Annual Report 2015-16

   A #NoosaConnects networking event was held by Council in conjunction with CCIQ at The J in
    March 2016. This business networking evening was attended by over 200 people to connect
    with industry and government funding and other support bodies. It was very well received by
    the Noosa business community.
   During 2015/16, Council approved 98% of development applications with the number of
    applications showing a steady increase in activity. We met statutory assessment timeframes
    for most types of applications except for MCUs. The complexity and issues involved in MCU
    applications meant that statutory timeframes were met between 60% and 80% of the time.
    Building and Plumbing approval timeframes remained significantly better than statutory
    requirements. There has been a significant improvement in building approval times in the last
    two years.

Other Activities

Of course, not everything that Council has done in the last 12 months falls neatly into the seven
key priorities outlined above. In no particular order, some other key issues during 2015/16
included:
 Local Government Election - March 2016
    Although managed by the Electoral Commission of Queensland, the March 2016 Council
    election was a milestone event seeing the conclusion of our first term following de-
    amalgamation and the commencement of our second term. The retirement of Mayor Noel
    Playford and Deputy Mayor Bob Abbot saw the departure of over 50 years of local government
    experience. Cr Tony Wellington was elected as Mayor and there were also three new
    Councillors elected. As such, an extensive and intense induction program was developed to
    smooth the transition process from April to June 2016. That has been successfully achieved.
 Audit and Risk Committee
    Our Audit and Risk Committee continues to work quietly on ensuring that good governance
    practices are in place. Although not high profile, this Committee plays an important role in
    making sure that Council “dots the i’s and crosses the t’s” both in governance and in the
    management of risk. Council received an unqualified audit from the Queensland Audit Office
    (QAO) for its financial statements and during the external audit process no issues of concern
    were raised by the QAO. Council’s Internal Audit Program included internal audits on Cash
    Handling and the Waste Charges system.
 Establishment of Enterprise Risk Management
    We are significantly more advanced over the last 12 months in embedding risk management
    practices into Council operations. An Enterprise Risk Management Policy and Framework has
    been adopted by Council and risk registers established. The Leadership Team reviews
    strategic risks on a quarterly basis and operational risk registers have been established at a
    Departmental level. A comprehensive Business Continuity Plan is all but complete and will be
    tested in 2016/17.
 Disaster Management
    Our Noosa Disaster Management and Disaster Recovery Plans have been adopted by Council.
    Specific Disaster Management Plans were also developed for the Pomona and Daintree Estate
    areas. In 2015/16, we undertook a major training exercise for a wild fire event. Luckily,
    throughout the year, we were spared any major flooding events unlike some other SEQ
    Councils. We have undertaken significant training for our staff to ensure that we are ready for
    disaster events and the level of volunteering for this role by staff remains high.
 Noosa North Shore
    Council is well advanced with planning for a refurbishment of the Noosa North Shore
    Wilderness Camp. At the same time, negotiations are continuing with DNRM to sort out
    historical tenure issues on the Noosa North Shore and these negotiations are progressing well.




Noosa Council Annual Report 2015/16                                                        Page 11