Annual Report 2015-16

                       Chief Executive Officer’s Message
                       As I reflect on the last 12 months, I realise that 2015/16 was really a year of
                       transition. At one level, we were transitioning from a Council that was busy re-
                       establishing itself following de-amalgamation into a Council getting on with the
                       business of providing local government services. By necessity, the first year or
                       two following de-amalgamation was all about setting ourselves up as a new
                       working Council. New systems, getting the finances and governance right,
                       reconnecting with our community and making sure that we got through that
                       process as smoothly as possible.

Many people predicted that we would take 4 or 5 years to finalise that process based on the experience
of some Councils who had been through amalgamations and took that long to wrap up those
amalgamations. By the second half of the 2015 calendar year, we had successfully completed the de-
amalgamation process. This was an awesome effort from all concerned – Councillors, management
and staff. By that time, we were getting on with the normal business of local government and looking
forward, not backwards.

The second transition that occurred in 2015/16 was the political transition from our first Council term to
our second Council term. The election in March 2016 was a transition moment in Noosa’s political
history as well. Putting aside the last two years of the Sunshine Coast Council’s management of
Noosa, Noosa had not had a Mayor other than Bob Abbot or Noel Playford since 1988 – almost 28
years. I have had the privilege of working for both Noel and Bob as Mayors and their steady, astute
and visionary leadership has served Noosa well. We would not be where we are today without them,
both as a Council and a community.

In March 2016, the Noosa community elected Mayor Tony Wellington and Councillors Wilkie, Pardon,
Jurisevic, Glasgow, Jackson and Stockwell as their Council for the next 4 years. Our new Council
quickly settled into its stride after being sworn in on 5 April 2016.

While preparing an annual report is often an opportunity to reflect on the past, I think that the future is a
much more exciting thing to think about. In Noosa’s case (both as a Council and community) one of our
big challenges is never to become complacent. It is sometimes too easy to think that things are going
well and there is nothing to improve on. That is why the best time to prepare a Local Economic Plan is
when our economy is going well (our current unemployment rate is below the State average) which is
what we did by adopting this plan in early 2016. That is just one example and my message to our
community and our Council staff is to never rest on our laurels.

Noosa has always excelled at excellence and we need to continue to do so to stay ahead of the game.
To quote Jim Collins - “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so
little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We
don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great
lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.”

As always, it is important to recognise the enormous amount of dedication and work undertaken by our
Council staff to provide services to our community on a daily basis. Whether it is opening the pool early
in the morning, lending library books, resealing roads or keeping our parks and gardens looking great,
our near 350 Council staff are working hard for our community. I take this opportunity to publicly thank
all of our staff for their dedication, commitment and enthusiasm in making our Noosa community a
better place. Working at Council allows us to make a difference to the community that we live in.




Brett de Chastel
Chief Executive Officer

Noosa Council Annual Report 2015/16                                                                  Page 4