Craig Vella

Frank Wilkie48:37

Madam to the call. Can I have a move for a second for the motion please? Moved by Councillor Wegener, seconded by Councillor Phillips. All in favour? That's carried unanimously. Please invite Councillor Stockwell back to the meeting. Okay, that's where I for to go. Item 7.1, which was a confidential item, which is not for public release, contract number RP00637, Register of Prequalified Suppliers for the plant, hire of plant and equipment, commonly known as dry hire. Item 6, 7.2 was confidential, not for public release, contract number RP00436, Register of Prequalified Suppliers for the hire of plant and operator, commonly known as wet hire. Can I have a mover and a seconder for the General Committee recommendations to be adopted except if dealt with separately. I'll move it just to prove I was here and get on the record. Can I have a seconder please, Councillor Wilson? All in favour? That's carried. Amelia? Yes. Well, carried unanimously. We have no reports direct to the Ordinary Meeting. We have no confidential items. That brings us to public question time. We have four formal submissions to public question time. Item 11.1 is from Mr Craig Vella. Mr Vella is not here tonight. So I ask our Director Strategy and Environment, Kim Rawlings, to read his question one and provide Council's response. And I ask our Acting Director of Infrastructure, Shaun Walsh, to read Mr Vella's second question and provide the response. Thank you, Kim and Sean. Shaun, if you'd like to come over to the. Kim? Can you project?

Sure. Okay. OK. Thanks, Councillor Wilkie. OK. So, Craig Vella's question is, given considerable community concerns with the concept of a conservation park over the Noosa River, please advise the origins of turning the fish habitat areas of the Noosa River into a conservation park. Without supplying an individual name, was it a state agency, Council staff, a Councillor, or another person that proposed the. Thank you Mr Vella for that question. The response is: one of the complexities of managing the Noosa River system and catchment is that it is governed by a range of agencies, each with different responsibilities and legislative, regulatory, planning. And community roles. For catchment management to be effective, there needs to be a concerted and coordinated approach across all agencies and stakeholders. For the past 20 years, Council explored a range of mechanisms to achieve integrated management and collaborative arrangements for the Noosa River catchment. Most river catchments and many other local exist. Governments grapple with this, and there are a range of models Council has explored many of these models and various ideas have come from various sources both within Council and from our community. The most recent idea of a conservation park as another management model to explore or consider was first suggested by the Noosa Parks Association. Council officers did some initial investigation noting that like other models previously explored it was worthy of further consideration. Council officers therefore then recommended it be included for investigation and consideration in the river plan.

Question two also from Craig Vella. The question is could transport levy, which is budgeted to raise $933,000 for the '23 / '24 draft budget, be used to repair and/or reconstruct the on-land component of the boat ramp and associated car and trailer parking at Hilton Esplanade? At any other boat ramp in the Noosa Shire? If not, then why? So so, thank you, Craig. Or chico, as he likes to be known by. So um, the response is. The Sustainable Transport Levy contributes towards the cost associated with services and initiatives that have the purpose of reducing traffic congestion and demand on Noosa's road network. This levy currently funds Council's Go Noosa initiatives, including free bus services during peak times, satellite parking areas, car parking studies associated with demand management, such as the car parking technology trial implemented in the 23-24 Christmas period. The levy has been fully expended at the present and funding for any new car parking initiatives would either need the levy to rise or existing services to be curtailed. If levy funding was made available in the future for water transport, the most aligned use of the Sustainable Transport Levy would be associated with on-water public transport, including jetties for future public ferries, if that was a desired option, as well as supporting satellite car parking spaces for patrons of a public ferry, rather than construction of car parking and trailer parking for private use of the boat ramp. Incidentally, it is noted that Council has recently undertaken sealing and line marking of the existing boat ramp car park at Noosaville as part of its ongoing funding allocations and commitment to asset renewal and maintenance. In terms of future upgrades the optimal funding mechanism for boat ramp and associated car and trailer parking is grant funding underpinned by the use of Council's asset renewal budget. To be able to seek grant funding, Council will would ideally have shovel ready projects to meet submission obligations of the State and Federal government as they arise. Council has recently commenced the Noosaville Foreshore infrastructure plan to assist in having shovel ready plans for the Noosaville boat ramp. But note that more planning work needs to be done at other boat ramp and parking locations in the Shire such as Tewantin and has budget allocations. For future years to allow that work to commence.