Ordinary Meeting - 18 July 2024
Date: Thursday, 18 July 2024 at 10:00AM
Location: Noosa Shire Council Chambers , 9 Pelican Street , Tewantin , QLD 4565 , Australia
Organiser: Noosa Shire Council
Duration: 03:03:35
Synopsis: Planning Amendments consultation extended with STA curbs, Noosaville Foreshore redraft after parking backlash, LGAQ motions mandating STA data-sharing, Recycling Hub Stage One approved, Appeals settled.
Meeting Attendees
Councillors
Frank Wilkie Karen Finzel Amelia Lorentson Jessica Phillips Brian Stockwell Tom Wegener Nicola Wilson Executive Officers
Acting Ceo Director Community Services Kerri Contini Director Corporate Services Trent Grauf Director Strategy And Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Director Infrastructure Services Kyrone Dodd Deputations
Taylor Ladd Hudson Albie Curtis Jarrah Small Nick Cooke AI-Generated Meeting Insight
Key Decisions & Discussions Council reopened community consultation for Proposed Amendment No. 2 to the Noosa Plan 2020 from 19–28 July 2024, with notification via Facebook, media release and Your Say webpage updates (split vote; Minutes 5.1; Transcript 01:05–01:08). Multiple petitions received and referred to CEO: opposing Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan (1,511 and 1,663 signatures), opposing Amendment No.2 medium density change (27), and restoring People’s Park carpark (≈1,095) (Minutes 4; Transcript 01:36–04:10, 01:39–01:54). Further engagement endorsed: redraft the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan (NFIMP) and pause broader consultation on the Noosa River Catchment Management Plan to align with SEQ Council of Mayors’ Resilient Rivers Catchment Action Plan framework (unanimous) (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:20–03:02). Public Q&A confirmed Council’s 2023 Community Engagement Framework principles and process, and that extra NFIMP engagement round will “close the loop” with a revised draft (Minutes 11.2; Transcript 02:02–02:06). Recycling & Renewables Hub Masterplan Stage One concept approved, including a Solar Site requiring Impact Assessment with 20 business days of public notification (Minutes 8.3, Item 6.2). Unitywater Noosa Netserv Plan planning assumptions endorsed under the SEQ Water Act for Unitywater’s Netserv Plan (Minutes 8.3, Item 5.1). TMR Lot 115 RP861914 dedication as road supported; CEO authorised to execute title transfer (Minutes 8.3, Item 5.2). LGAQ motions approved, notably to mandate STA platform data-sharing of validated property-level booking data statewide, and fact-checking/authorisation of third-party HTV cards (Minutes 8.3, Item 6.3). Flood recovery: significant QRA-funded contract variations approved (+$1.7m PM services; +$2.596m Black Pinch Rd landslide works) with CEO delegated administration (Minutes 8.3, Items 7.2–7.3). Planning appeals: Council agreed to settle Appeal D23 of 2022 (1→12 lots, 111 Lake Weyba Dr) by conditions; for Appeal 3156/2023 (Goodchap St day hospital), CEO delegated all matters post confidential session (Minutes 8.3, Item 7.1; Minutes 10.1; Transcript 02:12–02:13). Show holiday request: 12 Sept 2025 for Noosa Shire (Minutes 8.2, Item 5.2). Councillor appointments to external groups updated, incl. STA, climate and botanic gardens reference groups (Minutes 8.2, Item 5.1). Contentious / Transparency Matters Debate over whether extending planning scheme consultation constitutes “political interference” with staff workflows and State caretaker timelines; ultimately a shorter extension with limited comms was adopted (Minutes 5.1; Transcript 06:59–01:12:19). Community backlash on NFIMP focused on parking reduction and consultation adequacy; Council committed to a third engagement round and clearer education on long-term foreshore resilience context (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:24–02:39). People’s Park trial criticised for carpark loss and lack of dedicated consultation; petitioners demanded full cost transparency and accountability (Minutes 4; Transcript 01:39–01:54). Public queried Council’s Transport Strategy vis-à-vis parking cuts; staff confirmed extensive 2017 consultation and future review via a Movement & Connectivity Strategy (Minutes 11.4; Transcript 02:10–02:12). Request raised to review Community Engagement Policy for contemporary approaches; CEO proposed a separate workshop (Transcript 02:30–02:33). Legal / Risk Consultation extension risks missing State pre-caretaker assessment; staff cited potential delay of months and uncertainty with a new government’s policy posture (Transcript 06:59–07:43). Planning Act/Minister’s Guidelines: staff ran 6-week consultation (beyond 20 business days), targeted letters to affected owners, and industry briefings; >350 detailed submissions received (Transcript 17:34–21:38). Councillors canvassed using the Coty principle and housing “need” to resist STA in medium/high density pending amendments; staff noted Coty weight grows with process maturity (Transcript 37:10–38:38). Meeting closure to public under s254J(3)(e) LGR for confidential planning appeal; subsequent delegation to CEO was carried (Minutes 10.1; Transcript 02:12). DES email regarding Noosa River Conservation Park concept confirmed as held; potential governance models to be tested through revised River Plan engagement (Minutes 11.3; 9.1; Transcript 02:27–02:29). Shark Control Program is State-run; Council’s June 2024 policy positions it to advocate for lower-bycatch alternatives during State plan review (Minutes 7.1; 11.1; Transcript 01:55–01:58). Conflicts of Interest Karen Finzel declared a declarable COI (distant relative signed anti-Conservation Park petition); Council resolved she could participate and vote (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:19–02:21). Brian Stockwell stated prior COI declarations were unnecessary per legal advice; will not declare for named groups unless circumstances change (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:18:44–02:19:18). Short-Term Accommodation, Zoning & Planning Scheme Amendments Amendment No.2 advances making STA inconsistent in medium/high density residential zones; staff warned delay may spur more STA applications (Transcript 32:49–37:10). Debate highlighted school holiday overlap, complexity, and concurrent NFIMP consultation potentially overshadowing submissions (Transcript 04:52–06:59, 29:11–30:24). Petition lodged opposing medium density changes preventing single dwellings/duplexes (Minutes 4.3). Tom Wegener emphasised long runway of Housing Strategy and prior STA reforms; argued residents were primed to submit within six weeks (Transcript 21:45–23:18). Noosaville Foreshore, Parking & Transport Strategy NFIMP round-two feedback substantial; Council will redraft, engage stakeholders (incl. groups previously missed), and return with a revised draft for public input (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:24–02:37). Public questions challenged carpark relocations; Council cited green space goals and 4-minute-walk relocation concept, plus Transport Strategy’s staged shift to sustainable modes (Minutes 11.3 Q2; Transcript 02:06–02:09). Transport Strategy 2017–2027 confirmed broad 2017 consultation (1,200+ inputs) and impending review into Movement & Connectivity Strategy (Minutes 11.4; Transcript 02:10–02:12). Nicola Wilson called for clearer upfront communication on 20-year foreshore context and hazards, and alignment with residents’ use patterns (Transcript 02:37–02:39). Environmental Concerns: Shark Nets & River Health Youth-led deputation urged seasonal shark net removal during whale migration; Council pointed to its June 2024 policy and upcoming State review as the pathway to lower-bycatch alternatives (Minutes 7.1; 11.1; Transcript 01:23–01:38, 01:55–01:58). Tom Wegener lamented ongoing Noosa River siltation and biodiversity decline; staff outlined Resilient Rivers pathway to prioritise funded catchment works via a uniform CAP (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:42–02:50). River Plan to be refreshed under Resilient Rivers CAP Guide; potential economic impact assessment to be scoped with funding proposal (Minutes 9.1; Transcript 02:39:15–02:39:40).
Official Meeting Minutes
MINUTES Ordinary Meeting Thursday, 18 July 2024 10:00 AM Council Chambers, 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin Cr Frank Wilkie (Chair), Karen Finzel, Amelia Lorentson, Jessica Phillips, Brian Stockwell, Tom Wegener, Nicola Wilson “Noosa Shire – different by nature” ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 1. ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COUNCILLORS Cr Frank Wilkie (Chair) Cr Karen Finzel (via Microsoft Teams) Cr Amelia Lorentson Cr Jessica Phillips Cr Brian Stockwell Cr Tom Wegener Cr Nicola Wilson EXECUTIVE Acting CEO Director Community Services Kerri Contini Director Corporate Services Trent Grauf Director Strategy and Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Acting Director Infrastructure Services Kyrone Dodd APOLOGIES Nil Council Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That in accordance with Section 254K of the Local Government Regulation, Cr Finzel is approved to attend the Meeting dated 18 July 2024 via Microsoft Teams. Carried unanimously. 2. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES 2.1. ORDINARY MEETING 20 JUNE 2024 Council Resolution Moved: Cr Nicola Wilson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips The Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 20 June 2024 be received and confirmed. Carried unanimously. 2.2. SPECIAL MEETING 28 JUNE 2024 Council Resolution Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener The Minutes of the Special Meeting held on 28 June 2024 be received and confirmed. Carried unanimously. 2.3. SPECIAL MEETING 10 JULY 2024 Council Resolution Moved: Cr Tom Wegener ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson The Minutes of the Special Meeting held on 10 July 2024 be received and confirmed. Carried unanimously. 3. MAYORAL MINUTES Nil. 4. PETITIONS 1 PETITION: OPPOSE THE NOOSAVILLE FORESHORE MASTER PLAN Refer to Attachment 1 to the Minutes Council Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips That the e-petition with 1,511 signatories submitted by Caryn Musgrave, regarding opposition to the Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan be received and referred to the Chief Executive Officer to determine appropriate action. Carried unanimously. 1 PETITION: FRIENDS OF NOOSAVILLE FORESHORE SAY 'JUST LEAVE IT ALONE" Refer to Attachment 2 to the Minutes Council Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson That the e-petition with 1663 signatories submitted by Andrew McCarthy, regarding opposition to the Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan be received and referred to the Chief Executive Officer to determine appropriate action. Carried unanimously. 3 PETITION: DELORME STREET AGAINST AMENDMENT NO. 2 CHANGES TO THE NOOSA PLAN 202 MEDIUM DENISUTY RESIDENTIAL ZONE Refer to Attachment 3 to the Minutes Council Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips That the petition with 27 signatories submitted by Suzie McDonald, regarding "opposition to the proposed amendments to the medium density residential zone Noosa 2020 Plan which disallow the construction of single dwellings and duplexes" be received and referred to the Chief Executive Officer to determine appropriate action. Carried unanimously. 4 PETITION: PEOPLES PARK Refer to Attachment 4 to the Minutes Council Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson That the hard copy and e-petition with approximately 1095 signatories submitted by Nick Cooke, requesting that Council "return the People's Park to a Carpark in Hastings St Noosa Heads", be received and referred to the Chief Executive Officer to determine ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 appropriate action. Carried unanimously. 5. NOTIFIED MOTIONS 5.1. REQUEST TO REOPEN THE CONSULTATION PERIOD FOR PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO NOOSA PLAN 2020 Motion Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips That Council Request the CEO to re-open the community consultation for Proposed Amendment No. 2 to the Noosa Plan 2020, for an additional two weeks, from 22 July to 4 August 2024. Amendment No. 1 Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That Council Request the CEO to re-open the community consultation for Proposed Amendment No. 2 to the Noosa Plan 2020 from 19 July to 28 July 2024. For: Cr Stockwell Against: Crs Wegener, Wilson, Lorentson, Finzel, Wilkie and Phillips Lost. Amendment No. 2 Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That Council Request the CEO to re-open the community consultation for Proposed Amendment No. 2 to the Noosa Plan 2020 from 19 July to 28 July 2024and notify the community via Facebook and Media Release with updates on the Your Say webpage. For: Cr Stockwell, Lorentson, Finzel, Phillips and Wilson Against: Cr Wilkie and Wegener Carried. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips That Council Request the CEO to re-open the community consultation for Proposed Amendment No. 2 to the Noosa Plan 2020 from 19 July to 28 July 2024 and notify the community via Facebook and Media Release with updates on the Your Say webpage. For: Cr Lorentson, Phillips, Wilson and Finzel Against: Cr Stockwell, Wilkie and Wegener Carried. 6. PRESENTATIONS Nil. 7. DEPUTATIONS ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 7.1. DEPUTATION - SHARK MITIGATION IN NOOSA SHIRE APPLICANT: OCEANS FOR ALL - CAROLYN LANSDOWN, CHAIRPERSON SPEAKERS: TAYLOR LADD HUDSON, ALBIE CURTIS, JARRAH SMALL 7.2. DEPUTATION - PEOPLE'S PARK APPLICANT: NICK COOKE SPEAKERS: NICK COOKE 11. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME 11.1. TAYLOR LADD HUDSON - SURFRIDER FOUNDATIONS SUNSHINE COAST Question 1. Does this next generation of Noosa residents being young people deserve new modern solutions and alternatives in the management of Shark mitigation strategies? Response provided by Director Strategy and Environment, Kim Rawlings Working closely with representatives from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), Noosa Council adopted a Council policy position on the Shark Control Program (SCP) in June 2024. The purpose of this strategy was to support the State transition to lower bycatch potential alternatives in waters adjacent to Noosa. Holding a policy position now also allows Council to effectively represent community views and desired outcomes of the SCP to the State. Under the Queensland Shark Management Plan, Noosa Council and SLSQ have assisted DAF to undertake a range of alternative bite mitigation trials, including the delivery of SharkSmart community awareness programs and drone detection trials. Noosa Council will continue working with the State to help transition the SCP to lower bycatch potential alternatives. Primarily, this will be through the upcoming review process of the Queensland Shark Management Plan. Question 2. In my work as a youth eco leader, I have learnt that 95% of kids aged eight to 19 years old do not want to fish sharks and want to see them thriving and healthy populations off our coastline. We are so lucky to be named as UNESCO biosphere, can we uphold our values of a biosphere and lead the way to be a trial site for innovative Shark mitigation strategies? Response provided by Director Strategy and Environment, Kim Rawlings In 2010, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries introduced a maximum size limit and stricter take and possession limits on non-protected sharks in Queensland waters. These changes were based on fishery stock assessments and stakeholder consultation. Noosa Council acknowledges that your community observations regarding the importance of sustainable shark fisheries are supported by a number of residents within Noosa Shire. Council views our advocacy to the State for the transition the SCP to lower bycatch potential alternatives is a key strategy in upholding our values as a Biosphere Reserve. UNESCO defines Biosphere Reserves as places that should promote the testing of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. It is Council’s and the community's responsibility to represent our Biosphere values to the State Government. It is understood that ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 DAF will be incorporating past and current stakeholder consultation outcomes in the upcoming evaluation of the current Queensland Shark Management Plan. Discussions with DAF also indicate that the development of the next version of the Queensland Shark Management Plan (and associated bite mitigation strategies) will include community consultation during 2025. 11.2. DEBRA WALZ Question 1. The Community Rally on 5th July 2024 was a demonstration of a united community front which served to amplify concerns of residents in relation to the proposed Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan. Problematic land use planning ideas, as outlined by the Council's approved consultants, do not meet with community expectations or ideals. Is Council prepared to abandon this Plan as a show of respect and acknowledgement to community sentiment? Response provided by Acting Director Infrastructure, Kyrone Dodd For clarity, the Draft Infrastructure Master Plan does not manage land use planning issues on the foreshore. These have been addressed in the Noosaville Foreshore Land Use Master Plan which was endorsed in 2018 and informed this Draft Master Plan which primarily deals with infrastructure upgrades and future proofing our foreshore over the long term. Council acknowledges the community rally was that was held and thanks the community for its active engagement on this vital community asset. While we cannot independently verify the attendance figure cited, Council received significant feedback through the Have Your Say survey which closed Sunday 7 July 2024. Written submissions were also received and a series of stakeholder meetings were held over the engagement period. All the engagement responses received are currently being analysed to better understand what specifically people liked and did not like within the Draft Master Plan. In consideration of the high level of feedback received, Council will be considering a report at this Ordinary Meeting today which proposes to adjust the current program to add an additional third round of community engagement which includes coming back out to community with a revised Draft of the Master Plan. This additional round of engagement will aim to work proactively with key stakeholders, clarify and improve on key issues, and undertake education and awareness on how we have listened to the community and provided a Master Plan that delivers on community needs. While we deeply respect the strong community sentiments surrounding the proposed draft Master Plan, this is Council’s current plan at the moment: to review and revise the current draft with enhanced community engagement. It is important to highlight that a Master Plan is needed to provide the strategic framework for sustainable development, enhancing community well-being and future-proofing the foreshore over the long term. It aims to improve degraded infrastructure, increase levels of service and provide resilience to important threats such as flooding and erosion. It is also intended for the masterplan to set out the plan for long-term asset and service management, which is currently ad hoc and costly. A Master Plan can guide Council in coordinating and strategically planning the delivery of infrastructure over the next 20 years. The Master Plan therefore intends to ensure that this highly loved community asset remains a vibrant and sustainable community hub and parkland for generations to come. Thank you for your continued engagement and passion for our community. Question 2. How is the Council ensuring transparency and accountability in decision making processes, particularly in relation to community engagement? Response provided by Director Strategy & Environment Kim Rawlings Council’s Decision-making processes Council has responsibility under Chapter 1, section 4 (2)(c) of the Queensland Local Government Act 2009 to engage with the community through “democratic ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 representation, social inclusion and meaningful community engagement”. Further to this Council has endorsed a Community Engagement Framework to guide engagement with our community in matters that are identified as benefiting from community input to shape future major strategic decisions or directions, this framework is used to guide how Council designs, plans and delivers community engagement projects. Our approach to community engagement outlined in Noosa Council’s Community Engagement Framework and Policy 2023 is governed by a suite of guiding principles to ensure that all of our engagement activities are: Inclusive Transparent Appropriate Accountable Timely Well-resourced Informative and Understanding of our changing community. Council undertakes a detailed planning process underpinned by international best practice approaches to community and stakeholder engagement to develop fit for purpose engagement for each project. Transparency and accountability are two of the key guiding principles of the Community Engagement Framework and Policy. Council continues to demonstrate transparency and accountability through: Being open and honest about the engagement project's purpose and goals. Clear and consistent engagement and communications around the engagement process, timeline, purpose and scope Providing background or contextual information to assist the community in understanding the topic and to be informed Inviting the community to provide their feedback and have a say on projects using a broad range of methods and tools, including both face-to-face and online engagement, as resources permit. Being responsive to community feedback when there is confusion or questions. Documenting whom we engaged with and what we heard Collecting information in a consistent way to support efficient analysis. Closing the loop with the community to share what we heard openly and honestly and identify how this will inform decision-making or the next steps. Taking on board community feedback to refine plans and strategies and when necessary, undertake further engagement. Upholding the principles and processes outlined in the Community Engagement Framework and Policy. The Community Engagement Framework and Policy has been developed to strengthen trust and community participation. Noosa Council has the advantage of a highly engaged community, although it is recognised that Council will not be able to satisfy every member of the community on every matter. Council has a delegated responsibility from the Queensland Government to deliver services and facilities at the local government level that balance community needs and aspirations with the requirement to responsibly manage service delivery efficiently and sustainably on a comparably modest ratepayer revenue base to other local government organisations. 11.3. ANDREW MCARTHY Question 1. ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 Does Noosa Council hold in its possession any documentation generated by the Department of Environment and Science which refers to a discussion DES had a while back with ... (name withheld)... (Noosa Parks Association) about the pros and cons of declaring a Conservation Park in parts of the Noosa River System as ... 'not being the best idea' Yes or No? Response provided by Acting CEO Kerri Contini To the best of our knowledge, the only documentation that Council holds which has been generated by the Department of Environment and Science and refers to a discussion DES had with Noosa Parks Association about the pros and cons of a Conservation Park in Noosa River, is a copy of an email that was attached to Mr McCarthy’s application for today's public question time. This email appears to be between two state government employees and references an earlier discussion between those employees and the Noosa Parks Association. Part of this same email was attached by a member of the public who submitted an Administrative Action Complaint in June 2024. Question 2. The community believes it's a double standard to propose removing 103 carparks in the Noosaville Foreshore plan and encourage public & active transport use when Noosa Council won't lead by example and require Council staff & Councillors to transit to & from work only using public & active transport. (a) Will Noosa Council consider implementing a staff and Councillor policy to transit to and from work by means of public or active transport? (b) If yes, does Council anticipate a significant reduction in staffing levels similar to the significant reduction in both staff and customer levels business owners on the Noosaville foreshore anticipate receiving if the Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan was adopted? Response provided by Acting CEO Kerri Contini The draft Noosaville Foreshore Management Plan responded to the community’s requests in the first round of consultation to increase the amount of greenspace. Part of the proposal to achieve this is to relocate approximately 100 carparks from directly on the foreshore and place them within the broader foreshore precinct with an approximate four-minute walk to the foreshore. A report is being considered by Council at today’s Ordinary Meeting to potentially conduct a further round of stakeholder and community education and foreshore businesses would be a key stakeholder in this consultation. Noosa Council’s Transport Strategy 2017 – 2027 proposes a staged shift in modal transport to reduce reliance on private vehicles, it facilitates other forms of sustainable transport and outlines strategies which assists voluntary shift to public and active transport. Council encourages and actively supports staff who wish to use sustainable means of transport to work, particularly where car park spaces are in high demand. Our goal is to gradually transition to more sustainable transport practices along with the broader community and we do not anticipate that this will result in a reduction in staffing levels. 11.4. CRAIG VELLA Question 1. I understand that domestic animals are not allowed off leash in Conservation Parks. If a Conservation Park over the Noosa River goes ahead does Noosa Council know if the state government allow residents to have their dogs on leash each time it goes below the high tide mark and swimming in the Noosa River? Response provided by Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Advice from the State Department of Environment, Science and Innovation website states that dogs and other pets are welcome in some conservation parks, State forests and recreation areas, but not in national parks. As no decision has ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 been made regarding the proposed concept of a Conservation Park over parts of the Noosa River, no advice has been provided by the State Government regarding animal management. Question 2. In response to a resident's question in June ordinary meeting about reduced car parking, a Council staff's reply was "Council is committed to encouraging all residents and visitors to embrace public and active transport to reduce congestion as part its endorsed Transportation Strategy". When were residents advised that Council had a strategy to encourage them onto public and active transport? Shouldn't residents be consulted before Council enacted a Strategy that changed the way residents live their lives? Given the community negative reaction to loss of foreshore parking, will Council now consult the community to confirm they support its endorsed Transport Strategy which plans to encourage them onto public & active transport? Response provided by Acting Director Infrastructure Kyrone Dodd The development and endorsement of the Noosa Transport Strategy 2017-2027 involved several stages of community consultation and public input throughout 2017. Information about the strategy and consultation process was made available through multiple channels, including public meetings, Council’s website, newsletters, and local media. Over 1,200 submissions were made by the public through surveys, submissions and in person events and the final Strategy reflected this input. For further information on the consultation process please visit the Noosa Transport Strategy 2017-2027 page on Your Say Noosa. Council has committed to review the Transport Strategy and prepare a new Movement and Connectivity Strategy which will include further community consultation. 10. CONFIDENTIAL SESSION 10.1. CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE - PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COURT APPEAL NO. 3156 OF 2023 – APPLICATION FOR A HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CARE SERVICE (DAY SURGERY AND ASSOCIATED FACILITIES) AT 47 GOODCHAP STREET, NOOSAVILLE CLOSURE OF THE MEETING TO THE PUBLIC Council Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That the meeting be closed to the public pursuant to section 254J(3)(E) of the Local Government Regulation 2012 for the purpose of discussing Item 10.1 Planning & Environment Court Appeal No. 3156 of 2023 – Application for a Hospital and Health Care Service at 47 Goodchap St Noosaville. Carried unanimously. RE-OPENING OF THE MEETING TO THE PUBLIC Council Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Brian Stockwell That the meeting be re-opened to the public. Carried unanimously. ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 Council Resolution Moved: Cr Jessica Phillips Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie That in respect of Planning and Environment Court Appeal 3136 of 2023, Council through the Ordinary Meeting dated 18 July 2024, delegates to the CEO the power to attend to all matters relating to its resolution. Carried unanimously. 8. CONSIDERATION OF COMMITTEE REPORTS 8.1. PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE REPORT - 9 JULY 2024 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Amelia Lorentson (Chair) Cr Tom Wegener Cr Brian Stockwell NON COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Karen Finzel EXECUTIVE Acting CEO Larry Sengstock Director Strategy & Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Director Community Services Kerri Contini APOLOGIES Cr Frank Wilkie COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL 5.1 UNITYWATER NOOSA NETSERV PLAN - PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS That Planning & Environment Committee Agenda Item 5.1 be referred to the General Committee for further consideration. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Tom Wegener Seconded: Cr Brian Stockwell That the report of the Planning and Environment Committee meeting dated 9 July 2024 be received and the recommendations therein be adopted except where dealt with by separate resolution. Carried unanimously. ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 8.2. SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE REPORT - 9 JULY 2024 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Karen Finzel (Chair) Cr Jessica Phillips Cr Nicola Wilson EXECUTIVE Acting Chief Executive Officer, Larry Sengstock Acting Director Infrastructure Services, Shaun Walsh Director Community Services, Kerri Contini Director Development & Regulation, Richard MacGillivray APOLOGIES Cr Frank Wilkie COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL 5.1. FURTHER REPORT - COUNCILLOR REPRESENTATION ON VARIOUS COMMITTEES, WORKING GROUPS, BOARDS AND EXTERNAL GROUPS 2024 That Council A. Note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the Ordinary Meeting dated 18 April 2024 and the Further Report to the Services and Organisation Committee Meeting dated 9 July 2024; and B. Make the following Councillor appointments (noting that these supersede any prior appointments): 1. Appoint Cr Phillips and Cr Lorentson to the Noosa World Surfing Reserve Committee; 2. Appoint Cr Wilson as Chair, and Cr Phillips to the Climate Change Response Plan Community Reference Group; and 3. Appoint Cr Finzel as Chair, Cr Lorentson and Cr Phillips to the Noosa Botanic Gardens Masterplan Stakeholders Reference Group 5.2. APPOINTMENT OF 2025 SHOW HOLIDAY That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the Services & Organisation Committee Meeting dated 9 July 2024 and request the Chief Executive Officer write to the Office of Industrial Relations requesting the appointment of Friday, 12 September 2025 as a Show Holiday for the Noosa Shire. 7.1. CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE: PROPOSED DEDICATION OF TMR-OWNED FREEHOLD LAND AS ROAD NOOSAVILLE That Services & Organisation Committee Agenda Item 7.1 be referred to the General Committee due to the significance of the issue. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Karen Finzel Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson That the report of the Services & Organisation Committee meeting dated 9 July 2024 be received and the recommendations therein be adopted. Carried unanimously. ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 8.3. GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT - 15 JULY 2024 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Frank Wilkie Cr Karen Finzel (via Microsoft Teams) Cr Amelia Lorentson Cr Jessica Phillips Cr Brian Stockwell Cr Tom Wegener Cr Nicola Wilson EXECUTIVE Acting CEO & Director Community Services Kerri Contini Director Corporate Services Trent Grauf Director Strategy and Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Acting Director Infrastructure Services Kyrone Dodd APOLOGIES Nil. COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL 5.1. UNITYWATER NOOSA NETSERV PLAN - PLANNING ASSUMPTIONS (REFERRED FROM PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE DATED 9 JULY 2024 - ITEM 5.1) That Council A. Note the report by the Strategy and Sustainability Manager to the Planning and Environment Committee dated 9 July 2024 regarding the Unitywater Noosa Netserv Plan - Planning Assumptions; B. Endorse the planning assumptions contained within the Technical Note in Attachment A under Chapter 4B Part 1 Section 99BK of the South East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009 for the purpose of Unitywater's Water Netserv Plan. C. Note the Netserv Model is a dynamic model and can be updated should any changes occur to any of the inputs such as land use scenarios, planning schemes, population projections and Development Approvals. 5.2. CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE: PROPOSED DEDICATION OF TMR-OWNED FREEHOLD LAND AS ROAD NOOSAVILLE (REFERRED FROM SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE DATED 9 JULY - ITEM 7.1) That Council A. Note the report by the Manager, Infrastructure Planning Design and Delivery to the Services & Organisation Committee dated 9 July 2024; B. Support the Department of Transport and Main Roads proposal to dedicate Lot 115 RP861914 as road, and accept the road in Council's capacity as the Road Manager; and C. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to execute any title transfer documentation if required on behalf of Council. ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 6.1. FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPORT – JUNE 2024 That Council note the report by the Financial Services Manager to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024 outlining the interim 2023/24 full year financial performance against budget, with the inclusion of key financial sustainability indicators. 6.2. RECYCLING & RENEWABLES HUB MASTERPLAN – STAGE ONE CONCEPT That Council A. Note the report by the Waste Project Coordinator to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024 regarding the Recycling & Renewables Hub Masterplan provided at Attachment 1 to the Report; B. Note the benefits and opportunities associated with the proposed development of the Recycling & Renewables Hub; C. Approve Stage One Concept of the Recycling & Renewables Hub Masterplan pending funding and development approvals: 1. Inclusive of Section A - which is subject to Code Assessable development approval. 2. Inclusive of Solar Site - which is subject to Impact Assessment development approval and public notification. D. Agrees to provide a public notification period of 20 business days associated with the proposed impact assessment development application for the solar site. 6.3. 2024 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS That Council A. Note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the General Committee Meeting dated 9 July 2024 and approve the submission of the following motions to the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) Annual Conference 2024 for consideration and debate: 1. Motion A: "That the LGAQ calls on the State Government to support councils to establish a workplace giving program through the creation of a consistent framework. This framework should include guidelines for: Setting up workplace giving programs for local government employees, Mayor and Councillors. Selecting eligible charities. Administering contributions and funds." 2. Motion B: "That the LGAQ calls on the State government to Promote and encourage the adoption of wastewater recycling and diversion initiatives statewide. Allocate necessary funding to Local governments and Wastewater service providers for wastewater recycling and alternative treatment option trials such as biosolid gasification Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of these projects to inform future policies and initiatives. Explore what other states are doing to address wastewater recycling to leverage collective knowledge and experience to support and guide local governments and wastewater service providers to transition to a circular economy." 3. Motion C: “The LGAQ calls on the State government to amend the Queensland Electoral Act 1992 (or relevant legislation) to ensure how to vote (HTV) cards issued at elections ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 by third parties are fact checked and properly authorised, just as HTVs are for registered candidates.” 4. Motion D: “That the LGAQ advocate to the State Government of Queensland to legislate that share economy platforms and providers such as Airbnb, Booking.com and Stayz, and STA providers share their validated booking data, inclusive of real property addresses, through a state-wide data sharing agreement. This will allow local governments to have accurate oversight of STA and effectively manage and regulate STA. This approach to mandate the provision of validated STA booking data is already successfully occurring in location such as New South Wales (NSW), Tasmania, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Canada." 5. Motion E: “That the LGAQ advocate for ALGA to be a Full Member on the Housing Ministerial Council." 6. Motion F: "That the LGAQ calls on the Queensland Government to undertake a comprehensive review into the end of waste criteria for resource recovery products against the specification for materials used in Federal, State and Local Infrastructure projects." 7. Motion G: "That the LGAQ calls on the State Government to direct Energy Queensland to review and revise its Dynamic Network (Storage) Tariff as proposed in its recent Tariff Structure Statement (TSS) currently under assessment by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for the next regulatory control period (2025–2030) to ensure the elimination of barriers to the widespread roll-out of community batteries across Queensland. 6.4. PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECIDED BY DELEGATED AUTHORITY - MAY 2024 That Council note the report by the Development Assessment Manager to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024 regarding applications that have been decided by delegated authority as per Attachment 1 to the Report. 7.1. CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE - PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COURT APPEAL NO. D23 OF 2022 – APPLICATION FOR RECONFIGURING A LOT– 1 INTO 12 LOTS AT 111 LAKE WEYBA DRIVE NOOSAVILLE DESCRIBED AT LOT 4 ON RP36729 That Council A. Note the report by the Manager Development Assessment to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024 regarding Planning & Environment Court Appeal D23 of 2022; and B. Agree to settle the appeal generally in accordance with the proposed conditions outlined in Attachment 1 to the Report. 7.2. CONFIDENTIAL: NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE - 2122Q125 - CONTRACT VARIATION FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES - 2022 FLOOD RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION That Council note the report by the Disaster Reconstruction Coordinator to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024, and ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 A. Approve increasing the value of the QRA funded contract 2122Q125 by $1,700,000 (GST exc.) from $3,400,000 (GST exc.) to $5,100,000 (GST exc.), with program completion expected by 30 June 2025. B. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to negotiate, finalise, execute and administer the contract on behalf of Council; and C. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to amend the contract up to 11.5% of the total contract value; and D. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to amend the contract finish date to no later than September 30, 2025. 7.3. CONFIDENTIAL: NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE – CN00317B - CONTRACT VARIATION FOR FLOOD RECONSTRUCTION – PACKAGE 7B – LANDSLIDE REMEDIAL WORKS (BLACK PINCH RD) That Council note the report by the Disaster Reconstruction Coordinator to the General Committee Meeting dated 15 July 2024 and A. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to vary the contract value, based on Business Case approval by QRA, allowing a scope change which will increase the value of contract CN00317B by $2,596,239.57 (GST exc.) from $9,849,609.12 (GST exc.) to $12,445,848.69 (GST exc.); B. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to negotiate, finalise, execute and administer the contract on behalf of Council; and C. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer the power to amend the contract up to 11.5% of the total contract value. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips That the report of the General Committee meeting dated 15 July 2024 be received and the recommendations therein be adopted. Carried unanimously. 9. ORDINARY MEETING REPORTS 9.1. FURTHER CONSULTATION ON NOOSAVILLE FORESHORE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT PLAN AND NOOSA RIVER CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN Cr Stockwell informed the meeting that: "For the past two terms, I have declared a conflict of interest as a result of my long association with, or previous contracts as a sole trader consultant (trading as Watershed Australia) with the following organisations: Noosa and District Landcare and its unincorporated forebear; Mary River Catchment Coordination Association; Noosa Integrated Catchment Association; Healthy Land and Water and its predecessors; Seqwater; and potentially early in the 2016-2020 the Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association. However, having now received more detailed legal advice, it is clear that my circumstances do not meet the definition of a declarable conflict of interest because none of these organisations are close associates nor are any a related ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 party under the Local Government Act. This advice was based on an outline of my history with these organisations which I have uploaded for public viewing on my website crbrianstockwell.myporfolio.com. I will not be declaring any type of COI for this matter or in relation to these organisations into the future unless circumstances change.” In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, Cr Finzel provided the following declaration to the meeting of a declarable conflict of interest in this matter: I, Cr Finzel, inform the meeting that I have a declarable conflict of interest in this matter as, in October 2023 a petition 'Stop Noosa River turning into a Conservation Park' was submitted to Noosa Shire Council. Listed on the petition was the name Sharyn Finzel, who is a cousin of my husband with whom I do not have a close personal relationship. At that time, I was not made aware of her intention to sign the petition, nor did I consult with her on the matter. Although I am declaring a declarable conflict of interest, I do not believe a reasonable person could have a perception of bias because I do not have a close personal relationship with the signatory. Therefore, I will choose to remain in the meeting room. However, I will respect the decision of the meeting on whether I can remain and participate in the decision. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson That Council note the declarable conflict of interest by Cr Finzel and determine that Cr Finzel participates and votes on this matter as Council believes that she does not have a close personal relationship with petition signatory and therefore a reasonable person would trust that the final decision is made in the public interest. Carried unanimously. Cr Finzel did not vote on the above motion. Council Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That Council note report by Director Environment and Strategy to the Ordinary Meeting dated 18 July 2024 regarding further community engagement and review processes for the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan (NFIMP) d the Noosa River Catchment Plan (River Plan) and A. Acknowledge the significant amount of community feedback received on the draft Noosaville Foreshore Masterplan (NFIMP) during the recent community engagement phase; B. Demonstrate that Council is listening to this feedback and commits to analysing and using this information to redraft the NFIMP and to undertake a further stage of community engagement; C. Note that early review of the NFIMP feedback indicates there are some issues directly relevant to the Noosa River Catchment Management Plan (River Plan), and therefore Council should take time to properly understand these issues to ensure consistency across key documents, prior to undertaking further public consultation on the River Plan; D. Commit to meet and work with key River Plan stakeholders and government agencies to understand key issues of concern and mutual ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES 18 JULY 2024 interest prior to redrafting the River Plan and undertaking any further broad community engagement; and E. Note that Council is now a formal partner in the SEQ Council of Mayors Resilient Rivers Initiative (RR). It is recommended Council work with RR to review, refresh and align our draft River Plan in line with the RR Catchment Action Plan Preparation Guide ensuring a more consistent and aligned approach across all river catchment planning in SEQ and seeks funding and resources from RR to assist this process. Carried unanimously. 12. NEXT MEETING The next Ordinary Meeting will be held at Council Chambers, 9 Pelican St, Tewantin on Thursday 15 August 2024 at 10.00am. 13. MEETING CLOSURE The meeting closed at 2.11pm.
Meeting Transcript
Frank Wilkie 00:00.000
Custodians of the land on which we're gathered, which is the Kabi Kabi people, pay respect to their elders past, present, and emerging, and also reiterate their invitation for us to join with them as joint custodians in caring for this place that we all love and caring for each other. all councillors are in attendance and we have Councillor Finzel wishing to attend via Microsoft Teams, so therefore I move that in accordance with Section 254K of the Local Government Regulation, Councillor Finzel Councillor Finzel is approved to attend the meeting dated 18th of July 2024 by Microsoft Teams. Can I have a seconder for that please? I need a second. Seconded by Councillor Lorentson. All in favour? That's carried unanimously. Item 2 is the confirmation of the minutes. Thanks Karen. I have a mover and seconder for the minutes of the ordinary meeting held on the 20th of June? Move Councillor Wilson, seconded by Councillor. All in favour? Yes. That's unanimous. Can I have a mover and seconder for the minutes of the special meeting held on the 28th of June? I'll move it. I'll move it. Moved. We have moved Councillor Stockwell, seconded by Councillor Wegener. All in favour? Yes. That's carried unanimously. Can I have a move and a seconder for the minutes of the special meeting held on 10th of July, please. Moved by Councillor Wegener, quick off his feet, and Councillor Wilson also getting quicker. All in favour? Yes. That's carried unanimously. There are no Mayoral minutes. There are no... We have some petitions. Councillor Lorentson. Amelia Lorentson 01:36.644
I have three petitions that I'd like to present to the CEO. First petition. I'm presenting on behalf of Bernadette Sullivan and Karen Musgrave. It's a petition signed by 1,511 people opposing the Noosaville foreshore master plan. I have another petition on the same matter. Frank Wilkie 01:59.324
We need a seconder for the petition, please. Unknown 02:02.044
I'll second. And the motion is that the petition with 1,511 signatories submitted by Frank Wilkie 02:08.024
Karen Musgrave regarding opposition to the Noosaville foreshore master plan be received and referred to the chief executive officer to determine appropriate action. You want to go on to the next one? All in favour? Amelia Lorentson 02:27.800
Next petition I have is... of Andrew McCarthy and the Friends of Noosaville Foreshore management plan, the petition has 1,663 signatories. Regarding opposition of the Noosaville foreshore master plan, I request that it's received and referred to the CEO to determine appropriate action. Frank Wilkie 02:51.760
Do we have a seconder for that please? Councillor Wilson? All in favour? Yes. That's unanimous. You're doing well Councillor. One more to go. Amelia Lorentson 03:11.082
Changes to the Noosa Plan. 202 medium-density residential zone. The petition with 27 signatories submitted by Susie MacDonald regarding opposition to the proposed amendments to the medium amendments to the meeting tends to the residential zone 2020 plan, which disallows the construction of single dwellings and duplexes be received and referred to the CEO to determine appropriate action. Frank Wilkie 03:39.020
That, please, Councillor. All in favour? Yes. That's unanimous. I have a petition. I move that the hard copy and e-petition with collectively approximately 1,095 signatures submitted by Nick Cooke, requesting that Requesting that Council return the People's Park to a car park in Hastings Street, Noosa Heads be received and referred to the Chief Executive Officer to determine appropriate action. Can we have a seconder for that please? Councillor Wilson. All in favour? Yes. That's carried unanimously. Next item is a notified motion from Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson would you like to move your motion? Amelia Lorentson 04:24.380
That council, that council request the CEO to reopen the community consultation for proposed amendment number two to the Noosa Plan 2020 for an additional two weeks from 22nd of July, 2024 to 4th of August, 2024. Unknown 04:44.966
We have a seconder for that please. Second. Councillor, you have the floor. Amelia Lorentson 04:52.272
I initially made this request on June 29th, but unfortunately it did not go ahead. I'm now bringing this matter to the council for a decision. My primary concern is that we had concurrent consultations involving complex documents, the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan, and concept designs for resilience, which was over 100 pages, and the proposed amendment number 2, over 1,000 Both documents were complex, and both impacted and challenged residents and businesses. The consultation for the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan and concept designs closed on July 7th. It attracted significant media interest, community rallies, petitions, and a record number of submissions. In my opinion, and that of others in the community, this intense focus overshadowed the consultation process for proposed amendment number two to the Noosa Plan 2020, a document of substantial importance with far reaching reaching implications for residents and businesses. The proposed amendments could potentially impact or change residents' existing planning rights, property values, businesses and the character of Noosa. Therefore we allow our residents adequate time to review the changes and provide informed feedback. The Noosa Chamber of Commerce held a forum breakfast on 25th June which was well attended with over 120 businesses. Given the significance of the documents, school holidays impact and inconvenient timed pop-ups and meet in the park events, they too have requested an extension to the council's consultation period. now leave this to the floor for discussion. Frank Wilkie 06:59.758
Councillors, in the interests of good governance and given we have received submissions from all major chains of commerce, traders, community and resident groups submissions, I'd urge there be no political interference in what ought to be an at arm's length assessment process to allow staff the professional courtesy of the time and space to get their reporting right on what has been a thorough and already delayed exercise so we can get the State before election caretaker period shuts down the government and potentially delays their approval until next year. This is also a good opportunity to thank the staff for conducting such an effective and thorough consultation process. Your work has been invaluable as has your advice. Ministerial guidelines recommend, and I'm going to talk a bit to that so we get an understanding of what has gone on. Ministerial guidelines recommend 20 business days for consultation on planning scheme amendments. Staff recommended six full weeks to allow extra time and fuller engagement which councillors wisely endorsed. Since submissions closed on Sunday July 14th they've been collating hundreds of submissions and have provided a fact sheet to councillors about the process. http: //www.youtube.com /watch? v =UkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUkUk Feedback Please pass on our thanks to your staff for giving up their personal time with their families to do this important work. Apart from the public advertising and newspapers, multiple press releases and Facebook posts, staff sent over 1,000 letters directed to the of properties where a zone change was proposed and to owners of properties that are joint sites of proposed zone changes, advising them on how to comment. Noosa Council officers sent 100 emails directly to planning, design and development consultants known to operate in or have clients in the Noosa Shire. As well as alerting them to the proposed amendments, they were invited to attend an industry briefing which was subsequently held. Staff sent specially written emails to 39 business and community groups, advising them of the proposed amendments, urging them to comment and share information with their members. Staff responded to over 60 enquiries via phone and email and walk-in customers. They have They have advised councillors that some of these conversations led to submissions. Others had their questions answered there and then and felt they therefore did not need to make a submission. On the Your Say engagement page, 3,848 people visited at least one page and accessed the material. 1,802 people downloaded the document. Thanks to the thorough approach taken to this consultation, staff advised the full range of views that are likely to emerge have already been captured in submissions already received. As many know, this process was already unavoidably delayed by one year when the amendments were held up by the State in their first State Interest Check. We have received advice from the State that with the October state that with the October state election looming, this amendment package needs to be sent to the State planners by the end of August, no later than the end of August, to help ensure they can be ratified before caretaker mode shuts down the State government before the election on approximately September 1. We've been advised that if we miss this period, the amendments could period the amendments could be delayed until well into next year. We need to respect that the people doing the work, that is our planners, need the space and the time to get their reporting right. work by re-advertising and re-opening the consultation will rush and compress their reporting time frame, likely increase the chances of technical errors and thus unnecessary delays and almost certainly fail to deliver the certainty to industry and residents until next year. Let's allow staff the professional courtesy, time and space for preparing their reporting without political interference that could cause unnecessary and irresponsible delays. On an already extensive, thorough, effective and time sensitive process. Again, please accept my thanks for your professionalism, work ethic and willingness to give up your weekends to deliver a thorough and effective process and gather this feedback from our community. Amelia Lorentson 12:06.520
Have a question. You keep referencing. Frank Wilkie 12:18.080
So, staff, since July 14, when the process closed, staff have been collating the submissions and doing their work as endorsed by the last council resolution when we approved the six-week consultation period. By moving a motion by the political arm motion by the political arm of this council, moving a motion to interfere in that process. I'm calling a political interference in that process because it's the political arm of the council that's interfering the organisational arm of the council where the work is done. That's what I mean by political interference. Karen Finzel 13:02.340
Excuse me, Mr Chair. Frank Wilkie 13:05.940
Councillor Lorentson was on her feet first, if that's all right. My apologies. My apologies. I'd just like to comment that online I didn't hear the question nor can I clearly understand what's being said by Councillor Lorentson. Karen Finzel 13:19.720
I'm just wondering if there's something wrong with the microphone there. Amelia Lorentson 13:52.820
So I'm just getting some clarification. So we, councillors around the table, we politically interfere with the duties of staff. Unknown 14:05.620
Is that what you were saying? I'm just a little bit confused with the response to that question. Frank Wilkie 14:10.780
I'm advising we don't interfere with the already approved reporting process. I'm advising you don't. So I'm speaking against the notice of motion and advising you don't interfere with the process to allow staff the time and the space to get their reporting right and meet the reporting timeframes that we've been advised from the State need to be met in order for these amendments to be assessed by state planners before the government shuts down due to caretaking period. Jessica Phillips 14:44.180
You. Can I speak Mr Chair? Thank you. So I just want to speak on behalf of the notified motion by Councillor Lorentson and my support for And there's a few reasons why. I just wanted to triple check the June /July school holidays as a parent and speaking on behalf of many of our community members that are family members. Parents trying to work through the school holidays the consultation period overlapped with our school holiday period for June /July. It ran from the 22nd of June to the 7th of July. I know myself how difficult it was to work through school holidays and the time to digest the information just as a Councillor, let alone the community that sit down and have a barbecue with each other don't they and chat about the things that are affecting them and this is one of those things that is affecting our community and I believe that over that period we probably had families get together and chat about how this would impact them and so then they back and they digest that information and they go to someone they might trust with that information and take time to really understand the impacts that it's going to have and so one thing that I'm concerned about and not to take away anything from the staff because I really think they've done a great job with the workload that I've even seen you have on and we've discussed the workload. discussed the workload with consultation so I want to first acknowledge that because I'm not taking away from that but I want to go into reality which is out there in our community winter sickness school holidays cost of living like all of these are impacting our day-to-day residents and so when we throw things out to them with consultation on the foreshore river plan and these amendments I believe that takes time and I understand what you're saying Mr. Mayor but I really want to support that the amendment to give the community some more time to chat with each other and see what information they can give us to make sure that we're making really sound decisions in here. Frank Wilkie 17:34.160
Given the number of submissions raised from all the business groups, traders association, resident groups, community groups and residents and all the people that you met face-to-face with during the pop-ups over 250, we had face-to-face conversations. Do you feel you've Do you feel you've been given a sufficient range of views to feel that all the issues likely to be raised are already covered in the submissions that you've raised, that you've addressed or received? Kim Rawlings 18:06.100
I'll start with a response to that. We have received very comprehensive feedback. There are many very comprehensive submissions. There are many... We were just commenting this morning how incredibly impressive the submissions are in terms of their level of detail and consideration. And that's both from groups, so community groups, our industry groups, chamber groups, our... our consultant town planners, architects, builders, but also residents and landowners, you know, really comprehensive, considered submissions that, you know, have built on conversations that they've had with staff, that access the information. We had a dozen different fact sheets, lots of frequently asked questions, so people have drawn on all of that information. Mapping changes and everything and included those things in submissions. So reflecting on the last, you know, six weeks or so of consultation and the issues that have been raised of concern, they've been raised by multiple people. So yes, we think, we know what the issues of concern are in the scope of those in the amendments. Karen Finzel 19:49.477
Possible? Frank Wilkie 19:50.137
Will do, Councillor Finzel. So, the question was how many submissions were received for the planning scheme amendments and how do they compare the number to the submissions received for the Noosaville foreshore master plan draft? Was that clear, Councillor Finzel? Kim Rawlings 20:11.107
Yes, thank you Mr Chair. Through the Chair, so today we've got about 350 submissions on the Noosa amendments process but they are still trickling in given mail and the system so that number's a little bit fluid and like I mentioned they are they're not they're not formats not format submissions or standard submissions or copied submissions which we can often get in other consultation processes. These are all individual submissions and many of them very comprehensive like 20, 30 pages. In comparison to the Noosaville foreshore master plan, I haven't analysed all of those, I've looked at all of the planning scheme submissions so I know the in depth nature of those. There's a lot more for the Noosaville foreshore master plan, it's around 2,000 but we are still in the process of reviewing those in terms of you know whether there's some standard numbers. numbers to those or individual submissions or so you know what I would say is it's not just a quantity issue it's about the quantum and the in-depth nature of the submissions that we've also received through the planning scheme which are you know incredibly comprehensive. Frank Wilkie 21:38.800
The councillors wish to speak to the motion. Councillor Wegener. Tom Wegener 21:45.940
So here are the two plans the Noosa planning amendments and the Noosa River foreshore master plan and they're two very very different plans completely and the planning amendments they come after the housing strategy. after the housing strategy that took the entire term last time we were working on and the STA local laws and the fallout from that so this doesn't come out of the vacuum this is this is the continuation of long-standing work policy by Noosa Council the so the two are just different when you go online and you make your submissions they are wildly different things in conversation. they're very different so I think that the four weeks was plenty but there's also six weeks now there's a two extra weeks given to this so I feel in a way that the people that have been waiting for this have been waiting a very very long time for these amendments they were very ready for them to come out and make submissions And in a way, I just think you do not underestimate the intelligence of the Noosa resident. They know the difference between these two. They've been waiting for this for a year. We've learned over and over, the last election being a fine example of how the Noosa residents understand what is going on and make great decisions. So I'm very, very confident in the process for the students. Especially for the planning scheme amendment. So I will not be supporting the motion. Frank Wilkie 23:18.204
Any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Karen Finzel 23:21.524
I just have a question to the staff. Excuse me. Is there an opportunity, if the process proceeds forward, then engage further with the community with regards to this amendment on the Noosa Plan 2020, so that it doesn't be seen to be political interference, but creating further opportunity for community to have their say on the matter? Kim Rawlings 23:55.572
So through the Chair, the process which is specified by the Minister's guidelines under the Planning Act is that local governments undertake community engagement on their planning scheme amendments. That's the process we've just done. It was a six-week process and it just closed and it just closed on Sunday and we're now in the analysing submissions. The next step in the process Councillor Finzel is for Council to consider the feedback from the consultation process and consider whether any changes need to be made to the amendments in response to the submissions. We will bring it as officers we will do that analysis and bring a report to you and recommendations of response to the community's submissions they that then goes back to the State government for final state interest and ministerial sign-off so the the formal process to undertake consultation and engage the community is the one we've just completed yeah hopefully that answers your question Karen Finzel 25:02.880
Thank You. Brian Stockwell 25:03.800
Okay, Councillor Stockwell. I'm going to look at it from a different angle. What's the purpose of the scheme amendments? So I can tell you I know exactly who haven't made submissions to the planning scheme in the six weeks. They're the people who've moved out of town because they couldn't afford to live here. The reason we're doing these amendments, the fact that we've had then lost their staff. That's what these scheme amendments are about. It's about the people who've moved out of town because of the impact of short-term accommodation and the fact that they can sell up with the increased housing prices and move elsewhere. They're people didn't submit their response to this planning scheme because they made their decision that the previous settings of the plan didn't support the residents adequately. So we can't forget that what the... and the one before has been trying to do is get... refresh the planning scheme to increase the availability of affordable housing and community housing. It is the number one priority in terms of planning for this council. for this council, and it has been for the last several years. And we've heard that the notion of extending by two weeks is likely to lead to an extension of several months before some of the benefits of the planning scheme amendments are made. And what does that mean? Well, we know there are landowners who have been waiting for these amendments to actually look at putting in development that will provide affordable social housing built around. It'll mean It'll mean that there'll be more hurdles to go in for some of the public housing and community housing that's in the drawing board. So it's six weeks enough. We've heard that that every person who is likely to be specifically impacted has a letter and six weeks to respond. That's no conflict. They can clear time six weeks to look at the foreshore master plan and to look at the planning scheme amendments. amendments. We've heard that it's a complex matter and that yes, planning schemes are written professionally and have legislative handling, but I've heard from industry groups and I've heard from planning consultants that the fact sheets and the frequently asked questions are very readable. We've heard that... plain English and easy to understand. So they've distilled all that complexity down to what we've heard is 12 fact sheets and some frequently asked questions. You have a very good understanding of the purpose and the detail of the amendments if that's all you read. read. I think the other key point is that consultation is not a numbers game. It's about getting the views to test the ideas that you put out into the public and that diversity of views and as we've heard several times, we have very detailed submissions, not just from business groups, but from community groups, from environmental groups, from residents groups concerned about STA. We have a very good spectrum of perspectives to consider when we come to adopting and reflecting any changes in the advertised draft to achieve that primary purpose. And that primary purpose is making this place a more affordable place to live so we don't continue to get the exit of residents of residents who are our key workers and we don't continue to have barriers on the businesses and the councils in this Shire from attracting good staff because they can't afford to live here. Councillors, these scheme amendments have already been delayed through the process of the State Government review for over a year. It's now time to proceed as was voted on by all was voted on by all councillors before the advertising period. I won't support the notice of motion. Frank Wilkie 29:04.883
Councillor Stockwell, any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Yes, I will. Councillor Wilson? Nicola Wilson 29:11.643
I'm concerned on this. I'm speaking in support of the motion. I'm concerned that we're rushing to a deadline that's something that's out of our control, being the caretaker period for state election, and I don't believe that that should be our goalpost here. We've asked for community consultation and I agree that the process was actually an excellent consultation process, it was just that it's been foreshadowed by the Noosa foreshore master plan, so everyone's focus and attention has been been there and I am seeing in the community that there are people saying that they hadn't realised this was happening or perhaps that they had only read the fact sheets and hadn't gone into the details so those who have gone into the detail of the scheme amendments are seeing how how huge this is and how we know how defend our Noosa Plan and therefore we need to make sure that plan is right going into the future some of the feedback that I've seen in the submissions I still haven't quite worked out whether those residents are misunderstanding what's in the amendments or whether those amendments are actually ambiguous and need further work and I'm just really concerned that we won't have time to actually get into all those details to try and meet a not our deadline. It's the State government deadline. Frank Wilkie 30:24.370
Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Brian Stockwell 30:25.870
I have a question. Good staff outlined and it might be of particular interest to the new councillors, what is the process of reporting? Do you report back on each individual issue that's raised and the response and how you reflect it? Do councillors get a workshop where the detail in submissions is run through so that every councillor is well understanding of those submissions made? Kim Rawlings 30:50.243
Yeah, that's absolutely the process. So we summarise all the submissions and at the moment the table's huge and we go through each of those issues with the councillors. the councillors through workshops, a series of workshops. Those of you who have been involved before, that can be many hours of workshops and then provide with recommendations about how we think the amendments should be changed to respond to the issues or whether or not we don't believe the amendments should be changed or whether or not the councillor There's absolutely a very thorough process to go through both at the staff level and with We're also required to be there with the State. We're also required to provide all the issues and how we've considered them and how we've responded to them. Frank Wilkie 31:55.317
Councillors identifying all the issues raised and the feedback and then after that there will be a report back to council to be formally ratified here where councillors are free to make any changes and then then and only then does it go back to the State. Jessica Phillips 32:14.197
That's correct. Can I ask a question? Yes. Just with the two very with the two very different plans that went out at the same time, is that a common, hang on, let me rephrase that, yeah, to have, like Councillor Wegener pointed out, they're two very different plans, is it common for us as Council to have two major plans out in community that require that require some really in-depth understanding around the plans? Kim Rawlings 32:49.295
Is it common? There's been, you know, there's, as you know, the organisation does a raft of initiatives and projects and we are consulting at various levels with the community all the time, you know, whether it's on, you know, works that are happening around the footpath, works happening in the local park, works that are happening park works that are happening at our facilities you know to to localise plans like the foreshore master plan or Shire-wide initiatives so those sorts of things do happen. We as you know given the the time lapse loss that we had with the amendment process it's it being with the State government for 12 months there was a was a sense of needing to move forward on this. There are some risks associated with these amendments not proceeding and as one of the councillors mentioned that we have landowners and applicants waiting on We have very clear direction from Council and many of our community about taking the next step to tighten up on short stay. These amendments do that. So there are multiple drivers as to why we wanted to continue to move this process forward. You know we would have much preferred a shorter time with the State government and these would have happened you know earlier but given we only got sign got signer from state government this year, we needed to keep those amendments moving. It is, and as we talk, we'll talk in another agenda report. The Noosaville foreshore master plan has attracted a significant amount of interest, and given the engagement that was done in the first phase of it, I guess there was, it wasn't anticipated that there would be so much interest in that. So, you know, when we made the decision to do the amendment process, we did that in the context of the context of these issues that are subject of the amendments have actually been in the public realm for nearly four years so it was it was continuing a process and Councillor Wegener alluded to that you know we had the Noosa Housing Strategy Act in the the community and consulted on that we had the short stay monitoring report so we've been consulting on these issues for a number of years this is the implementation element of of those strategy pieces so it was about you know let's let's finish what we've started finish what we've started and keep that going rather than delay that because people have been waiting a long time, years, for some of these amendments to be in place. So, you know, it was a bit of a judgement decision to go, it, this, this, this, we've on it for so long, there's a lot, a fair bit at risk if we don't proceed with it. You know, that's why they ended up out at the same time. what is the risk regarding the proliferation, further proliferation of short-term accommodation if these amendments are delayed, not just by two weeks, but by the months that could be incurred if we miss the cut-off for So it's part of these amendments and it's part of the short-term monitoring report and the housing strategy Council provides some direction that they wanted to move towards making short stays short stay accommodation of whole dwellings in our residential zones inconsistent. We had done that through the low density residential zone as part of the Noosa Plan. These amendments take it another step. These amendments seek to make short stay inconsistent in our medium and high density residential zones. Acknowledging that those zones are residential zones and primarily be for permanent residents. So it does take another step to try and mitigate the proliferation of short stay. If these don't proceed then there is a continued risk of further applications for short stay in our medium and high density residential zones that could continue to come in and be considered as they are at the moment. Amelia Lorentson 37:10.540
Sorry, a question. Under the CODI principle, can we not rely on the CODI principle to refuse applications in medium and high density? Also under section 63 of the Planning Act, can we not again... not again argue need? We're in a housing crisis and there is a planning need for housing, not short term accommodation. Frank Wilkie 37:35.848
Thank you very much for your the question from Councillor Lorentson was could we refuse applications for short term accommodation using the Cody principle and the fact that we are in a housing crisis? Kim Rawlings 37:52.084
Thank you Mr Chair. Through the Chair. Yes, the Cody principle definitely does have some weight in decision making. As you move further down each of the steps that I outlined previously, the Cody principle is a principle where if you are making changes to a planning scheme, so it's new policy it's new policy or it's emerging policy and you've sought first state government sign-off, you've consulted with your community and you've got a good understanding of what those issues are, you can start to give more weight to So yes it can play a role in decision-making but it depends on how far you're down that track. That's a good question. Frank Wilkie 38:38.481
Thank you. Nicola Wilson 38:42.273
Given the number of submissions we've got to date, if we reopen this process, we may only get a small number of submissions anyway. Does it actually stop the work continuing in the meantime, like the analysis of any further amendments? Would that have to halt for that two weeks, or can the two happen in parallel? Kim Rawlings 39:01.662
Definitely won't stop us working. We will absolutely continue to work through and we need to. There's a lot to digest and a lot for us to work through, so we will continue that work. What it will impact is we have our first workshop planned with you next week. We would delay Because we would need to have the full gamut of information so that the start of the workshops and the discussions with you would be delayed, that would then push out and then we have at the moment a date for a potential meeting with you planned, that would be pushed out too, so it's not that the work would stop, we would continue to do that and we'd understand what would come in further and analyse those, it would just push the program. council starting to consider the issues and then ultimately the decisions. Amelia Lorentson 39:53.730
Can we miss the deadline and can we have a special meeting to accommodate the deadline, if this extension does go through? Kim Rawlings 40:03.370
So there's no deadline per se, but we have sort advice from the State government knowing how caretaker impacts people's workload and decision-making in governments like we've experienced, you know, here. So we have sought advice both at the highest level of the department and from our counterparts and... the advice is that in order for it to be considered at all, because it requires a ministerial sign-off by the Minister, it would need to be with them by the end of August. So at the moment we are already planning a special meeting around... to accommodate, try and meet that time frame. Brian Stockwell 40:50.800
Sorry, question? Can we just move Councillor Finzel's little box so I can see the date? So the date of 4th of August would be you'll you'd be suggesting that the first council workshop would then be after the 4th of August basically and if we were to keep to the end of August deadline is that why could the amendment result in less time for councillors to actually consider all the people who put their submissions in on time? Kim Rawlings 41:29.880
What I would say is there's two scenarios. One is we try and continue to meet the end of August time frame and get it to the State government and yes that would definitely mean there's going to be less time to work to work with councillors to try and resolve issues if we're going to try and continue to stay to that time frame. That's one scenario, so less time for those things to be considered. The other scenario is we use the time that's needed to analyse the information and workshop with councillors so that everyone understands it and we don't meet that time frame. Frank Wilkie 42:13.300
Another question, if the amendments package goes back to the State, they're not able to be assessed before care take out. A new government is elected which has a different, perhaps a more permissive approach to short term accommodation. Could that perhaps... that perhaps impact on whether or not we get approval for the amendments package in relation to short term accommodation? There's political, other political considerations or a different political view about before or against short term accommodation. Amelia Lorentson 42:49.057
Through the chair, and just correct me if I'm wrong, is it correct to be asking what may or may not happen. Kim Rawlings 43:02.100
I wasn't going to answer that. So I can't, I couldn't say. I'll withdraw the question. What I could say is that if we are working with a government. government. Frank Wilkie 43:22.096
What are the possible implications of working, these amendments being assessed by a new government? Kim Rawlings 43:28.816
There, again, there's a level of unknown about that. But we would, you know, it could potentially add some time to the process is, you know, to, to work through to work through where that government's policy is on a range of issues you know it is fair to say that the staff in the department tend to stay stable you know the political arm changes the staff that we work stay stable so that you know there is some consistency still with with the staff we work with but ultimately they're you know the implementation of these outcomes of that you know need to align with state policy so there's a level of there's a level of uncertainty there, that's probably all I could say. Thank you. Brian Stockwell 44:14.444
I'm going to move an amendment. The council requests the CEO to reopen community consultation proposed amendment amendment number two to the Noosa Plan for an additional... Oh, I have to work out the number of days. Oh, no, just amendment to the Noosa Plan from July 19... That's my amendment. Frank Wilkie 44:59.320
You have a seconder for the amendment? A second amendment. Seconded by Councillor Wegener. Brian Stockwell 45:04.120
I do so because it's unsure whether the proposed note to the motion is going to get up or not. If it is going to get up, I think that's a far more realistic and reasonable approach. Everyone's already had ten, six weeks. This will be public knowledge. We can reopen it as of tomorrow rather than waiting until Monday. And if anyone hasn't had this chance in six weeks, ten days is certainly enough for individuals. individuals and /or groups to re-evaluate. Amelia Lorentson 45:38.099
I have no problem with what's being proposed. I actually put that forward as the dates and was advised those dates. Those dates couldn't be accommodated. Can I ask through the Acting CEO, are you happy with the dates? Because my understanding was you needed until Monday to start the process or reopen the process. Kerri Contini 46:01.847
Thank you. Yes, so we do consider. Excuse me for interrupting. Frank Wilkie 46:08.007
I'm sorry Councillor Finzel. Councillor Lorentson asked if. Thank you Mr Chair. If these dates are doable. We're asking the staff if they're able to. if they're able to reopen the process from tomorrow rather than from Monday. Kerri Contini 46:22.041
Thank you Mr Chair. Thank you for that. So yes we did consider that. One of the difficulties that we were facing is around time frames that we had a meeting today and then potentially being able to try and open something tomorrow including. including advertising etc. I will put the question to the Director to see whether there's further thought around that. Kim Rawlings 46:47.418
Yeah what I would say is what does open mean? So if open means putting it on your say and extending the dates, Ken is in the room, you know that's probably can be done fairly easily but you know councillors what I would also and I know you haven't asked me a question about this but I need to put this on the table just to manage expectations is by opening what is opening hasn't it's not just that we've extended the dates what what happens is we have walk-ins, we have phone calls, we have you know there's a we have you know there's a lot of work that happens during consultation we've had five staff six staff almost full-time on consultation in managing questions feedback responding to letters responding to emails so it's not just you're extending the dates what you are doing is diverting the resources from analysing the current data and information to to re-engage them with the community and that's fine, we can do that, we can divert, but you just need to consider that it's going to delay the process anyway because we will need to divert the staff back onto engagement. Frank Wilkie 48:02.477
So you say it will interfere with, any delay will interfere if you're reopening, will interfere with the staff's capacity to continue to do the work of assessment? Kim Rawlings 48:18.220
We've got the staff working full time now on reading hundreds of pages of submissions and understanding it and lots of meetings and discussions about the issues happening. If we reopen consultation, based on what we've experienced in the last six weeks, it's fairly constant in terms of the engagement from the community, which is fabulous. But that's what the staff will need to then do for that period. So there will be some impact, absolutely. Kerri Contini 48:49.860
So thank you. What we would want ordinarily, if we were to undertake something like reopening a consultation, is to give our communications team We gave our communications team adequate time to prepare communications to be able to let the broader community know that in fact we had reopened consultation. Now that's a small team who already have work planned for the week so that will require them to be able to adequately respond and undertake adequate notification. It also requires them working with our partners, our media partners etc to be able to do that. were to effectively try to reopen that tomorrow, we are going to get less awareness of that through the community. So that would be something that I would suggest considering. Tom Wegener 49:55.551
I think that, again, we do not want to underestimate the resident here. There's a lot of plans coming up. We have the destination management plan. We've got the car plan. I'm forgetting several of the big ones here, but we've got a very, very busy schedule and we've put a lot of effort into actually in the last few weeks. few weeks behind outside of the optics of the public trying to manage how we are going to do these public consultations coming up for the entire next year and in the year after that so I wonder I want to say I want to say that you don't underestimate the public here and the price to live in this paradise is eternal vigilance and that's what it takes. We demand actually that the voters and the ratepayers and the people that submissions they're on top of it and they are on top of it and you have to look at the opportunity cost of pushing it back is well what about the botanic garden plan we have we have a new plan going in there we want it to support them want to support them. We want staff to be working on that. We have the Pomoza placemaking plant. All of these really terrific things are just getting invisibly pushed back into the netherworld by ourselves continually delaying, where I think that we're on a we're on a solid foundation with what we have already submitted to us. Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 51:18.172
Just a question to CEO and Kim. Which dates would you prefer if an extension is supported? Frank Wilkie 51:26.487
Question, Councillor Finzel, was which dates would staff prefer if an extension of some form was supported? Thank you, Mr Chair. Which I think is, which is the lesser of, which is the more preferred option in a difficult situation if they were not there. Kim Rawlings 51:47.147
Thank you. Look, I think council is of a mind to reopen the engagement, that we should allow adequate time to prepare to reopen the engagement. And allow enough time for comms to get prepared, allow enough time for staff to, us to do reallocation of some resourcing. So, you know, probably least pushing it out to a Monday would probably be better than from tomorrow. We'll be scrambling a bit. Kerri Contini 52:23.007
Yes, so thank you. I'm very mindful of the workload that staff are under. I'm also mindful that we like to be able to achieve the quality of work and I'm concerned that putting staff under pressure to reopen something tomorrow is unreasonable. I'm also mindful that staff are... very hard to try and get this to the State so that it can be considered before they go into caretaking mode so there are the two things to consider but my priority is the staff. so I think that I cannot ask them to be put under unreasonable pressure. And... I appreciate it would be more neutral. Brian Stockwell 53:08.300
Sure. Nothing within the substantive motion of the amendment asks for any additional budget, any additional advertising, or any additional staffing. So the only realistic option in my opinion would be that the reopening just involves, as you say, changing the dates on Your Say and putting it on social media. That's something that, as you say, requires our staff, but that's not something that places any unnecessary burden. Like whether it's tomorrow or Monday, placing the date, yes I'm getting the date, is that likely to create stress in the organisation? Kim Rawlings 53:53.668
Look that act in itself is not because you change a date on the back of the website and it updates the website. So you know that can be done but what that does is generate the questions and the inquiries and the emails and the phone calls and the counter, you know, that's where the work comes. responsive to those things you know if someone's on the phone saying here the amendments are still open great can I talk to you about blah blah of course you know that's the that's the work so it's not it's not just changing the dates on the website it's it's what that then generates. Frank Wilkie 54:38.663
Else wish to speak to the amendment? So far we've had Councillor Stockwell speak to it, Councillor Lorentson asked a question and Councillor Wegener spoke to it. I have a question, consultation periods are budgeted they not? Are extensions to consultation periods, is there budget for extensions to consultation periods? Is there contingency in the budget to cover extensions to Kim Rawlings 55:18.028
We plan. We have a project plan. We have a communications plan. That's all budgeted for. The impact of an extension really is staff time and staff are budgeted for, so that's primarily the impact and possibly some, a bit of media and comms budget which, you know, we could cover that. We could cover that in project budgets. It's really the staff time. Frank Wilkie 55:55.940
Councillor Finzel, you wish to speak to the amendment? Karen Finzel 55:59.060
I just have a question and I guess it's directed to Councillor Stockwell with regards to the amendment. Can you clarify the date date you've requested, does that need to include that it's for your say only, or what's your intention, what is to be undertaken between those dates? I think it should be included in the amendment for clarity. Can you please provide some feedback? Brian Stockwell 56:24.382
I was just changing the dates in the notified motion to reduce any potential extension in terms of its impact, if your point is correct and it referred to the substandard motion, not to the amendment. I didn't quite understand what you just said I probably I probably agree that a good motion for extending a town plan would consider the impact would include identifying giving advice to staff on how it was to be reopened what was the advertising what other arrangements would be done but the substantive motion didn't so I was just trying to reduce the impact of the substantive motion. Karen Finzel 57:10.140
Through the chair. Yeah. Thank you Councillor Stockwell I guess and that's a question back to Councillor Lorentson for clarification on the original motion around the exact process for the community engagement. Amelia Lorentson 57:29.340
Councillor Finzel again repeating what Councillor Stockwell said. I think that's for staff to answer, not for councillors. would you be able to answer that question? Karen Finzel 57:52.640
Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Can you repeat the question, Councillor Lorentson? What form will community consultation take? Kim Rawlings 58:10.560
I guess it's about what Council's expectations are. If you want to reopen the engagement, what are your expectations around that engagement? Because the first two weeks of our community consultation program involved developing and publishing 12 fact sheets, you know, involved three separate media releases on particular issues. I did a number of radio interviews. The staff did seven pop-ups. We had pop-ups at the library. That was the first two weeks of the consultation, so it really is dependent on what Council's expectations are around reopening, you know, expect the library pop-ups to be back up there because we had information there which we've taken down, that would need to be set back up. You know, media statements, media interviews, you know, it really You know, it really is what Council's expectations are, Councillor Lorentson, and I don't mean to avoid that question, but, you know, it's Council who are seeking to reopen it. Amelia Lorentson 59:13.295
What I would be expecting is social media, and as you were saying, I don't think we need to to put any extra burden on staff. Excuse me, point of order, the Council is answering her own question. I don't think that's according to the standing orders. Unknown 59:28.069
So, question to you, Kim. Can we have something to do with that maybe after the meeting? Frank Wilkie 59:35.603
I'll ask a question. Is this not the appropriate forum for Councils to direct staff if there is any time and place where Councils We've seen this formal process here through resolutions. And if Councilors wanted to only have the consultation period extended, notification of that through Facebook and via And by your say, this would be the time and place to do it by amending this current amendment in front of us. Kim Rawlings 01:00:07.975
Yes, absolutely. This is the time and the place to provide real clarity to the officers as to what council would like to do during that extended Question to Councillor. Frank Wilkie 01:00:19.129
Stockwell, given what you've just heard, would you be in favour of amending this, adjusting this amendment further to indicate your intention as this would be notified, how the community would be notified of this, bearing in mind what Councillor Lorentson is also agreeing to? Brian Stockwell 01:00:40.422
According to standing orders, the whole of the council has agreed to any amendment. I'm happy to do it, or the other way, if this passes, we could do a subsequent amendment. Either way, I'm happy to provide the guidance in terms of the limitations on terms of the limitations on what that additional period may be required to do, or in terms of communications and advertising. Frank Wilkie 01:01:01.322
Okay, so, for example, an amendment along the lines of what you're considering being a council request requests the CEO to reopen the community consultation to propose amendment number two to the Noosa Plan 2020 from 9th of July to 28th of July and notify the community by Facebook posts and the Your Say website, web page. Brian Stockwell 01:01:22.602
And perhaps one media release may be added to that. Frank Wilkie 01:01:27.682
I hope I'm human fire. Facebook, Your Say, Your Say and media release. Brian Stockwell 01:01:39.280
So, I would be happy to change the amendment as is, but that, as I said, would require the approval of the whole council. Nicola Wilson 01:01:45.620
Can I take a clarification on that? Yes. I don't think Your Say is how you notify is how you notify the community, but how a submission is made. So, you would reopen the community consultation for a proposed amendment via Your Say and potentially email submissions, and that would be... be notified to the community by a Facebook immediate release. Frank Wilkie 01:02:09.295
You mean the Your Say page? Because there's instruction on the Your Say page. Nicola Wilson 01:02:14.615
Yeah, it's more in terms of making... Frank Wilkie 01:02:16.375
There's information on the Your Say page. Nicola Wilson 01:02:17.373
Yes, we're reopening the community consultation in order for people to make further submissions, written submissions. Frank Wilkie 01:02:23.413
Ah, yes. It is a website, so it is public. So, and notify the community via Facebook, yeah. So, let's go back to the original, let's go back to the original amendment. Brian Stockwell 01:02:50.020
Maybe cut and paste in case there's something else coming. Frank Wilkie 01:02:53.500
Yeah. So, we'll deal with the amendment before us. Um, for the purpose of our debate and discussion, I'll support the amendment, see where it takes us. Amelia Lorentson 01:03:03.700
So, are we adding that to this amendment? Frank Wilkie 01:03:05.560
No, we're dealing with this amendment first. So, Councillor Finzel, do you wish to speak to the amendment? Karen Finzel 01:03:16.240
Uh, no, thank you, Mr Chair. Any other councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Frank Wilkie 01:03:19.900
Oh, you've already spoken. Oh, okay. Tom Wegener 01:03:23.460
Can I ask you a question? Yes, you can ask a question. Are we making a mockery of our own public consultation? Frank Wilkie 01:03:29.375
It's an unfair question. Okay. I think Brian Stockwell 01:03:34.855
I won't take too long because I think during the questions that everything's come out. For me, I haven't changed my substantive position for all the reasons staff and other councils have identified. However, I do think if I am in the minority it's important that the disruption to the staff program is as short as possible and hence the amendment. Frank Wilkie 01:03:59.777
We'll put the amendment to the vote. Those in favour? Councillor Stockwell. Those against? That's Councillor Wegener, Philips, Wilson, Lorentson. Where do you stand on the issue Councillor Finzel? Against. Against. The amendment's lost. Is anyone wishing to move any further amendments? Brian Stockwell 01:04:30.800
I'm happy to move along the lines. Karen Finzel 01:04:35.040
Excuse me. Brian Stockwell 01:04:37.320
No, sorry, I'm in the middle of moving a motion, Councillor Finzel. So I'll do that and you can ask your question The Councillor requests the CEO to reopen the community consultation proposed amendment number two to the Noosa Plan from the 19th of July to the 28th of July and notify the community via Facebook and media release. Right, on the Your Say web page. Frank Wilkie 01:05:27.120
So, it's the council requests the CEO to reopen the community consultation for the proposed amendment number two to the Noosa Plan 2020 from the 19th of July to the 28th of July 2024 and notify the community via Facebook. Take out your say there. Facebook. Take out your say. Yep. Facebook. Your Say webpage. Anyone, let's move Councillor Stockwell. Anyone prepared to second that for the purpose of debate? Yes, second the first item. You can second this, yeah. Seconded by Councillor Wegener. Councillor Stockwell. No need to talk, we know what we're voting on. Karen Finzel 01:06:17.941
Excuse me, I just have a question. Councillor Finzel. Is there an opportunity to add to this amendment a request also to the CEO to take a review of the community engagement policies to look at subsequent changes? Moving forward into the future so that we can find a greater strategic resolution to the matter of how we conduct community engagement now and into the future. Is there an opportunity to add that now or would that be a separate amendment to this motion. Frank Wilkie 01:06:53.488
Councillor Finzel, I'd say that's outside the scope of this motion and we do have an item coming up about. Public consultation on a couple of plans coming up where you could probably ask some questions there if you'd like. Karen Finzel 01:07:07.282
Thank you Mr Chair. Frank Wilkie 01:07:08.822
Okay, anyone wish to speak to this amendment? No, just a question. Amelia Lorentson 01:07:13.582
The same question as before, does this change your preferred option? terms of dates do we start tomorrow or would you prefer to start on Monday? Kim Rawlings 01:07:27.585
I'd like to clarify that none of these are my preferred options. But that provides the direct clarity that we were seeking. Frank Wilkie 01:07:41.055
Councillor Wilson. Nicola Wilson 01:07:42.795
I still don't think it's clear that the community is invited to make submissions via Noosa. Kim Rawlings 01:07:51.075
So the Noosa page does outline how to make a submission and provides all the options to the community on how to make submissions. When you make submissions to a planning process or planning scheme, there are specific requirements under the Act to make a properly made submission. So it is really important that the community do follow those instructions because that needs to meet a number of criteria to be considered properly made. Frank Wilkie 01:08:24.880
I'll speak to the amendment. I really appreciate what Councillor Stockwell is trying to do here is reach a compromise, minimise the impact on staff, also give the community extra time to make submissions. I can't support, I'll go back to my original speech, that I cannot, I do not want to be on the record of supporting any interference in this process, knowing the work staff have already put into the consultation process, knowing the submissions have already been received. Knowing that all the significant community groups and business groups have made submissions. Knowing that we've got advice before us from the State about the implications of possible delays. I do not want to be on the record of supporting anything that could delay these, knowingly delay these very important amendments longer than They have been delayed. And again, I want to give the staff the respect and the professional courtesy, the time and the space to reflect and review all the submissions Submissions from the work that they've already done. They're the ones that have been out of these pop-ups, public displays, interacting with over 250 community members face-to-face for up to an hour and a half every time. I've looked at I've looked at some of the submissions. We've all received them. They are very well-informed and well-written. I don't underestimate the intelligence of the community to put together a well-formed submission. So I might be outnumbered six to one on this, but I would just really ask, urge councillors to respect councillors to respect the process and give staff the professional courtesy of the retirement space not to be rushed or distracted from assessing this very important feedback and allowing us to give our council the best chance of getting these amendments back from the State prior to the government being shut down due to the caretaker period. Any other councillors to speak to this particular amendment? Excuse me, Mr Chair. Yes, Councillor Finzel. Karen Finzel 01:11:01.520
Yes, I just have a question through the Chair to the CEO, is that okay? Of course. Yes, I just have a question around when it's being discussed today about potentially political interference. What penalties, if any, under the Local Government Act around statutory regulations or this process, is there actual a risk to, like, you know, penalties if we move away from this process? Kerri Contini 01:11:37.743
Thank you, Councillor Finzel. There are no penalties as such. What we are working towards is advice from the State government that if we are able to get these amendments back to the State government for their consideration and potential ministerial sign-off by, if we can get it back by the end of August, then we have a chance for these amendments to be approved. So there are no penalties as such. We have an opportunity to get them considered by the current government and resolved and so that is the timeline that we are working towards. Frank Wilkie 01:12:19.126
Thank you, Executive CEO. will just clarify, Councillor Finzel, I am not inferring that anything improper or illegal is happening by the political arm of the Council interfering with this process. Karen Finzel 01:12:34.205
Thank you for the clarification, Mr Chair. Frank Wilkie 01:12:36.825
Thank you for the clarification, Mr Chair. You know, Tom Wegener 01:12:44.525
Sometimes no decision is far, far worse than a bad decision. And I think that applies in this situation. We know that there is a risk that these amendments will get lost in the State for months the State for months and months and months, if not forever. We have worked so, so very hard with enormous public consultation to get to this point. I just urge that we, erring on the side of caution is actually to go with a process that is well engrained with a very, very good public consultation process. Don't, at a whim, throw it away when there is so much at risk. There's an enormous amount of at risk reputation-wise and as for all those people that Brian speaks of, not to mention the future, as I've stated before, of short-term accommodation, especially in the rural and Frank Wilkie 01:13:46.097
Am I allowed to speak to this? You don't have to. All councillors will have to speak to this amendment. Jessica Phillips 01:13:49.697
Okay. I just want to reiterate my support. my support for the extra delay. In my 38 years living here, I think I can count on one hand how many rallies I've seen in town around things that are really passionate to the community. We saw that with the foreshore plan, so we've got to give some time for that, like we've spoken about, but in particular with this one, I do feel now community will have some reassurance. After today, around what we're doing moving forward with these consultations, and then they can digest this information and go back and get some more understanding around it and really give us some extra feedback, and I hope that doesn't, like you said, you're not overly happy with the extra time. time, but I feel that our community will win. Thanks. Professor Phillips. Councillor Wilson. Amelia Lorentson 01:14:46.517
I will speak and I think everyone's missing the major point of the notified motion. The issue today is that we have two major consultations that are run concurrently. It's not about underestimating the intelligence of our community. I know so well our local knowledge and experience is overwhelming. I know so... What has happened should not have happened. We shouldn't have had two major consultations occurring at the same time. Each consultation should have received the attention it deserved. That's what we owe our community. It's a statutory requirement that there is social inclusion and meaningful community engagement in all decision making. That's mandated by principle three of the code of conduct for councillors in Queensland. Some around this table may call this political interference. I call it doing my job, ensuring that our community gets every opportunity to consult on matters that impact their livelihoods, their property values, and the character of Noosa. Again, rushing this process to meet a deadline is crazy. We need to afford our community adequate time to review and provide feedback, and it would be and it would be remiss and could underline the integrity of the amendment process to do otherwise. I'm happy with the amendment to move the dates forward and I hope and urge the councillors to support the motion of the amendment to ensure a fair and thorough review process. Karen Finzel 01:16:45.180
Mr Chair, can I speak to the motion please? Frank Wilkie 01:16:48.160
I'm just on my feet Councillor Finzel, you'll be next. Thank you. Just for the record, the staff believe that the public consultation process was run along the principles of social inclusion and meaningful engagement, do you feel that this process encapsulates those values? Kim Rawlings 01:17:09.181
We believe the planning, preparation and delivery of the consultation meets all the principles of our It was a very thorough, it had multiple avenues, it was representative, it was both specific and broad, so we were very comfortable with the consultation process today. Frank Wilkie 01:17:41.620
Councillor Finzel, you had a question. Sorry, Councillor Finzel was next. Karen Finzel 01:17:47.280
Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr Chair. I was just going to speak to Yes. Councillor Finzel: But is there any questions anyone wants to ask? Frank Wilkie 01:17:58.361
You're free to speak to, we're speaking to amendment number two now. Karen Finzel 01:18:02.361
Councillor Finzel: Yes, okay. Thank you, thank you everyone for the debate around debate around the table, this is a challenging topic in terms of the engagement with the community, the number of consultations that are currently live, the complexities and the overlap. I do carefully consider the amount of time that it's taken for this meaningful to take place and by no way minimise the amount of work that staff and community together have undertaken to engage in the process. I support the amendment before us because approach to representation is to support inclusive community engagement to bring accountability and transparency with a proactive local focus with collaborative solutions and I'd like to thank Councillor Stockwell to move this motion forward today to try and find a collaborative strongly and I will be raising it further down the track to request a review of this process in 2024 of how we engage with our community. I think since COVID, you know, we fundamentally changed. And I think moving forward, we have to really focus on collaborative voices around the table, so that everyone, you know, feels that they are valued, that they feel that their voice has been heard, and that it matters. I think, you know, we're at a transitional time, not just in Noosa, but across, you know, the State. Australia and globally. I think it's a challenging time for leadership as we sit in this space of uncertainty. It's unfortunate, but transition is always uncomfortable. And I believe this is where we sit today. And I want to thank everyone who is working their best to try and facilitate a process where everyone process where everyone feels that their position is acknowledged and valued. So thank you to everyone who's contributed today and I will support this amendment in an act of goodwill to facilitate that every voice matters. I've heard the risks, the opportunities and the impacts and I know it will be challenging, but hopefully we can find our way towards equitable outcomes for all. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:21:10.316
Um, Councillor Stockwell, do you wish to close? Okay, we'll put the amendment to your vote. Votes in favour? Councillor Stockwell, Lorentson and Wilson. Wilson, Phillips, and Karen, are you in favour? You are in favour of this motion? Yes, yes Mr Chair. Votes against? Councillor Wilkie and Wayman. The amendment is carried. The amendment now becomes a suspended motion. every councillor except for Councillor Finzel has spoken to the original motion. Do you wish to speak again Councillor Finzel? Karen Finzel 01:21:54.398
No, thank you for asking Mr Chair. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:21:57.178
And Councillor Lorentson do you wish to close? No, thank you. We put the motion to the vote. Voters in favour? Councillor Phillips, Wilson, Lorentson. Those against? Councillor Stockwell, Wilkie Wegener. Sorry, Councillor Finzel, where do you sit on Karen Finzel 01:22:26.340
The... Sorry, can you repeat? I'm sorry, I've just lost track of where we're at. Okay, with the amendment... Are we leaving the original... Frank Wilkie 01:22:34.300
No, with the Councillor Lorentson, Phillips, Wilson and Finzel. The motion is carried. That's good. Okay, next item. Thank you, thank you staff. The next item, we have no presentations. We have have two dedications today. The first one is from urgent referral and we have Taylor Ladd Hudson, Albie Curtis and Jarrah Small here to speak. Would you like to come to the podium and just remind them that the dedication is limited to 15 minutes in total. Taylor Ladd Hudson 01:23:29.520
Thank you for having us today. I am Taylor Ladd Hudson, a 15-year-old local from Sunrise Beach. Our request today is not for the permanent removal of the shark nets in the River Bay, but instead we are proposing a seasonal removal during half-life migration season. Ocean's Wall is a working party representing environmental groups that work within the Noosa Shire. Each group has a shared goal of preparing for our environment and the wildlife that inhabits our beautiful Noosa Wall estate. Working together as a team, we have collaborated on the issue of the shark control program in the River Bay. Our team has the support of Sandy Bolton and me, and have collaborated with her to survey local residents regarding their opinion on the use of shark nets, specifically in While representing a variety of groups, our team have consulted with the department of agriculture and fisheries, Surf Life Saving Queensland, and scientific experts in the field to ensure our data is current and correct. Amelia Lorentson sits in on our meetings, offering advice and guiding us through the Noosa Shire guidelines and procedures. Sandy Bolton's survey, which was released earlier this year, questioned the local Noosa residents if they supported the current use of sharpness at Noosa My Beach. 75.06% said they don't. Bond University associate, Professor McPhee, said under oath, during a Queensland administrative Queensland administrative appeals tribunal, that he would never recommend a legal program and could never imagine advocating for a legal shock program anyway. He agreed it was highly plausible that the shock control program became non-legal tomorrow, we would see no discernible change in unprogressed shock bites, in particular fatalities. If we tomorrow decided to remove the nets and replace non-legal alternative it would have no ramifications on shark incidents. There have been only 70 bites and 30 fatalities at protected beaches in New South Wales and Queensland since 1937. Frank Wilkie 01:25:55.388
Okay, we need to get full permission to be filmed. Are you comfortable with any film? Okay, and councillors, are you comfortable with any film? No. Okay, and councillors, are you comfortable with any film? No. Taylor Ladd Hudson 01:26:16.116
At Greenmont Beach on the Gold Coast in 2020 a surfer had a fatal incident with a shark. The beach was fitted The beach was fitted with a shark net and eight drumlines. It has been scientifically proven that sharks have a 96% chance of getting past the nets. And over 40% of the sharks caught in the nets caught on the beach side. Meaning they've already been in close contact to beach goers and are peacefully making their way back out into deeper waters. In Laguna Bay since 2001,576 non-targeted species have been caught and killed. This includes turtles, rays, dolphins, whales and any known species to inhabit or migrate through our beautiful area. Once an animal is caught, it attracts larger sharks to the net for a free feed. Over the same period, only 129 targeted shark species over two metres were caught. And finally, since 2013, at least seven known humpback whales have been entangled at Noosa Main Beach. I have personally witnessed and recorded three whale entanglements in the past three years at Noosa Main Beach. Four weeks ago, a critically endangered grey-nosed shark was caught in one of the nets in Laguna Bay. This individual was identified by the unique markings along the side of her body. Her name was Mary and this is the first sighting of her since April 2015. Nine years later, almost to the day, she popped up dead while pregnant in one of our nets. This program is nearly a hundred years old. I've been in the shark conservation space since I was 12. I'm nearly 16. I'm a 16. I'm a swimmer, surfer and volunteer lifesaver for Noosa Head Surf Life Saving Club. It's time for change and it's time we see the shark control program removed and replaced with current modern technology. We are not asking for a complete removal of the nets by asking for a seasonal removal during humpback migration season like New South Wales, one small step in the right direction. It's time we change and improve our ways to allow ocean goers and marine life to coexist in our biosphere. Thank you. Albie Curtis 01:28:37.300
Good morning everyone. I'm Captain Albie from the Whalesong Noosa charter boat and we take visitors out to see the dolphins and the whales. And we take care of our ocean environment by being a research vessel as well. Now I've been boating, surfing since 1970. since 1970 in this area. Been here for a long time. And when I go out all the visitors and local, interstate and international that get on our boat are quite shocked that we still have nets here at Noosa. Especially in Noosa promoted as a biosphere town. scientists... that we actually do our research for, we take the information to these scientists that are in the the universities, there's Olaf Majonek, who is a whale expert at Griffith University. We also do the dolphins through Alexis Lavengood, and she's in the SCU. And Bonnie... and Bonnie Holmes, the scientist for SCU, studying the bull sharks. Recent research shows bull sharks in the river, mainly juvenile, and grow up to... and go up to the river system during the winter months. And the winter months is when whales are here, so we don't have the sharks out there. She says the nets are misplaced and not stopping bull sharks at all. Nets are not Nets are not needed in winter months, especially as it's very much supporting, and she's very much supporting the removal of the nets during whale migration, especially. Now, all three scientists, they say there is no science or logic in the nets whatsoever. So my So my question is who is advising DAF? It's certainly not the experts. So let's take advice and direction directly from the experts and not make decisions based on fear and misunderstanding. As surfers we are apparently the highest at risk. Every day Every day there are literally hundreds of surfers in the oceans around Noosa and on the open beaches. There's no nets on the open beaches and no shark problems. The positioning of the nets keep changing and moving. We used to get the coordinates as... boat operators by Coast Guard. But this hasn't happened... doesn't... doesn't happen anymore. Unknown 01:31:46.491
It's dangerous for boats as well as everything else Albie Curtis 01:31:50.931
In the... as the nets keep moving and no communication is given so nobody's really sure where the nets are. The current position of the nets does not with the currents coming out of the river as it is now. Back in the seventies, the position of the nets was closer to these currents as the river mouth was vastly different from where it is now. The river mouth has changed by 500 metres and the nets are still in the same position as they were in the seventies. whole shark net deterrence at Noosa are very outdated, misplaced and need urgent attention. Queensland is behind every other state. We would like to see Noosa, the biosphere town, lead the way in smart shark deterrence and make the ocean safer for all. So we would like to see our council maybe support us as well and support the dolphins and whales that we all love and go out to sea. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:33:16.300
Jarrah Small My name is Jarrah Small. Jarrah Small 01:33:22.420
I'm a 15 year old conservationist, wildlife rescuer and environmental educator. I'm the recipient of several environmental conservation awards within the Noosa Biosphere Biosphere and beyond and I volunteer with oceans for all. On the 6th of October 2023 I was one of the many people who stood on Noosa main beach and witnessed a humpback whale calf struggling and fighting for its life heavily entangled in sharpnecks entangled in sharp necks and boys just a few hundred metres from our world-famous Noosa beach. Yes, behind the glitz and glamour of the nightlife of Hastings Street and all the tourists enjoying their coffees and cafe breakfast, they all knew nothing of-wrenching reality of the Noosa sharknets. It wasn't until I stood on Noosa main beach with a cardboard sign which is outside that people realised the heartbreaking incident occurring in the pristine waters just offshore as the baby whales offshore as the baby whale was entangled in netting, buoys and rope from the Queensland government's shark control program. The calf's cries for cries of helplessness and distress was heard by concerned Noosa residents and and tourists during the night and the early hours of the morning on the 6th of October 2023 as we work to the news of this cast battle for survival. The gentle giant's cries pierce the hearts of those who witness this tragic scene as evident by one interstate tourist who detailed her harrowing experience whilst in Noosa. Let me read out a piece of what she wrote I'm currently on holiday in Noosa from Tasmania. My accommodation last night was very close to Noosa heads. As I woke at around 5am. I could hear a whale. This was not a pleasant or normal sound that you would expect from a whale which was very concerning. My concerns were later confirmed when it was confirmed a baby humpback was stuck in a shark net. The night before I had enjoyed watching a baby humpback breaching although the joy it gave me was overshadowed by concern for the animal being so close to the nets. As a tourist this leaves me feeling very guilty for supporting the economy in an area that still continues to advocate for shark nets and makes me not Will this damage the work done by Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa promoting our region as "different by nature", stating that "nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than our commitment to our environment environment and sustainability. Coastal councils in New South Wales are now looking to opt out of their state's shark control program, known as the Shark Meshing Program, with support from the New South Wales Environment Minister, Penny Sharp. The minister states in an email to another minister the following: "I understand work with local councils is progressing to allow them to decide whether to continue to use shark nets in their local areas. Giving councils the choice to opt out of shark nets empowers local communities to decide the best mix of shark protection measures in their area. I propose our respective agencies work together and with local councils on a staged approach to remove the shark nets. With this in mind, the Noosa Council has the opportunity to prove themselves as a smart biosphere embracing modern technologies and helping to transition an industry that relies on the and death of marine wildlife to one of marine conservation whilst ensuring water users feel safe in their ocean pursuits. I envision a new industry emerging, drawing in creative youthfulness and innovation where ageing population took hold of the shark control program. This approach aligns with the economic vision of the Noosa Council where you seek to transition to a smart biosphere. I strongly believe that the Noosa Council needs to take this opportunity to make a commitment our environment and to make a clear policy position on the use of sharp nets and drumlines in the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. This position will help advocate for innovative solutions to replace outdated sharknets with alternative technologies that will balance public safety and marine wildlife conservation. Thank you. Brian Stockwell 01:37:39.847
Yeah, I've got a question as Director of Strategy and Environment. Recently, Recently we did adopt our position on it and in the lead up to that we had a presentation from the relevant DAF team. From recollection the issues that have been raised by the deputation and also the research referred to was brought up in the conversation and it was my recollection that the DAF team said that all that information was going into their review and there's a major I just can't recall what time that was, was it the end of this year and would that be the time where council and the community would have input into those deliberations? Kim Rawlings 01:38:21.238
Through the chair, thanks for the question and the deputation which was fantastic, thank you. That's correct, so Department of Fisheries advised council that they are taking all of the new technologies, understanding the testing that's happening right along the coast around different technologies in their review of their shark management plan which is planned for later this and early into next year and there will be opportunity both for councils and community and interest groups to have involvement in that process. Frank Wilkie 01:38:54.960
Thank you. We have one more deputation before we have a break. Nick Cooke 01:39:19.440
So good morning everyone. My name is Nick Cooke. I'm here today to speak about the People's Park petition that was tabled earlier in today's meeting. I'm the principal petitioner and I'd like to take this opportunity to explain why this petition was created, what the petition calls for and what the signatories expect from Noosa Council moving forward. So this petition is about more than just the People's Park and the calls It's actually about car parking and vehicle access in general across the Shire. It's also about the values of the community in terms of car parking and access and the need for consultation, transparency and input into decision making. These are all key themes in the petition. here I have a petition with just under 1,100 signatures, 1,094 signatures, telling Noosa Council that they disapprove of the People's Park trial, they disapprove of the removal of other car parks across the Noosa Shire and they want transparency and consultation on future Noosa On future Noosa Council projects, it's no secret that the People's Park project attracted immense criticism and backlash from the community, and rightfully so when it saw the loss of approximately 40 to 50 car parks in a highly valued location, and also when it was the product of no dedicated community consultation. Council have dubbed this project a success, however this declaration doesn't seem to take into account the community sentiments about the project, and in my opinion community sentiment and approval should be the number one metric to gauge the success or failure of the project. This is why the community sentiments and values must be taken into account before proclaiming any council project a success. Criticism abounded on social media and even local news reports. One resident told Noosa Today, and I thought it's worth reading out, that the people's was a visual and usage embarrassment. How do you get your kids to the main beach and green beach with all their surfboards and billy boards? You're not allowed to take some surf gear on buses. How do you get old people down to the river mouth? How do you get your dog down to the dog beach? They went on to say some people can't afford to stay Hastings Street and choose to stay in lovely accommodation a couple of kilometres away, restricting their access options, some would say, is discriminatory against wealthy Australians, or less wealthy Australians. That's end quote. And I agree with that, especially as a hinterland resident who is car-dependent and, you know, this you know this project saw inequitable access to people in Noosa and out of Noosa. So we have a wide cross-section of signatories on this petition including residents, visitors to Noosa, also including such as the President of the Noosa Chamber of Commerce and even our former Mayor Bob Abbott who has signed the petition to express his satisfaction with the People's Park and the removal of car parks across the Shire. And this is why I started the petition because I saw the very public community disapproval community disapproval with the project and decided to create an avenue for people to provide that feedback through an official form of public participation that is recognised by council, so not social media comments, and that is the petition and today the deputation. I wanted to capture the disapproval from the streets and the social media and convey them to council through this avenue. The aim of this petition is to inform council's decision making post trial, including informing current and future council plans such as the transport strategy, the Noosa car parking which has to be undertaken later this year, the destination management draft plan, which I'll speak more about, and the Noosaville foreshore infrastructure master plan, which also proposed reduction of car parks, the Pomona place making study, and the town planning amendments, all of which focus on traffic congestion and car parking. Noosa council have actually asked for feedback following the trial to, quote, inform ongoing initiatives to improve access and also to determine the community's for more initiatives like this around the Shire. When I read that I thought absolutely this petition needs to go ahead because the council need to know people's views on this so I thought I'd just read quickly through the petition and explain a little bit detail. So we express our opposition to the people's park on Hastings Street and call on the council to immediately abandon this absurd project and return the location to a dedicated car park. This speaks for itself. It's directly expressing 1094 people's opposition to the council's project. It also expresses these people would prefer the space to be used as a dedicated car park and that's important because there could be potential in the future to change that space. This must inform any future plans to remove car parks at this location or plans to turn it into a permanent park. The petition goes on to say the project has seen the loss of over 40 value car parks in a location they are most required, made worse by the timing of the peak holiday period. This tells Council that the these car parks are valued by the community and therefore the removal of them is not in line with the community's values. People who value car parks by extension value vehicle access to Hastings Street and in Noosa and this should inform council of community sentiments in regard to limiting vehicle access during peak times which is something that's been raised in multiple council plans. The petition goes The petition goes on to say we also call on Noosa Council to publicly reveal the total cost of this project to ratepayers and who in council is responsible. So this would ensure transparency and accountability, which are two pillars of the Public Sector Ethics Act, which councils, councillors and council staff must follow by law. The committee wants to know the total cost of this project. This would include, but not limited to, the cost of materials, the cameras, number plate recognition, the sandstone blocks, the tents, the planning and investigation. there was any at the time, staff spent planning, implementing and responding to community members and media releases. It's important because a council implements a project, especially a failed project, the community deserves to know the cost of the rate payer. Furthermore, in the name of accountability, people want to know who in council, what staff, department councils, if applicable, were responsible for the implementation and signing off of this project. Most importantly, clause in the petition says we also object to the removal of other existing car parks around Noosa Shire. Now this was a key point in this and I believe it's why a lot of people signed on to this petition. It's not just about the people's park as I said earlier. It expresses the community sentiments car parks in general, that is, they want to keep them. And this is important because numerous Noosa Council plans and projects have proposed the removal of car parks to deal with traffic congestion. We saw the closure of the Lions Club car park, or Club car park or park that was used for car parking which saw the loss of 97 car parks in Noosa, the People's Park which lost 40 to 50 car parks, the Noosaville foreshore infrastructure master plan which proposed a loss of approximately 104 car parks, the town planning amendments proposed a loss of approximately 40 car parks on Albert Street to rezone that car park to high-density living and the town planning amendments also proposed a reduction in the number of car parking spaces required for new builds particularly. affordable housing. In fact, I'll just quickly read from that town planning amendment. The proposed amendments will specifically address affordable rental premises at Noosa Junction, Noosa Business Centre and Tewantin, which is serviced by a relatively high frequency of buses and it's Noosa Council's transport strategy talks about the inefficiency of buses. In these instances, formalised car sharing might reduce the need for a portion of car parking space since each car share vehicle with its nominated space can reduce the minimum car parking rate by four spaces each. Depending on the number of affordable rental premises. Development can have a maximum of three shared vehicles. If car parking is unbottled from the tiles of the individual units and remains in the common property, the minimum car parking rate can be reduced up to 10%. So not only are we losing car parks in public spaces, we're actually losing them in private developments. And I think it's worth noting that in my submission to that amendment I also called for extended community consultation because here we have a petition with over a thousand signatories related to car parking and not removing it, yet the planning amendments only have 350 submissions. So there's a disconnect between what Council's getting between official consultations and petitions, particularly this one, and even the infrastructure foreshore plan. In fact, 350 respondents to the planning and amendments. Represents 0.06 percent of Noosa residents. This moves me to move on to the destination management plan. A very important plan for Noosa, which a lot of people don't know about either. And I believe the people part links into this, because I've seen a seen it referenced many times in when quoting the People's Park. And the destination management plan floats vehicle restrictions, pedestrian only areas. Quote, make Hastings Street and Gympie Terrace pedestrian only zones during peak times. Quote, make Park Road access park road access to Noosa National Park by free bus only during peak times, so more vehicle access restrictions. Can Noosa Council advocate for restricted access and a booking system to the Shire's iconic landscapes, for example Noosa National Park and Noosa North Shore? There's also floating of mandates on local tourism experiences and service operators to make them zero waste and zero emissions, and that's important because the transport strategy also focuses on zero emissions. I think it's also important because the DMP shows councils potential outcomes that they want from this. The destination management plan link resources on the website quote international examples to model Noosa around. of these type of one of these articles which is not a peer-reviewed article it's an opinion piece but it's presented by a council nonetheless is quoted reclaiming the streets the increasing trend of pedestrianization around the world this was written by rapid transition alliance the co-author is Sims who's an author political economist and activist he's known for writing about quote driving cars out of our cities the Green New Deal the UK banning car adverts advocating the removal of car parks in fact in this very article at Noosa council quote he promotes the banning of cars pedestrianization and moving private cars from city centres that article says a critical element in the adoption of car free days and protectionized zones in many cities the rise of activist groups pushing to reclaim public space so it appears that Noosa council has been driven by activism in this space the other article that has been linked on the council's website is reasons to be cheerful: Spain's happy little carless city. Modelling, obviously wanting to model Noosa around Spain. That article says calls for car-free cities can sometimes sound like a call to end driving entirely, a lovely fantasy, but one but one that's not likely to materialize anytime soon. Where we find advocates for saner transportation, their dream scenario usually hinges on the same outcome, making cities blissfully free of cars. To this end, the Spanish city of Pontevedra, population-, 000, has done something remarkable. It has reduced car use in its historic core by 90% and citywide by half, and it's done it without blanket fees or bans, which is interesting because I feel like this is the road news of council going down. Instead of banning Instead of banning cars, use clever engineering and some gentle nudging to get people out of their cars and onto the street. For smaller cities, they want to tap the brakes on car usage, HondaVegra offers a masterclass in Tactical Tactical de-vehicularisation. This seems like something council is going down to deal with traffic congestion and the removal of the car park seems to be in line with this and it seems to be in line with the destination management plan and it's worth noting the traffic, the Noosa transport the traffic, the Noosa transport strategy at this point which is a 10-year plan but is reviewed at least annually and I don't have time to go into it but I think that there's some contradictions in it. It talks about encouraging transport options for the needs of both locals and visitors. It's clear that residents want parking yet the transport strategy also focuses on moving people and goods rather than moving cars so they're at odds with each other so council seem to be picking and choosing parts of the transport strategy to implement. But in that same report it talks about constraints on dependence on active transport and public transport. For most people driving a car is a way of life in their preferred mode of transport. The combined 44% of jobs in Noosa are within retail, hospitality, accommodation and healthcare sectors. The nature of this work work late hours means that active transport, walking and cycling may not be appropriate and public transport is unlikely to be available. This is from council's own transport strategy. It also talks about constraints on the topography and the climate of Noosa, the hilly terrain making it challenging for pedestrians and cyclists, subtropical climate, extreme weather events, shortfalls in infrastructure and services. I think the quarry I think the quarry in the hinterland plays into this. It's not listed in the transport strategy but it's a risk to the public safety and requiring people to walk and cycle can increase those risks. also goes on to say that buses currently get stuck in congestion during peak periods and offer no efficiency over private car other than not having to run a car park. So council know these issues with relying on active transport but unfortunately relying on to deal with the congestion. It's also worth noting in this transport strategy that consultants Parsons, Binkeroff recommended the Noosa council consider managing the supply of car parking rather than continuing the philosophy of supplying free response to demand. It doesn't actually say to remove car parks. The management controls that this consultant offers are control by time, short term versus long term, control by price, free versus paid, and control by type, resident versus non-resident. So removing car parks removing car parks doesn't seem to be congruent with improving access or the controls advised by this consultant. The petition also further says in future Noosa Shire residents and ratepayers consulted on projects like this before they implement it, not after. The people of Noosa deserve transparency and input into decision making. That's pretty self-explanatory. People want to be consulted and they want to be given the chance to provide input before decisions are made. Not Not on just overarching plans and concepts but individual council projects which are stated in the petition. This just popped up one day. There was no dedicated consultation and an informal consultation was eventually conducted after the project and after after the community sentiment was made very public. This is one other reason I started the petition. As I said, the community needed a formal and simple way to have their voice heard. And lastly, we seek this petition to be presented to the whole of Noosa Council. This is actually a very important cause. It's one required by a public opinion. It actually seeks that all Noosa Council staff, councils and decision makers are aware of the views of 1,094 people that have signed on to this petition and it's again the reason why it was created. There should be a report report on the people's park hopefully soon and as well as the feedback received by email I would like this petition to be included in that report but also as well as other council reports and plans once mentioned. Also future plans it's also worth mentioning put it in comparison the 1093 signatures in say the destination management plan that received 791 survey respondents so we have more responses to this petition and it's hopefully going to provide some balance to the outcomes of that destination management plan consultation. consultation, so in conclusion this petition should be filed and referenced when making decisions about traffic management including reviewing car parking arrangements in Noosa but it should also be considered in regards to all council plans especially as the petition calls for transparency consultation and input and input into decision making. I'd just like to finish on that this is my fourth deputation to Noosa Council and unfortunately to date I haven't received a meaningful response to any of these deputations and I hope that this may be a change and I actually receive some feedback from council in this regard. Thank you Mr Thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:54:30.787
Cooke. Now, councillors we're going to have a short break and we're going to move, with your permission, we're going to move question time, which is at the end of the agenda, to the next item because there's a confidential item before the question time which will go into the gallery. which would be unfair if we turned up to ask the questions. So when we return, if you were here to ask questions. Okay, welcome back everybody. We've played the meeting open again. We now move to public question time. And we have four submissions to public question time. The first one is galleries you should be out there Taylor Ladd Hudson from the Surfrider Foundation, Sunshine Coast. So, Mrs. Ladd Hudson, would you like to join us at the podium to read out your questions, which will be responded to by our Director of Strategy and Environment, Kim Rawlings. Thank you, Taylor. Taylor Ladd Hudson 01:55:30.090
Thank you. My first question is, does the next generation of Noosa residents, being young people, deserve new, modern solutions and alternatives in the management of shark mitigation strategies? Kim Rawlings 01:55:44.803
Hello, Taylor. Thank you for the question. Working closely with representatives of the State Government, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Council has adopted a policy position on the shark control program in June this year. The purpose of this strategy was to support the State to transition to lower bycatch potential alternatives in waters adjacent to Noosa. Holding a policy position, Council holding a policy position now allows us to effectively represent community views and outcomes of the shark control program to the State Government. Under the Queensland Management Plan Noosa Council and SLSQ have assisted DAF to undertake a range of alternative bite mitigation trials including the delivery of the shark smart community awareness programs and drone detection trials. Noosa Council will work with the State to help transition the shark control program to lower bycatch potential alternatives. Primarily this will be through the upcoming review process of the Queensland shark management plan. Taylor Ladd Hudson 01:56:49.220
Was in my work as a youth eco leader I've learnt that 95% of the kids I talk to aged 8 to 19 years old do not want to fish sharks and they want to see them thriving in healthy populations of our coastline. We're so lucky to be named a UNESCO Biosphere. Can we uphold our values of a Biosphere and lead the way to be a trial site for the innovative shark mitigation strategies? Kim Rawlings 01:57:13.987
Thank you again for that question. In 2010, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries introduced a maximum size limit and stricter take and possession limits on non-protected sharks in Queensland waters. These changes were based on fisheries stock assessments and stakeholder consultation. Noosa Council acknowledges that your community observations regarding the importance of sustainable shark fisheries are supported by many residents within the Noosa Shire. Council views our advocacy to the State for transition to the shark control program to lower bycatch alternatives as the key and upholding our values as a Biosphere Reserve, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. UNESCO defines Biosphere Reserves as places that should promote the testing of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. It is Council's and the community's responsibility to represent our Biosphere Values to the State Government. It is understood Government. It is understood that DAF will be incorporating past and current stakeholder consultation outcomes in the upcoming evaluation of the Shark Management Plan. And discussions with DAF also indicate that development of the next version of the Shark Management Plan will include further community consultation during early 2025. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:58:39.061
Next, we have a question from. Deborah is not here today, so Paula Brady is attending in the place of Deb. Would you like to join us, Paula? And your questions will be responded to by our Acting Director of Infrastructure, Kyrone Dodd, and Acting CEO, Kerri Contini. Thank you, Paula. Kerri Contini 01:58:58.305
The community rally on the 5th of July 2024 was a demonstration of a united community front which served concerns of residents in relation to the proposed Noosaville foreshore infrastructure master plan. Problematic land use planning ideas, as outlined by the Council's approved consultants, do not meet with the community expectations or ideals. Is community prepared to abandon this plan as a show of respect and acknowledgement to community sentiment? Frank Wilkie 01:59:34.300
Thank you for the question. For clarity, the draft infrastructure master plan does not manage land use planning issues on the foreshore. These have been addressed in the list of foreshore land use master plans just endorsed in 2018 and inform this draft master plan, which primarily deals infrastructure upgrades and future proofing our foreshore over the longer term. Council acknowledges the community rally that was held and thanks the community for its active engagement on this vital While we cannot independently verify the attendance figure cited, Council will receive significant feedback through the Have Your Say survey which will close Sunday 7th July 2024. Written submissions were also received in a series of stakeholder meetings held over the engagement period. responses received are currently being analysed to better understand what specifically people liked and did not like in the Redraft Master Plan. In consideration of the high level of feedback received, council will be considering a report at this ordinary meeting today. Which proposes to adjust the current program to add an additional third round of community engagement, which includes coming back out to the community with a revised draft of the Master Plan. This additional round of engagement will aim to work proactively proactively with key stakeholders, clarify and improve on key issues and undertake education and awareness on how we have listened to the community and provided a Master Plan that delivers on what the community needs. What we deeply respect is the strong community sentiment surrounding the proposed direct Master Plan. This is the Council's current plan at the moment. To review and revise the current plan with enhanced community engagement. It is important to highlight that a that a master plan is needed to provide a strategic framework for sustainable development, enhancing community well-being and future-proofing the foreshore over the longer term. It aims to improve greater infrastructure, increase level of service, and provide resilience. important threats such as flooding and erosion. It is also intended for the Master Plan to set out a plan for the long-term asset and service management, which is currently ad hoc at COSNI. A Master Plan can guide Council in coordinating strategic planning and delivery of infrastructure over the next 20 years. The Master Plan therefore intends to ensure that this highly loved community asset remains a vibrant and sustainable community hub and partner for generations to come. Thank you for your continued engagement and passion for our community. Second question. Kerri Contini 02:02:37.020
How is the council ensuring transparency and accountability in decision-making processes, particularly in relation to community engagement? Kim Rawlings 02:02:48.980
Thank you. I've got a fairly lengthy answer. Council has responsibility under Chapter 1, Section 4 of the Queensland Local Government Act 2009 to engage with community through democratic representation, social inclusion and meaningful community engagement. Further to this, council has endorsed a community engagement framework to guide engagement with our community in matters that are identified as benefiting from community input to shape future strategic directions and plans. This framework is used to guide how council designs, plans and delivers community engagement projects. Our approach to community engagement outlined in the community engagement framework and policy of 2023 is governed by a suite of guiding principles to ensure that all of our engagement activities are inclusive, transparent, appropriate, accountable, timely. Appropriate, accountable, timely, well-resourced, informative and understand, have an understanding of our changing community. Council undertakes detailed planning processes underpinned by international best practice approaches to community and stakeholder engagement to develop fit for purpose engagement for each project. Transparency and accountability are two of the key guiding principles of the community engagement framework and policy. see. Council continues to demonstrate transparency and accountability through in being open and honest about the engagement project purpose and goals, clear and consistent engagement and communications around the engagement process, timeline, Providing background or contextual information to assist the community in understanding the topic and to be informed, inviting the community to provide feedback and have a say on the project using a broad range of methods and tools including both face-to-face and online engagement. Council continues Transparency and accountability are two of the key guiding principles of the community engagement framework and policy. Being responsive to community feedback when there is confusion or questions. Documenting who we engage with and what we heard. Collecting information in a consistent way to support efficient analysis. Closing the loop with the community to share what we heard openly and honestly and identify how this will inform decision making and the next steps. Taking steps: taking on board community feedback to refine plans and strategies and when necessary undertake further engagement. Upholding the principles and processes outlined in the community engagement framework and policy. This framework and policy has been developed to strengthen trust and community participation. Noosa Council has the advantage of highly engaged, has the advantage of a very highly engaged community and although it is recognised that Council will not be able to satisfy every member of the community on every matter, Council responsibility and delegation from the Queensland Government to deliver services, facilities and at the local government level to balance community needs and aspirations and give the requirement to responsibly manage service delivery efficiently and sustainably. On a comparably modest rate pay revenue base to other local government organisations. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 02:05:50.537
The next question is from Mr Andrew McCarthy. Mr McCarthy is not here today. So I ask our acting CEO, Kerri Contini, to read his question and provide the council's response. Kerri Contini 02:06:04.273
Thank you, Mr McCarthy. I'll read out your first question. Does Noosa Council hold in its possession any documentations generated by the Department of Environment and Science which... references to a discussion DES had a while back with Noosa Parks Association about the pros and cons of declaring a conservation park in parts of the Noosa River system as not being the best idea, yes or no? Mr McCarthy, response to your question. To the best of our knowledge, the only document... the only documentation that Council holds, which has been generated by the Department of Environmental Science and refers to a discussion that DES had with Noosa Parks Association about the pros and cons of a conservation park in Noosa River, is a copy of an email that was attached to Mr McCarthy's application for today's public question time. This email appears to be between two state government employees and references an earlier discussion between those employees and the Noosa Parks Association. This email appears... Part of this same email was attached by a member of the public who submitted an action complaint in June 2020. Mr McCarthy's second question is the community believes it is a double standard to propose removing 103 car parks in the Noosa and Coorshaw plan and encourage public and active transport use when Noosa Council won't lead by example and requires council staff and councillors to transit to and from work only using public and active transport. A. Will Noosa Council consider implementing a staff and council policy to transit to and from work by means of public or active transport. B. If yes, does council anticipate a significant reduction in staffing levels, similar to the significant reduction in both staff and customer levels business owners on the Noosaville foreshore anticipate receiving if the Noosaville foreshore was adopted. The response to Mr McCarthy's question. The draft Noosaville foreshore master plan responded to the community's request in the first round of consultation to increase the amount of green space. Part of the proposal to achieve this is to relocate approximately 100 car parks from directly on the foreshore and place them within the broader foreshore precinct with an approximate four minute walk to the foreshore. A report is being considered by Council at today's ordinary meeting to potentially conduct a further round of stakeholder and community education for foreshore businesses would be a stakeholder in this consultation. Noosa Council's transport strategy due 2017 to 2027 proposes a staged shift in mobile transport to reduce reliance on private vehicles. It facilitates other forms of sustainable transport and outlines strategies which assist voluntary shift to public and active transport. Council encourages and actively supports staff who wish to to use sustainable means of transport to work particularly where car park spaces are in high demand. Our goal is to gradually transition to more sustainable transport practices along with our broader community and we do not anticipate that this will that this will result in a reduction in staffing levels. Frank Wilkie 02:09:38.978
Thank you Mrs Acting CEO. The next question is from Mr Craig Vallow who is also not here in person. So I ask our Acting CEO to read his questions and his responses will be provided by the Director of Development and Regulation, Richard MacGillivray, an Acting Director. Thank you very much. I've got a question from Craig Vallow. The question is: I understand that domestic animals are not allowed off leash in conservation parks. If a conservation park over the Noosa River goes ahead, does Noosa Council know if the State Government allow residents to have their dogs on leash each time it goes below the high tide mark? Mark and swimming in the Noosa River. The responses. Advice from the State Department of Environment, Science and Innovation website states that dogs and other pets are welcome in some conservation parks, state forests and recreational areas, but not in national parks. As no decision has been made regarding the proposed concept of a conservation park over parts of the Noosa River, no advice has been provided by the State government regarding animal management. Kerri Contini 02:10:52.760
Thanks, Richard. Mr. Beller's second question is that in response to a resident's question in the June ordinary meeting about reduced car parking, a council staff's reply was, "Council is committed to encouraging all residents and visitors to embrace public and active transport to reduce congestion as part of its endorsed transportation strategy." When were residents and visitors committed to encouraging all residents and visitors to embrace public and active transport to reduce congestion as part of its endorsed transportation strategy? When were residents advised the Council had a strategy to encourage them onto public and active transport? Shouldn't residents be consulted before Council enacted a strategy that changed the way residents live their lives? Given the community negative reaction to loss of foreshore parking, will Council now consult the community to confirm to confirm they support its endorsed transport strategy, which plans to encourage them onto public and active transport? Richard MacGillivray 02:11:44.712
Thanks, Ms. de Ville, for the question. In response to the development endorsement of the Noosa transport strategy... strategy for 2017-2027 involves several stages of community consultation and public input through 2017. Information about the strategy and consultation process was... including public meetings, council websites, newsletters, and local media. Over 1,200 submissions were made by the public through surveys, submissions, and in-person events. And the final strategy reflected this input. For further information on the consultation process, please visit the Noosa Transport Strategy 2017/27/2027 page on your Say Noosa. Council is committed to review the transport strategy and prepare a new movement and connectivity strategy which will include further community consultation. Frank Wilkie 02:12:41.232
Thank you. Next item is a confidential item and so we it's a not for public release planning and environmental court appeal number 3156 2023 application for hospital and hospital research day surgery associated So we're going to be moving that we close the gallery so these confidential discussions can take place. So I'll move that the meeting be closed to the public pursuant to section 254J3E of the Local Government Regulation 2012. The purpose of discussing item 10.1 Planning and Environment Court Appeal number 3156 of 2023, application for a hospital and health care service at 47 Goodchap Street, Noosaville. May I have a seconder please? Seconder, Councillor Lorentson. All in favour? Yes. Yes. That's unanimous. So we just ask if all members of the public can leave. Ready? Okay. Welcome back everyone. We're back in open session. We have a resolution before us. Does someone care to move that? I'll move it. Move Councillor. I'll second it. discussion? All in favour? Yes. That's carried unanimously. Now we won't break. We'll push on. It brings us to item 8, consideration of committee reports. 8.1, Manning and Environment Committee Report, 9th of July, 2024. And the committee...planning assumptions, which is referred to the general committee. This was the only report from this committee. Can I remove from the second the planning and environment committee recommendations, please? Councillor Wegener, Councillor Stockwell, all in favour? That's That's carried unanimously. Next are the Services and Organisations Committee report recommendations. 5.1 Further report: Council of Representation on various committees, working groups, boards and external groups, 2024.5.2 Appointment of 2025 Cheryl Holliday. 7.1 was referred to the General Committee. Can I have a move So that was Karen first and seconded by Councillor Wilson. All in favour? Yes. Carried unanimously. Next, the General Committee reports. Unity Ward of Noosa and Neffsurd Planned Planning Assumptions, which was referred to the Planning and Environment Committee. 5.2 was a confidential item not for public release. 5.2 Proposed dedication of TMRM Freehold Landers Road, Mooseville. Referred from the Services and Organisation Committee. 6.1 was the Financial Performances Report, June 2024.6.2, Recycling and Renewables Hub Master Plan Stage 1 concept. 6.3, 2024 LGAQ Conference Motions. 4, Planning and Applications Decided by Delegated Authority, May 2024.7.1 was our Confidential Not-for-Public Release Item, Planning and Environment Court Appeal Number D2325. Applications for reconfiguring a lot, 112 lots at 111 Lakewater Drive, Mooseville, described as lot 4 on RP36729.7.2 7.2 is another confidential report. 2122 Q125 contract variation for project management services 2022 flood recovery and reconstruction. 7.3 is another confidential item. CN00... CN00317B contract variation for flood reconstruction. Average 7B landslide remedial works at Black Pinch Road. Move of seconder for the general committee recommendation. Moved Councillor Lorentson, seconded by Councillor. All in favour? That's carried unanimously. Okay, there's a request from councillors for a quick break for some water and a toilet break before we go on to the final items of the discussion. Okay, we're back on. And the next item is a report direct to the ordinary meeting, which is further consultation, Noosaville foreshore infrastructure management plan, and Noosa River catchment plan. And we have from Director Tim Rawlings here, and a requirement of strategy. Councillor Stockwell. I do, yes. I wish to advise the meeting that for the past two terms I've declared a conflict of interest as a result of my long association with, or previous contracts as, a sole trader consultant, trading as Watership Australia, with the following... organisations: Noosa and District Landcare and its unincorporated...unincorporated forebear, Mary River Catchment Coordination Association, Noosa Integrated Catchment Association, Healthy Land and Water and its predecessors, SEQ Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association. However, having now received more detailed legal advice, it is clear that my circumstances do not meet the definition of a declarable conflict of interest because none of these organisations are close associates nor are any a related party under the Local Government Act. This advice was based on an outline of my history with these organisations which I have uploaded for public viewing on my website. I will not be declaring any type of conflict of interest for this matter or in relation to these organisations into the future unless Yes. Amelia Lorentson 02:18:44.769
Can I ask a question please? Councillor Stockwell, is the legal advice also uploaded for public viewing on your website? And where can we Frank Wilkie 02:18:56.152
The questions for Karen, the question was is Councillor Stockwell's legal advice also available on his website? Brian Stockwell 02:19:06.232
No, it won't be. It is legal into a range of detail that I've asked our own council legal officers whether it should be made public and their advice was not to. Frank Wilkie 02:19:18.067
Okay, do we have any other conflicts of interest? Councillor Finzel. Karen Finzel 02:19:22.782
Yes, thank you Mr Chair. I, Councillor Finzel, inform the meeting that I have a declarable conflict of interest in this matter as in October 2023 a petition stopped Noosa River turning into conservation park was submitted to Noosa Shire Council. Listed on the petition was the name Sharon Finzel who is a cousin of my husband with whom I do not have a close personal relationship at time I was not made aware of her intention to sign the petition nor did I consult with her on the matter although I'm declaring a declarable conflict of interest I do not believe a reasonable person could have a perception of bias because I do not have a close personal relationship with the signatory therefore I will choose to remain in the meeting room however I will respect the decision of the meeting on whether I can remain and participate in the decision thank you I'm happy to move that Councillor Finzel the council note that a clear conflict of interest by Councillor Finzel and determine that Councillor Finzel participates participation votes on this matter as Councillor believes that she does not have a close personal relationship with the petition signatory and therefore a reasonable person would trust the final decision is made in public interest. Frank Wilkie 02:20:36.849
Councillor Wilson second that. Any discussion? All in favour? That's carried unanimously, noting that Councillor Finzel did not vote. Okay, now, Kib, would you care to give us an overview of this report please? Kim Rawlings 02:20:55.696
Sure. Through the Chair, this report provides an update on two very important projects. the Noosaville foreshore infrastructure master plan and the Noosa river catchment management plan. And for the sake of conversation, I'll refer to them as the Noosaville foreshore master plan and the river plan. So we have just completed phase two of community engagement on the foreshore master plan. And as councillors would be well aware, we received significant community interest and feedback through that process. report therefore recommends that in light of that, council undertake a further round of consultation on a revised foreshore master plan. team are very much analysing and working through that raft of feedback from the community and it is showing that there are a number of issues including a number of issues that are relevant to the river plan. So the report not only seeks Council's consideration of acknowledging the significant amount of feedback from the community on the foreshore master plan, demonstrate that Council is absolutely listening to and will be taking... into account that feedback by including a third phase of consultation for them for the master plan but it also recommends that given the relevance of some of the issues for the river plan that we understand what they are... what they are and how they relate to the River Plan before we undertake any further consultation on the River Plan. And further to that, the report also outlines that Council are now a formal partner in the SEQ region. Council for the Mayor's Resilient Rivers Initiative, which has been going for some time, and many of the Southend Queensland Government have been members for some time, but Noosa Council has just become part of that process, which is fantastic. And through And through that process there is opportunity for all of the local governments to develop catchment action plans in a consistent manner with South East Queensland Councils and potentially an an opportunity for some resourcing and funding support for council to to do that. Given that opportunity we also think it's a great opportunity for council to take to revise and refresh and you know hopefully simplify. our Noosa River Master Plan, our Noosa River Plan, excuse me, in line with that with that framework so for those range of reasons the report recommends a third phase of consultation consultation for the foreshore master plan, not advancing any further consultation on the river plan at this stage, capitalising on the partnership we would now have with Resilient Rivers and seeking some funding and resourcing support. Through that process. Frank Wilkie 02:24:00.386
Question, you mentioned that there would be some targeted stakeholder consultation done prior to the either of these plans going out further before community consultation. Can you just elaborate Yeah sure, absolutely. Kim Rawlings 02:24:15.705
So the intention in the next phase is absolutely to meet with all key stakeholders for both plans and interested in both plans and further understand what their concerns are in relation to the foreshore master plan, what the ideas are and you know workshop and work through what they are to feed into the foreshore master plan before it goes back out to the broader community and the same with the river plan. So in the meantime if we go down the path of developing or aligning our river plan to the catchment management action We would, the resolution also seeks that we meet with key stakeholders and groups that have shown interest in the river plan today and in the interim to further explore issues, concerns and also importantly outline what the process might be for aligning our river plan to the catchment management plan framework. Frank Wilkie 02:25:12.577
Questions, councillors? Thank you for the report. I endorse this approach. It gives us the time to really think carefully. carefully about all the feedback that we've received during the Noosaville 4-4 master plan process. As we've said, we are listening. None of these ideas are endorsed to proceed. They're all going proceed, they're all going to be weighed up in light of the feedback, community feedback and submissions, and then further stakeholder engagement, key stakeholders, and then a third, sorry, another master plan is being drawn up for the third phase of public consultation. There's no time constraints on this, it's very important to take the time to do it right. Show that we are listening. And also with the Noosa River Plan, the fact that we are now part of the South East Queensland Council of Mayors and the Resilient Rivers Program, there is resourcing and funding available, it's an opportunity to update with you. simplify the Noosa River Plan, modernise it and we'll also have key stakeholders be engaged with, put it out before we put it out to public consultation. Again, I think it's a very wise approach and gives us an opportunity to demonstrate to the community Demonstrate to the community that we have listened to them and whatever we proceed with, they'll see themselves reflected in the comments. Amelia Lorentson 02:26:51.402
Just some questions if that's okay. In regards to conservation park concept, will it be raised with other options or is it no longer considered a consideration given that we're going Frank Wilkie 02:27:07.078
Councillor Finzel, the question was pertaining to the conservation park. How is that matter going to be handled? Is it still relevant? And how is it going to be handled given that we're going down the resilient rivers pathway? Karen Finzel 02:27:23.058
Thank you Mr Chair. Kim Rawlings 02:27:29.417
If we're putting the river plan out for consultation and re-crafting it in terms of putting it into a different format, re-interrogating what the values are and what the outcomes are, that should be the concept of a river park. conservation park or any other governance arrangement can form part of that initial discussion and if it's seen through our community public consultation and departmental agency consultation prior to developing the broader community consultation element to it, if that's seen as worth progressing through those areas, look, it is still on the table but it doesn't mean it's still on the table, if that makes sense. we are re-interrogating it, then yes, we can consider it, and it's simply that people will look for it, or will look for it. I guess what this report doesn't do is say what's in and out of a political plan. it does do is say the current draft of a plan hasn't been endorsed or advanced. So the actions in it haven't been endorsed or advanced. What this says is that we are suggesting a revised process for the development for the development of a review and recreation plan along with the capital action plan. So it doesn't say whether anything is in order at this stage. Amelia Lorentson 02:29:02.264
Karen, you had a question? Yes, thank you. So to say that differently, Kim, so the concept of a conservation park or any other governance models will be... will be addressed through stakeholder consultation before any redraft. Is that correct? That's correct. Frank Wilkie 02:29:28.091
Thank you very much. So Karen, the question was the concept of a conservation park... a conservation park or any other government's arrangement will be addressed through stakeholder consultation prior to any redraft of the Noosa River plan. Karen Finzel 02:29:46.447
Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Mr Chair. Frank Wilkie 02:29:47.843
Okay. And you have the floor now, Karen. Karen Finzel 02:29:52.343
Oh, thank you. Coming back to my point earlier in the meeting this morning with regards to reviewing community engagement consultations, I proposed wondering if we can amend or add to this current on the current item, a proposal... proposal to review the current community engagement policies to increase visibility and understanding of the issues empowering communities to have their say over these decisions. Is this the right opportunity to include that now in this item? Frank Wilkie 02:30:36.286
I'll just ask, can you scroll up there, see if I can see a full recommendation? In relation to D on this current item, I'm just waiting for the screen to come up. For council to, sorry I can't quite read it. Karen Finzel 02:30:56.986
But comment to me and work with the community, do we enlarge on that or is it a new item F to add an amendment that we request through the CEO? For a review through the council organisation to look at how we can better serve our community with more contemporary and innovated approaches to community engagement. Frank Wilkie 02:31:26.145
So, there's probably a way forward, Councillor Finzel, if I can suggest you move an amendment to add an F that council request the CEO to organise a review of the current community engagement policy? Does that align to what you're what you're asking for? Karen Finzel 02:31:42.997
Yes, please, yes. Brian Stockwell 02:31:44.477
Mr Chair, that would be a motion that's outside the scope of the item in front of us and I would support you as being within the context of standing orders to commit it. Well. Karen Finzel 02:31:56.757
Okay, thank Okay, thank you. I'll take that on board. I just raised that because the chair earlier said that I had an opportunity to raise this matter at this item, but I'm happy to take the advice of the councillors around the table in relation to the standing orders. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 02:32:10.528
I'll take advice from staff. Is staff comfortable with such an amendment at this point? Kerri Contini 02:32:19.868
I think potentially what would be good is that we could have a workshop with the councillors to bring it up to speed on the community engagement framework that was just reviewed and to understand what's required and that we leave this as a separate item. item. This is quite structured, whereas a review of the community engagement framework and policies is a separate piece of work and quite boring in nature. Frank Wilkie 02:32:49.255
So having taken the advice, Karen, the feeling is that we remain focused on the motion that's before us, which is specific in scope, and that we, the staff, have committed to a further workshop on the community engagement policy and... And community engagement framework...and community engagement framework. How does that sit with you? Karen Finzel 02:33:13.179
Look, I thank everybody for your input in that. I think that's fantastic. I think, as we discussed earlier, we're definitely sitting at an intersection of where, you know, we're in transition. We want to try and minimise moving forward the impacts of, you know, community disengaged. We want to really move from transactional relationships to collaborative relationships that allow everyone to feel like that their voice is being heard. You know, as we know, that's a core component of collaborative and innovative cultures. So yeah, I'm really happy to support that workshop. And look forward to seeing that in our calendars as soon as possible. Frank Wilkie 02:33:53.690
Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Any other councillors wish to speak directly to the motion? Jessica Phillips 02:34:00.590
I've got just my own... Sometimes I find there's a lot of buzzwords, so can you please just break this paragraph down into, like, real layman's terms for me, please? Adaptation... First thing, I'll tell you where it is. Noosa River Catchment Management Plan, the River Plan. Noosa River catchment... Last paragraph. Adaptation of the current draft River Plan will not negatively impact the future aims and aspirations of Council to manage the catchment in a strategically sound manner. However, it will further delay its finalisation. The values and management goals uniquely inherit to the Noosa River will still will still provide the foundation of a revised plan. The process for developing the ACE cap will ensure it occurs in a collaborative manner, ensuring the identification of strategic priorities and direction of resources align with Council and the Noosa community aspirations. Kim Rawlings 02:35:02.745
Essentially that means that even though we are looking to align with a state endorsed kind of program that it will still reflect local values and Council will still be able to have a say in that process as will our community. Essentially saying that. Okay, thank you. Good question. Councillor Lorentson. Amelia Lorentson 02:35:29.300
Regarding stakeholders and community consultation, how can we be this will be conducted with all groups? Groups that have not been previously consulted, and I've got a list from Laguna Boating Centre, Noosa North Shore Association, Noosa Commercial and Marine Operators, Noosa Boating and Fishing Alliance. In terms of the Noosa Shore management plan, the line's cut. Frank Wilkie 02:35:57.760
So the question was, in regards to the upcoming stakeholder engagement, what reassurances are there that people that, groups that have not been involved before will be involved this time, and there was a list. Councillor Lorentson, do you wish me to read out the list? Noosa Commercial Marine Operators, Laguna Boating Centre, Noosa North Shore Association, groups that have not been previously involved, Lions, Lions Club, Noosa Boating and Fishing Alliance, they weren't involved before. Thank you Mr Chair. Kim Rawlings 02:36:44.360
Yeah so um feel free to pass on the list. We'd be and you know we're happy to meet with whoever would like to meet with us about these issues and I'm sure the team would say the same. Amelia Lorentson 02:36:58.680
For clarity Noosa Boating and Fishing Alliance have been engaged and are continuing But to be engaged but we um we are revising the community engagement plan for this project and we are reviewing the stakeholder list to update that and add anyone that was missing. And I think we just have to process and analyse the feedback and understand moving into this next phase. Do councillors wish to speak to the motion? Yes. Councillor Wilson. Nicola Wilson 02:37:36.200
Firstly I want to thank director Tim Rawlings and team for the report and also acknowledge all of the work ahead in analysing the feedback. Next I want to thank the community for their engagement in this matter and the submissions we've received all of which gave really practical points based on the way each person uses and enjoys the river and foreshore. This report This report and the recommendations make it clear that we're listening. And there are lessons we can learn from this too. The first being communication and education. Personally, I think we needed to give a clear summary of what was happening and why and when over the next 20 plus years before releasing the full report. But that said, even if the master plan concept was better understood in the community, there are elements in the draft that are far from community expectations and needs. And it doesn't really reflect what we residents love about the river parks and pathways along Gympie Terrace, and the various ways we all access the area. So as a new as a new councillor, I do want to understand how we got here so it doesn't happen again. In the meantime, I fully support this motion and the recommendations in the report and hope that this restores some faith in the community that we take all feedback seriously. Based on that feedback, Council will redraft the foreshore plan and engage again to make sure it's right. The river plan will also be revised and undergo further consultation as we've heard. This is an area loved by residents and the plan should be shaped by residents' views. Amelia Lorentson 02:39:15.420
Given the importance of the economic impact assessment in the Resilient Rivers Initiative, will such an assessment be conducted for our river plan? Frank Wilkie 02:39:27.740
The question was, will there be an economic impact assessment done for the river plan, given its connection... to the Resilient Rivers Program? Kim Rawlings 02:39:40.246
If we're successful in getting resources and funding through that program, and that this gets endorsed, then we will adopt the process that the Catchment Action Planning Framework outlines and undertake each aspect of that process. Yes. Frank Wilkie 02:40:02.852
Okay, so we've had myself and Councillor Wilson speak to the motion. Anyone else wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Wilson. I think... Go ahead, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Finzel. Finzel can go ahead. Councillor Finzel, you've got the floor. Karen Finzel 02:40:16.992
Oh, yes, thank you, Mr Chair. Yeah, I'd like to just take this opportunity to acknowledge everyone's... hard work and contributions to this process. It's been ongoing and it's been very tumultuous, to say the least. But I think, you know, this has brought us to a point through those challenges and conflicts to... a point of moving forward I think to a really collaborative approach and meaningful steps forward where we've identified both risks and opportunities to do better through governance and including bringing along the journey all voices within our community. So I'm really excited about this opportunity today to really bring everyone on the journey and continue to develop and strengthen our relationships with individuals and community groups so that they feel is trust in this council to actually have the agility and the capacity to really listen to what our community is saying and take those steps forward with council staff and executives to build a really robust and resilient community that feels that their voice is heard and acted upon to help solve their needs as they identify their needs where they live, in their homes, in their streets, in their river. I just think it's been very challenging but I think the intersection we find ourselves today at is really hopeful. In parent communities to have their say over decisions that affect their lives and I just want to thank everybody for their participation and their respectful way of working together through these challenging times. So thank you everybody Tom Wegener 02:42:29.213
I'm fully supportive of this report. I'm very pleased that we're going down and reassessing. They have a fantastic amount of consultation and feedback that we have on this. I consider this an enormous success for Noosa Council to enjoy so much feedback from the residents, from the stakeholders. and so forth. So, let's go forward with this. On the other hand, I have to lament the fact that the river is still choking in silt. We have gone nowhere with the overall river plan, which my concern is, my value in the river is a healthy river full of life, full of a benthic layer, full of little crustaceans, full of fish, full of prawns, full of oysters, and we are just slipping further and further away from that goal as we do this. necessary thing to do. but I'm not going to say necessary evil, because it's not. We are just marching forward. But, what is it, we're making haste very, very slowly. Frank Wilkie 02:43:37.858
Another question please. Just apologies for pulling apart the report the way I just need to get a little bit more clarity on another part of the report. Part of the report: Finance. Improving resourcing and internal processes for engagement. It says: This has resulted in some projects not having adequate budgets to execute the appropriate level of staged engagement required. My question is how, moving forward, will we make sure this doesn't happen Kim Rawlings 02:44:13.593
Again? Well, that's for you to say yes to what we asked for in terms of budget allocation. As you know, we're having lots of conversations about, you know, making sure that there's enough time and planning and preparation in terms of the phases of consultation that is required for our community. You know we've traditionally done phases of consultation for our major projects. What we're now seeing is that we need to do three. So that'll start to inform how we budget and plan going forward and you will see that there are, there will be some financial and resource implications because when you add another phase of consultation in, there are, you know, costs associated with that. So, um, yeah, that'll, start to flow through. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 02:45:06.230
Yes, Councillor, this is Acting Senior. Yes, so just in terms of process, those types of issues are addressed through our budget review process. And it might well be, for example, ..that the proposal is then put forward to address with your consideration. So you would then consider and potentially adopt that. OK, thank you. Amelia Lorentson 02:45:29.991
Councillor Lorentson. In terms In terms of external cost consultancies, will the redraft of the foreshore management plan be done in-house or will we be going out to consultants again? And if so, what sort of costs are we looking at? Frank Wilkie 02:45:48.752
So the question was, Councillor Finzel, will the redraft of Noosa or any of these involve going to external consultancies? And if so, could it be done in-house? Or if it is going external, what would be the cost to council? Kim Rawlings 02:46:07.058
Thank you, Mr Chair. Sorry, Councillor Finzel. Through the Chair, we have a project team on the foreshore... the foreshore master plan, which includes external consultants. And we have an arrangement with that. We've got a contract around that. We also have some government funding, grant funding towards this project. So there's a multidisciplinary project team that will see this project through, and that will include the consultants. that we've been currently working with. the The re-scope of the process and the project is still being considered and underway, so I can't provide you with what that means. It is our hope and intention and best efforts that we will keep, contain any costs within the current total. project budget, but if not then there will be a conversation through the normal processes. Frank Wilkie 02:47:14.749
And resources available to the resilient rivers arrangement. Is that intended to be fully funded in this regard? Kim Rawlings 02:47:28.222
Through Councillor Wilkie, we are putting a proposal to the resilient rivers initiative project control group tomorrow about what that resourcing might look like. So potentially a catchment management officer. A part of the time towards assisting us to develop the plan, unclear at this stage what it might mean and whether it's partial or full funding or support for the development of the plan. We'll have to come back with details as that, because that, you know, that was subject to today's discussion too. Anybody else wish to speak to the motion? Karen Finzel 02:48:17.019
I just have a question, is that okay Mr Chair? Of course. Just on the back of the resilient rivers and in response to Councillor Wegener's concerns around silt into the river and different things like that, I'm just wondering if staff is able to give us a bit of further feedback around the opportunities under the resilient rivers to creating, you know, those know, those thriving and sustainable rivers and the part of that in the catchment where funding or support can be done to address those things around silting through the regional strategy. Kim Rawlings 02:48:57.273
I'll answer that through the chair if that's okay. The Resilient Rivers Initiative funding program once we get to that stage and look I'll step back a little bit and say the first part of establishing what our priority framework will be is to have a clear strategy which is the catchment what we've determined or what we've proposed is the catchment action plan. Once we've got that endorsed by council hopefully sometime next year based on this resolution then we'll be able then we'll be able to prioritise potentially project funding through RRI and that's part of the city deal to be able to allocate funding to the different councils. Depending on what the high value priorities are, we've already done a large volume of work to be able to understand where the risks and threats and where our, where we think the priorities should be to be able to address those. A lot A lot of that work will probably carry through to determining the priorities under the Catchment Action Plan, in which case then we'll be able to say okay here's a suite of projects which really closely align to what the objectives of the Resilient and Privileged Funding is. potentially we can have some funding through that. That's the anticipation that the City Deal funding $30 million over five years will be spread around the different catchments based on priority and that's one of the reasons to be able to get a really consistent and consistent uniform catchment action plan so that we can compare apples and apples across the region. Frank Wilkie 02:50:26.121
Now the Councillor will speak to the motion. Councillor Stockwell? Brian Stockwell 02:50:32.581
Councillor mentioned that you can count on one hand the number of demonstrations, protests, and I think... Oh, I can probably get a bit above my hands that I've done. And the river's not been a placid ground for cohesive community views. We've had flotillas of down, talking about the war on wrecks. We've had a number of community forums that Noosa residents and ratepayers in my time called, which had hundreds of people attend, because of lack of action on the river. the river. The current flashpoints are interesting. So embedded within the community response on the Noosa master plan for infrastructure was the fact that we have some of the flashpoints we mentioned today. The flashpoints about how's council going to manage the conflict between cars and people when it comes to the future planning for our green spaces. And it was And it was mentioned that 2017 is where the community gave this council a really big indication where they wanted to go, and that was put people above cars. But since then we've probably had 30 to 50% of the residents living here who weren't there in 2017. But then when we look at the discussion paper for the destination management plan, those sentiments were pretty similar. But what went wrong is we had a whole lot of thinking that had years in its progression and a whole lot of technical assessment we put it out and the community didn't probably have an understanding of why we were making or suggesting some sorts of infrastructure and it is only an infrastructure not a land use plan. So that's one of the flash points. The other one that's embedded actually is residents saying Residents saying no you're designing this for to look like a tourist town so it's the same argument that we started 2020 with about the sense of residents losing their sense of place and it's probably that perception of loss of sense of place which is driving all this great feedback and input. when you apply that for example to car parking it's not about the numbers of car parks it's about the availability of car parks for residents wanting to do what they've always done and that could be achieved like our reputation mentioned it can be achieved by by things like different timing so that it can be done by having priorities within our car parking manager plan that treat visitors different to residents in terms of what's charged when it's available all those sort of things and it can be done in the future be done in the future when accessibility by other forms is much easier it's not saying that just because you need a car park now and we're not trying to say that we're going to take out car parks so that residents residents can't use the park in exactly the same way they've always used it, what we're saying is if we know that the population of South East Queensland is growing, just keeping what's there is not lead to a better experience for our residents. It's going to gradually diminish the experience of our residents. And that's another flashpoint that I found in the Noosaville foreshore master plan, is when I explained to people that, oh, remember we had that coastal hazard adaptation plan, and remember what it predicted about what would happen to the Noosaville foreshore in 20, 30, 40 years' time. So if we'd gone out with this master plan and asked the question, do you think your grand... you think your grandchildren would like a salt marsh along the Noosa foreshore? They'd probably say no. They'd say no, let's try and get prepared for it. What we have to do in this next round is get people to understand what is the forecast because we know that sea level is rising. The closest technical boy in Moreton Bay is telling us sea level is rising and that the prediction is that we're going to have quite frequent... A social media but it was from someone who's over I think he's over 70 lived here all his life and he talked about the boardwalk that used to join up to where the caravan park is so that the kids used to go along the foreshore walk along the boardwalk get to the end where Coast Guard is and swim across to the beach and people saying this boardwalk never fitted there but we're driven by our perception of our experience of our experience and depending on how long you are and you know keep it natural was a big thing and I totally agree but we probably didn't say look we've got treated pines legal walls that we're spending probably hundreds of thousands of dollars to prop up because we're having these increased impacts of weather events etc so there's these all these flashpoints that came together that came together on what was a landscaping infrastructure plan and that's what our consultation has to address. There is another flashpoint that came out really clearly in both the river plan and the foreshore management plan. it's something that a federal minister highlighted in the press recently, well in her presentation, and she talked about the impact of social media and the need to move to democracy 2.0. In the river plain, there was a concerted and coordinated attempt to provide misinformation to the community to guide views. And it was hugely successful. And that's building out of the social media dynamic where you put in the river plain information and it builds a headstand and it becomes reality for people. So it's going to be really interesting that the more we move into this social media space where fake news and incorrect information assumes a life of its own, the more it probably drives us back to the fundamentals of consultation of face-to-face engagement and really building the knowledge of those who are providing the input. So I'll give you another example. We're talking about living foreshorts and this is the example of of why we would have to put off the river plan for the foreshore manager plan. The foreshore manager plan attempted to guide, show how we might adopt a living foreshore approach and that's foreshadowed in the draft Noosa River Plan. Now some people might think that's all very new and future. I remember in the Noosa Biosphere Board environment sector that we put that up as a suggestion from another point to I think the Amalgamated Council probably 14 years ago. So it's something something that the community has previously said, let's look at the foreshore so we can manage the erosion influences by using more natural means other than treated pine logs and boards in the river. So, the final thing, no, second thing. We've talked about groups in consultation. I think one of the great disappointments is that it's been portrayed that the river plan, hence the last council, was anti-fishing and anti-boating. Great misinformation campaign. I could stand here all my life and no one would agree that I was wrong, but they're wrong. So when we consult, we need to consult with groups that have a reputation for honesty and integrity. So if you look, for example, local AusFish group who understand that the connection between habitat and fishing. We need to engage with the young people because the young fishers is who we're doing this plan for. Nothing in river systems have quick results. They're decadal responses. So when we go out, we need need to look at how we consult, how we build the knowledge. Because yes, I still think that some form of conservation is needed. I think we should be talking to recreational fishing is whether they go for net free zones and things like that. These are all things that we can do as part of this next process. But finally, to answer Councillor Wegener's response, we are not deferring our decision to do better management and environmental and catchment management in the Noosa River. Our environment strategy and the motion of December 2023 clearly showed what the priorities are and urged Council staff to take whatever action they could under their existing budgets. So deferring producing the river plan is not deferring action to get a better river. Frank Wilkie 02:58:59.146
Okay, Councillor Stockwell, any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Finzel, I'm just foreshadowing I might not be able to replicate everything that Councillor Lorentson has said. I'll try to keep this short. Amelia Lorentson 02:59:21.200
Thank you. you referenced this great engagement as being a success. I think success for me today is this report, acknowledgement that we've got aspects... infrastructure master plan and the river plan parts of it wrong. That our communication strategies have not been what they should be and that we understand the impact this has had and we recognise the need for further improvement. That you need success and that's what I'm employing today. The report we have presented shows the way forward. It represents our commitment to learning from... our ears and improving our approach and it demonstrates that we're ready to work with the community to ensure that our plan meets the communities needs and expectations. In terms of the foreshore master plan, further consultation and a redraft will be required. In terms of the river plan, the locals have recognised that the... Wesleyan River initiatives and the catchment action planning is having a really good structure and a better approach to consistent management of our catchment, especially given the opportunities for better sources of funding beyond rate payers' money. Wesleyan It's also seen to be fairer and, more importantly, it's seen to be a more equitable model for all the... community, not just some sectors of the community. By scaling back our river catchment management plan in line with the RII, we align our strategy with other catchment plans across South East Queensland and we also ensure that we can leverage the $40 million investment from the SEQ city deal over the next five years. I think overall what's been presented today is what will make us better positioned to ensure that the Noosa River remains a clean, safe and again more accessible natural asset for everyone and not just for some. I'm supportive of this report and I thank the staff for their hard work putting this together. Frank Wilkie 03:01:47.580
Yeah, again, thank you staff. It's been a long journey. I think what this will allow us to do is demonstrate that we are listening, take some time, get it right, raise the bar with bar with community engagement. Taking community engagement to places where we haven't gone before, third place, community consultation is very rare, but I think it's, we all agree it's necessary because we are all committed to ensuring a level of community engagement, and we do it when it's merited, and it is merited. And, of course, these, and this is the foreshore and the river, are just two of things that The love of the foreshore and the river are just two things that we all have in common, and we share a lot of things in common, but the love of the foreshore and the river are two of them, and we do want to make sure that it's never river's never just been for some, it's been for all, and we're doing this work because we want to make sure that the foreshore and the river remains to be accessible to families and to anyone who wants to use the river, who are now a member of the future. So I put the motion to the I believe that's it. We've reached the end of the agenda today. Thank you councillors for your respectful debate. I thought it was excellent, a really good process to deal with some really multifaceted issues. Well done councillors. Related Noosa Council Meetings
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