Annual Report 2015-16

                         Mayor’s Message
                        2015/16 was a year of transition for Noosa Council. This occurred on two fronts.
                        First we completed the two-year process of building our new Council, by writing
                        and adopting remaining Council policies, largely finalising our workforce,
                        solidifying our economic strategies and bedding down our pioneering IT
                        systems.

                        The other transition was a product of the local government elections which saw
                        both Noel Playford and Bob Abbot retiring, and three new Councillors elected.

                        Noel Playford’s essential role in putting the Council on solid foundations cannot
be underestimated. When I took over the helm on 5th April 2016, Noosa Council was in a very solid
financial position, as reflected in assessments by the Queensland Treasury Corporation.

Noel and Bob, in their respective roles as Mayor and Deputy Mayor, also left a legacy of cooperative
participation amongst the elected body. Their interrelationship and leadership skills inform the model on
which the current elected body operates.

Looking back, I am amazed at how quickly Noosa Council managed to get to its proverbial feet.
Significant credit for this must go to our CEO, Brett de Chastel and his management team.

But of course it wasn’t just the CEO and our managers who were asked to pull out all stops. Our
Council is only as good as the staff who comprise it, and we are truly blessed with a skilled, passionate
workforce. The most commonplace comment that I receive from residents is acknowledgement of how
much they enjoy their interactions with our staff, whether it’s in the field or at the Tewantin building. This
reflects a corporate mind-set that is precious to my fellow councillors and myself.

2015/16 saw the completion of a hugely ambitious capital works program. There was certainly some
catch-up work to do following de-amalgamation, on top of which the sealing of the hinterland loop road
was added. This legacy project, the sealing of Dr Pages Rd and part of Kinmond Creek Rd, has already
produced demonstrable benefits in the hinterland. With Tourism Noosa helping promote our rural areas
through their Noosa Country Drive initiative, those benefits will continue to flourish.

The future for Noosa Council is glaringly bright. I am blessed with an excellent team of councillor
colleagues, all pulling together and working harmoniously. I thank each of them for their support and
camaraderie. Together, we have a unique opportunity to help develop a future vision for our wonderful
Shire. That will be expressed in our new planning scheme, but also in the decisions we make during our
budget deliberations and in Council meetings.

Fundamentally, the vision that I have is for Noosa to be an exemplar of best practice in sustainability,
environmental awareness and protection, economic vigour and community wellbeing. The move
towards a zero emissions future may well prove to be an essential catalyst in achieving those aims.

Let me conclude by paying my respects to the traditional owners of the land on which we are so lucky
to live, the Gubbi Gubbi or Kabi Kabi people. And I also want to express my deep gratitude to all those
community leaders, decision-makers, activists and foot soldiers who have helped shape the Noosa
Shire over the past half century and more. Without their efforts Noosa would not be the glorious place it
is today.




Tony Wellington
Mayor


Noosa Council Annual Report 2015/16                                                                   Page 3