respondents can be supplied with this information on request.

A Risk Matrix is included as an attachment to the report.



Human Rights
Human Rights Compatibility Statement
In developing this Report, the subject matter has been considered in accordance with the
requirements of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. It is considered that the subject matter
does not conflict with any human rights and supports a human rights approach to decision making
by Council. Council representatives will endeavour to act and make decisions under this report in a
manner that is compatible with human rights. This report should be read in conjunction with
Council’s Human Rights Policy.


Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
Community notification and engagement will occur in accordance with the community engagement
plan as per Attachment 3.

Key stakeholders to be consulted on the draft:
•   QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries – Biosecurity Queensland
•   Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS)
•   Sunshine Coast Council

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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING                                                                       9 JUNE 2026


•       Gympie Regional Council
•       SEQ Water
•       SEQ Catchments
•       Queensland Rail
•       Noosa & District Landcare Group
Council also sent the draft plan to SEQ Water, Queensland Rail and Transport and Main Roads but
did not receive any comments.
•       Transport and Main Roads
Proposed public consultation with be through Your Say Noosa and targeted consultation:
• Media releases as required
Internal Consultation
Departments consulted:
        Office of the CEO, Mayor &             Community Services               Corporate Services
                Councillors
         Mayor & Councillors                 Director                        Director
         Chief Executive Officer             Community Connection            Financial Services
         Executive Officers                  Sport & Active Lifestyles       Revenue Services
    x    Community Engagement                Arts & Culture                  ICT
         Governance                          Customer Experience             Procurement

                                                                             People & Culture
         Strategy & Environment              Development & Regulation        Infrastructure Services
    X    Director                            Director                        Director
    X    Strategy & Sustainability       X   Development Assessment      X   Civil and Asset operations
         Economic Development        &                                       Infrastructure Planning, Design
                                         X   Local Laws
         Destination Management                                              and Delivery
    X    Environmental Services              Environmental Health            Waste
         Innovation & Digital Hub            Building & Plumbing             Building & Facilities
         Commercial Property                 Property / Permits              Disaster Management

                                                                             Fleet