Services & Organisation Committee Agenda - 9 September 2025
Date: Tuesday, 9 September 2025 at 1:30PM
Location: Noosa Shire Council Chambers , 9 Pelican Street , Tewantin , QLD 4565 , Australia
Organiser: Noosa Shire Council
Duration: 01:12:16
Synopsis: Disaster Resilience: flooding priority, $100m reconstruction, dashboard surge, Botanic Gardens: draft out for engagement, Cultural Plan adopted, Audit/Risk charter and Internal Audit policy adopted.
Meeting Attendees
Committee Members
Karen Finzel Jessica Phillips Nicola Wilson Frank Wilkie Non-Committee Members
Executive Officers
Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Community Services Kerri Contini Director Infrastructure Services Shaun Walsh AI-Generated Meeting Insight
Key Decisions & Discussions Committee : Noted the 2025 Annual Disaster Management Report and formally thanked LDMG members and advisors (Item 7.1) (29:57; minutes 7.1). Committee : Approved release of the draft Noosa Botanic Gardens Master Plan for the next phase of community engagement; final plan to return to Council post-engagement (Item 7.2) (41:08–42:23; minutes 7.2). Committee : Adopted the Noosa Cultural Plan 2025–2030; CEO authorised for minor edits and implementation subject to resourcing (Item 7.3) (43:38–45:20; minutes 7.3). Committee : Adopted revised Audit & Risk Committee Charter and the Internal Audit Policy (Item 7.4) (01:02:40–01:10:58; minutes 7.4). Jessica Phillips : Sought process clarity on whether the Disaster Report should go to LDMG before Council; officers confirmed it is a report for noting and lessons are tabled and tracked at LDMG separately (04:44–08:47; minutes 7.1). Shaun Walsh : Confirmed post–TC Alfred debrief recommendations were already tabled with LDMG; this annual report covers broader year-round resilience activities (08:01–08:47) (Item 7.1). Nicolas Wilson : Outlined 2024–25 initiatives: TC Alfred/Western Qld Trough coordination, completion of 2022 reconstruction program, Guardian IMS flood intelligence upgrades, dashboard camera access, Lake Entrance Blvd flood risk Phase 1 completed with Phase 2 funded, Local Resilience Action Plan iteration 1 completed, Kin Kin subplan consultation (02:10–03:58) (Item 7.1). Ian : Reported measurable uplift in disaster dashboard users from 1,267 (Mar 2024) to 28,594 (Mar 2025) driven by TC Alfred; Noosa Alert subscribers >3,000; ~5,000 preparedness packs distributed annually with QR links to the dashboard (11:28–14:59) (Item 7.1). Shaun Walsh : Identified top hazards: flooding/coastal erosion, then bushfire/heat/smoke impacts on an ageing community; noted recent local seismic activity awareness (15:21–16:26) (Item 7.1). Officers : LDCC staffing: ~69 trained; 12-hour shifts common across councils; ~50% availability during events; Council-to-Council surge support remains an option (17:25–18:28) (Item 7.1). Frank Wilkie : Highlighted >$100m QRA funding for 31 landslips post-2022 floods, including a $40m slip—the largest in the Shire/Sunshine Coast history; commended SES (40k sandbags to 11 sites) and system upgrades during Alfred (18:33–21:26) (Item 7.1). KAREN FINZEL : Queried budget pathways for permanent generators at Pomona depot and evacuation centres; officers said grant/budget bids required (24:00–24:31) (Item 7.1). Shaun Walsh : On Daintree Estate, Council to deliver an annual tailored preparedness info-sheet urging residents to use existing alerts/dashboards and consider forming a subgroup (25:07–26:39) (Item 7.1). Shaun Walsh : Botanic Gardens vision set; ~180,000 annual visits estimated; plan prioritises accessible loops, enhanced collections, entry/drop-off, small community facility, activity zones, signage/education; 25-year non-binding framework (31:14–37:58) (Item 7.2). Officers : Botanic Gardens engagement to run ~1 month (flexible), including pop-ups and stakeholder briefings; community engagement plan to be shared with councillors (41:11–42:23) (Item 7.2). Paul Brinkman : Cultural Plan themes: history/heritage, inclusion/access, champion creatives, activate places/spaces, engage community/visitors; aligned to Council Corporate Plan, Qld Creative Together, and Revive (43:38–45:20) (Item 7.3). Paul Brinkman : Digital/AI capacity-building routed via RADF and quick response grants rather than PDH-led programming; creatives reportedly “ahead of the curve,” seeking external advanced training support (46:46–49:59; 59:39–01:00:34) (Item 7.3). Officers : Film sector support via RADF guidelines and enabling use of Council spaces; resource limits noted; demand from streaming services acknowledged (52:09–54:06) (Item 7.3). Paul Brinkman : Noted successful technology-focused exhibitions/workshops (e.g., Experimenta Emergence, underwater sound works) linking creativity and environment; free access boosts inclusion (56:55–58:39; 01:00:46–01:01:51) (Item 7.3). John C Wolfe : Audit & Risk Charter updates: independent member terms 2×3 years (total 6), quorum clarified (2 of 4), expanded oversight to culture, performance, cyber/security, significant projects/outsourcing, and BCP; strengthened confidentiality/COI/internal controls (01:02:40–01:06:42) (Item 7.4). Officers : Internal Audit Policy clarifies methodology, standardised reporting, management action responsibilities, performance evaluation and client satisfaction feedback loops (01:02:40–01:06:42) (Item 7.4). Contentious / Transparency Matters Jessica Phillips : Questioned sequencing of Disaster Report to LDMG; officers affirmed compliance with current practice—report for noting, with lessons tracked at LDMG meetings (04:44–08:47) (Item 7.1). Jessica Phillips : Queried Botanic Gardens reference group role pre-consultation; officers said ToR provide no approval rights, group used as sounding board; draft reflects prior input plus Kabi Kabi walkover and key stakeholder submissions (39:06–41:08) (Item 7.2). Officers : Cultural Plan acknowledges pending Kabi Kabi stanza; CEO authorised to include upon receipt, maintaining cultural protocol integrity (50:07–51:22; minutes 7.3). Officers : A month-long Botanic Gardens engagement window will flex to ensure meaningful stakeholder inclusion, with presentations to groups and event-based pop-ups (41:11–42:23) (Item 7.2). Committee : Noted need for budget or grants for critical generators at Pomona/evac centres—transparency on funding pathway (24:17–24:31) (Item 7.1). Frank Wilkie : Emphasised community comms effectiveness evidenced by proactive sandbag uptake; underscores transparent risk messaging (28:58–29:57) (Item 7.1). Legal / Risk Nicolas Wilson : Confirmed council obligations under the Disaster Management Act with reporting to LDMG/DDMG/IGEM on activities and plan reviews (02:10–07:13) (Item 7.1). Shaun Walsh : Risk prioritisation aligns with climate risk work (Dec report referenced) focusing on flood/coastal hazards and bushfire/heat/smoke; ageing cohorts heighten health risk (15:21–16:26) (Item 7.1). Officers : LDCC surge capacity constraints noted; reliance on 12-hr shifts and Council-to-Council mutual aid indicates an accepted operational risk posture (17:25–18:28) (Item 7.1). John C Wolfe : Charter now explicitly covers cyber/information security, significant projects/outsourcing, and BCP—consistent with QAO advice and contemporary public sector risk domains (01:02:40–01:06:42) (Item 7.4). Officers : Internal audit process tightened to ensure implementation accountability; non-implementation would defeat audit purpose—management responsibilities clarified (01:06:42–01:09:24) (Item 7.4). CEO Larry Sengstock : Annual review ensures currency with regulatory expectations; existing risk profile and committee performance regarded as strong, with continuous improvement (01:10:05–01:10:58) (Item 7.4). Environmental Concerns and Resilience Shaun Walsh : Botanic Gardens positioned for biodiversity conservation, education, urban cooling, pollinator support, citizen science, and climate studies—elevating its role in environmental resilience (31:14–33:10) (Item 7.2). Officers : Disaster dashboard upgrades (cameras, usability) and Guardian IMS flood intelligence enhancements improve situational awareness and public safety (02:10–03:58) (Item 7.1). Paul Brinkman : Cultural programming integrated with environmental themes (e.g., underwater soundscapes of Noosa River), expanding eco-literacy via arts (56:55–58:39) (Item 7.3). Shaun Walsh : Tailored preparedness for fringe/forested estates (e.g., Daintree) addresses compounded drainage/fire risks absent formal community nodes (25:07–26:39) (Item 7.1). Frank Wilkie : Reconstruction program scale (31 landslips, $100m+) evidences climate-related infrastructure risk and effective external funding leverage with QRA (18:33–21:26) (Item 7.1).
Official Meeting Minutes
MINUTES Services & Organisation Committee Meeting Tuesday, 9 September 2025 1:30 PM Council Chambers, 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin Committee: Crs Karen Finzel (Chair), Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Frank Wilkie, Cr Nicola Wilson “Noosa Shire – different by nature” SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 SEPTEMBER 2025 1 DECLARATION OF OPENING The meeting was declared open at 1.30 PM. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Noosa Council respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of the Noosa area, the Kabi Kabi people, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. 3 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Karen Finzel (Chair) Cr Jessica Phillips Cr Nicola Wilson Cr Frank Wilkie NON COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Amelia Lorentson EXECUTIVE Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Community Services Kerri Contini Director Infrastructure Services Shaun Walsh APOLOGIES Nil. 4 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES 4.1 SERVICE & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES DATED 12 AUGUST 2025 Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Jessica Phillips The Minutes of the Service and Organisation Committee Meeting held on 12 August 2025 be received and confirmed. Carried. Cr Karen Finzel, Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Nicola Wilson, Cr Frank For: Wilkie Against: None SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 SEPTEMBER 2025 5. PRESENTATIONS Nil. 6. DEPUTATIONS Nil. 7 REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE 7.1 2025 ANNUAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT REPORT Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Jessica Phillips Seconded: Cr Karen Finzel That Council A. Note the report by the Disaster Management Officer to the Services & Organisation Committee dated 9 September 2025 providing an update on disaster management, resilience and reconstruction activities to 30 June 2025; and B. Thank the members and advisors to the Noosa Local Disaster Management Group for their participation. Carried. Cr Karen Finzel, Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Nicola Wilson, Cr Frank For: Wilkie Against: None 7.2 NOOSA BOTANIC GARDENS MASTER PLAN Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Karen Finzel Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie That Council A. Note the report by the Parks and Streetscapes Coordinator to the Services & Organisation Committee dated 9 September 2025 regarding the draft Masterplan for the Noosa Botanic Gardens. B. Approve the draft to: 1. be released for the next phase of community engagement; and 2. note that a final summary of engagement and master plan will be presented for Council consideration. Carried. Cr Karen Finzel, Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Nicola Wilson, Cr Frank For: Wilkie Against: None SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 SEPTEMBER 2025 7.3 NOOSA CULTURAL PLAN 2025-2030 ADOPTION Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Karen Finzel Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie That Council note the report by the Arts & Cultural Manager to the Services & Organisation Committee dated 9 September 2025 regarding the Noosa Council Cultural Plan 2025-2030 and: A. Adopt the final Noosa Cultural Plan 2025-30 provided as Attachment 1; B. Authorise the CEO to make any necessary minor changes to the Cultural Plan, if required; and C. Authorise the CEO to implement the Cultural Plan subject to available resourcing. Carried. Cr Karen Finzel, Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Nicola Wilson, Cr Frank For: Wilkie Against: None 7.4 REVIEW OF THE AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE CHARTER & REVIEW OF THE INTERNAL AUDIT POLICY Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Nicola Wilson That Council A. Note the report by the Executive Officer to the Services & Organisation Committee meeting dated 9 September 2025 regarding the Audit and Risk Committee Charter and Internal Audit Policy; B. Adopt the 1. Audit and Risk Committee Charter provided as Attachment 1; and 2. Internal Audit Policy provided as Attachment 2. Carried. Cr Karen Finzel, Cr Jessica Phillips, Cr Nicola Wilson, Cr Frank For: Wilkie Against: None 8 REPORTS FOR NOTING BY THE COMMITTEE Nil. 9 CONFIDENTIAL SESSION Nil. SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 SEPTEMBER 2025 10 MEETING CLOSURE The meeting closed at 2:42 PM
Meeting Transcript
Karen Finzel 00:00.000
And welcome to the Noosa Shire Council Service and Organisation Committee meeting, Tuesday the 9th of September 2025, commencing at 1:30pm. I'd like to note all councillors are in attendance. We've got Councillor Mayor Frank Wilkie, Councillor Jessica Phillips, Councillor Nicola Wilson, Councillor Nicola Wilson, welcome. Welcome to the CEO. And I'd like to acknowledge that Councillor Lorentson is in the gallery. Good afternoon and welcome. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and welcome to all the staff in the room today. Firstly, we will welcome the acknowledgement of country. Noosa Council proudly acknowledges and respects Australian's First Nation people and their deep and abiding connection to this country. We recognise the Kabi Kabi people as the traditional owners of the lands and waters of the Noosa area and offer Noosa area and offer gratitude for their careful custodianship of this unique environment over thousands of years. We have no apologies, everyone's in attendance. Can we have a mover for the confirmation of the minutes from our previous meeting? I will in favour. That's unanimous and that was moved by the Mayor and Councillor. There are no deputations, no presentations. We come to item 7, reports for consideration of the committee. We're starting with item agenda 7.1, 2025. Annual disaster management report. We welcome Sue Lowry, Ian and Shaun to the table. Thank you. Welcome. Looking forward to hearing all the wonderful things that's been going on in this area. I read the report and very impressed. Thank you. Sue Lowry 02:10.520
Thank you, everybody. Okay, so this report provides an overview of the work and initiatives that have been done in the disaster management space over the last 12 months. The report has been prepared with other agencies and sections of council, including our fire management team, the climate change adaptation team, and the SES. The report also will be tabled at the forthcoming local disaster management group meeting and sent to the district disaster management group for their information. Just a little bit of background, the reason for it. Under the Disaster Management Act, council is responsible for multiple functions across the pillars of disaster management and this report talks to some of those, just not to recovery. So, the key initiatives for the last year include the effective coordination of the TC Alfred response and the rainfall event two weeks after that, known as the Western Queensland Trough. Finalisation of the comprehensive 2022 Disaster Reconstruction Program. The implementation of enhanced flood intelligence functionality within Guardian IMS to improve situational awareness and support more informed decisions during response phases. Technical improvements to the disaster dashboard to streamline community access to flood camera imagery. Improving usability and public engagement during emergencies. Phase 1 of the flood risk investigations has been completed into the most flood affected neighbourhood in Noosa, Lake Entrance Boulevard and funding has been obtained for Phase 2. Completion of the first iteration of the Local Resilience Action Plan with Phase 2 of that or second iteration to come very shortly and that's been shared with QRA and it outlines priority actions for Council to improve resilience across the region and consultation with the Kin Kin Community Group to support a rollout of the community plan. A key priority for the program moving forward is a strong emphasis on continuing to improve foundational elements for the function effective operation of systems. and the regular review of documentation. The disaster resilience program will continue to focus on disaster preparedness but will also undertake a reflections exercise from the extended disaster reconstruction program. Karen Finzel 04:41.405
Thank you, are there any questions. Thank you, thanks, I've got a few, sorry I did send some through, but just more for anyone watching and to clarify. My first question is is it normal process for the report to come to the committee before it would come to LDMG? Amelia Lorentson 05:01.452
Yes, normally we don't actually give it to LDMG, normally it's been just in the past it's just been presented to council. Jessica Phillips 05:07.672
Okay, and so when it comes to Okay, and so when it comes to LDMG then there won't be any discussion for it to have recommendations for change? Is that how that would work if it's already come to us? Amelia Lorentson 05:19.199
That's correct because it's just a really a report for It's really a report for noting and the key part of the report I suppose is the actions identified from the last event which all of the agencies were involved with so I don't imagine there'll be any changes to that. Jessica Phillips 05:38.077
Next question then. Does the, it ties into this, does the district DDMG, they'll do a report on reflections or? Amelia Lorentson 05:48.023
They have, yes, they've already done their lessons identified. They did as, do you remember what date that was? Ian 05:54.163
Um, I'm going to say May? Sue Lowry 05:57.423
Yeah, end of May, end of June. May, beginning of June? June, yeah. Shaun Walsh 06:00.750
So, but your understanding, Sue, you've never seen evidence of them preparing a district annual disaster management report? Yeah, I understand it. Amelia Lorentson 06:08.770
I've never seen a copy of it, no. Shaun Walsh 06:10.370
No, so, and it's something we can seek clarification from our new EMC, so from the State. As we understand, there might be some changing obligations in that regard, that there is an expectation that the district does prepare an annual disaster management report. As well as that, I am aware that because we all prepared the same report, we're all required to prepare a report to the Inspector General Emergency Management on the activities of the... both the activities for the season and their standard annual report on how we reviewed our plans, and we all collaborated in preparing those together. That's the District, Sunshine Coast Council and Noosa Council. Jessica Phillips 06:54.621
Okay. Just for clarity on that, because they're not... I'm hoping that there'll be, I would assume, there'll be synergies between the LDMG and the DDMG's report, if that's the hierarchical process, and then it'll come back down as recommendations? Would that... if that... it goes to State and then comes back to the District with... No, it's purely just a report on activities. So all we're doing is reporting to the State saying that we have met obligations. If they've got any concerns, yes, they would come back and ask questions, but they don't usually provide recommendations, no. The flood mapping in the report, the identification in the... our systems, that was something that I thought... because that came from DDMG in the cyclone Alfred, this is why I kind of thought it would go to LDMG or for them to at least look at what's proposed in the report, because that was something that was raised in Alfred. Shaun Walsh 08:01.668
So probably distinguish between the processes, so we certainly have... So we certainly have worked with the local disaster management group members on a debrief process from tropical cyclone Alfred and also Western Stormfront and that lead to a series of workshops where we discuss those recommendations and then we've actually tabled those with LDMG already. So yeah so they've already been tabled those recommendations so and accepted as being a good report. Whereas this report is really a report on all our activities in relation to disaster management resilience across the whole year. So it's got a broader remit. So I just wanted to clarify that, so is that correct too? Yes, exactly. Amelia Lorentson 08:40.515
And the lessons identified will be... reported to at each LDMG meeting, how we're progressing. Shaun Walsh 08:47.066
So we did a lot of work when we both inherited these roles. We ended up with a whole list of actions left over from the 22 event that hadn't been actioned. And Sue and I did a diligently went through them all and actioned them and started reporting them through the LDMG group. So we are proposing that that same process will exist for these 2025 actions, that we will report every meeting on our improvement towards all of those actions. Jessica Phillips 09:12.584
Wonderful. Jumping over just resilience, so this will probably be for you in a couple of questions. Where do we see with the regional level deep resilience, what you do? Does that feed in? Ian 09:31.451
So Sunshine Coast Council and the district don't have a resilience position, they have different parts of contractors that come in and do bits and pieces. In the case of programs and things, they'll generally send them out and then have modules that are sent back. So there's no one actively in that space. So the question, which is absolutely warranted is, feeding into the district relationship generally is, if it's okay to say, led almost by Noosa in a lot of ways. Having said that, the XO and the EMC drive a lot of that with me. If we're in the case, and through Shaun, if we were into crystal balling, I suppose it's going to be a case there of there's definitely room and... There's definitely room and ambition for that to try and have a bigger presence through the district in time. But there's no one... In the meantime, what we do is we just have events. So we have our event that's coming up on the 11th of October. They have theirs on the 19th. And by committee, we all sort of help make that happen. Shaun Walsh 10:32.218
Probably from a historical perspective, the original resilience offices provided to local government were actually originally funded by the Queensland Government. And Noosa, we understand, is the only local government that's actually elected to actually establish a full-time establishment position. And many of our other compatriots across the region don't know no longer have resilience officers. So we think we're really fortunate to have this position to really lead the charge and that's why we find a lot of interest in Ian's work from the region and the district about what traction we're getting. Thank you. Jessica Phillips 11:06.705
Well that close on to, can you tell me Ian, just around the subgroups and the events that you hold, can you give me maybe just some measurable outcomes for the community to see what, I know how much you do with schools and there's no question about that, but how do you look at that from a measurable point of view? Ian 11:28.465
Yeah, so the great question Yeah, so the great question in that, and it's already been highlighted by Sue in the relations that we have with our disaster subgroups, so probably going back to the initial reconnection with with Pomona. So Pomona was set up as a disaster subgroup in September of 23 and then we worked very closely with them to create ultimately and I suppose as far as how subgroups work which is ideally where I come in work with some community champions and that includes obviously in the case that might be school principal, IGA for supply chain, the chemist, the medical centre. the newsagent, those sort of things as and the emergency services clipped around the edges. The thing that's sort of been found historically is the problem as we know with Pre-Gin fires of 2019 was that calls were made and then trying to get a truth from the ground was really challenging. So the idea of the subgroups is they're feeding to us directly what's going on in town. The idea is we set it up. So that's correct. We've got them sort of the whole templates. The whole templates, contact lists, create the relationship and then immediately almost step back to then become I suppose in truth what happens is if there is going to be a disaster there might not necessarily be someone there for them. then be just that core group of five six people for three hours three days whatever it ends up being so the question coming back to how do we measure it we certainly measured by Pomona for the fact they've been going for two years they now have a really robust it might Um, right back. robust and ongoing quarterly meetings they drive a lot of that agenda with the emergency services we always meet in the emergency services space and then in turn they are then able to drive what we need them to do which is to drive more interest from the community into disaster board Noosa alert sign up and then probably more importantly being able to measure some of that so statistically we've got a few figures here that we thought might be helpful in relation to some of that the community awareness community awareness around the disaster dashboard and driving traffic to the site so this is users only not necessarily subscribers so people have been into that case so do you have an idea 1267 users in March of 24 and then the actual use is twenty eight thousand five hundred and ninety four one year later of March of this year now we we are aware that of course that meant we were full-on TC Alfred at the time so there's a lot of interest and drive towards that so we're currently in our subscribers for the Noosa dashboard- was we're looking at them as full-time subscribers through over three thousand so we're trying to drive continually drive that through all their messaging so how we measure it is use Generally going to be through subscribers and the other thing that drives it are the packs themselves these packs now contain from all emergency services bar police and that's getting done at the moment is becoming basically the nesting point for all information for community and that's coordinated out of out of council which is kind of where we want it to be and the demand on these is we're distributing about 5,000 of these a year give or take and we'll certainly we're going to see that grow incrementally but the beauty of it is all of these items QR code back to the disaster dashboard so apart from measurement it's around the idea of how parents of schools or aged care facility managers or community group leaders will then make now make I'm not hunting for for manages engagement they're actually calling us to say can you come and speak at lines clubs right schools whatever it ends It up being is does, that answer yeah really. I've only got two more questions. This might be for you Shaun. Of all hazards that council face which would you say is our priority risk to Noosa in the next year? Shaun Walsh 15:21.023
I just note that the strategy environment team provided a comprehensive report to council in December on the climate risks and I'll reference that in terms of having a broad term outcome in but we terms of sort of agree that the high focus it's flooding and coastal erosion is the most likely and that's been well experienced in the past as well as accelerating climate change but we note that a fire and any associated heat waves and smoke noting hazards our ageing community is most likely the highest community risk due to non-conditioning of our local community so we've got a good practice you know flooding and you know storms because we don't have a good practice of to fires and heat stress it can be related and also smoke hazards and and that's also compounded by extent of housing in vegetative areas so they're the ones that concern us the most and I think Sue the recent earthquake we had was almost like an unrealised one and the fact that you know you think that this part of the world isn't subject to earthquakes or tsunamis there's just a really interesting particularly when a couple of weeks later there was an earthquake of a similar size in Afghanistan that had a very devastating impact on them because it was in a mountainous region final question just when we've spoken in other aspects of reports through council about some staff from turnover how that do we address that level of the staff that are trained yep so I don't actually keep figures of unfortunately I'm sorry of when people actually leave so I can't give you the actual exact figures but I had a look at the list of people I currently still have on who are trained and I'd say that it I'm probably got about seventy five to eighty percent retention which which fits fits in in kind kind of of with with councils our loss of staff but also equates where we do lose some people in the LDCC not because they're leaving council but because their family situation changes and they just can no longer commit to being involved in the LDCC so I'd say it's around seventy five to eighty percent. Council And I think you noted also that there's currently sixty nine staff on the LDCC staff list who are trained. And ideally we would run three by eight hour shifts and we need eleven staff to run a shift but we don't know of any council that can achieve that. during life as a hostage, you know, so it's exciting. Amelia Lorentson 17:45.759
Sorry, all the councils that I've spoken to at recent conferences everybody is still only managing the 12 hour shifts. Shaun Walsh 17:53.679
And noting that generally 50% of people on this can't attend any given time for multiple reasons as well. Or they could be trapped by funding themselves. I'm not going to leave. Amelia Lorentson 18:03.702
Should the need arise there are also the council to council arrangements which were heavily used by northern councils and the western councils during this season where they were overwhelmed and needed assistance they used council to council arrangements to have staff from south east Queensland councils go and assist them in the area of these CCs. So if the need arose we always have that option available to us as well. Jessica Phillips 18:28.601
Thank you. Karen Finzel 18:30.881
You're welcome. Any further questions? Frank Wilkie 18:33.561
Thank you Madam Chair. It's just been raised but it's worth noting that in recent times the LDMG and the LDCC team have had to contend with fire, flood, storm, a global pandemic and an earthquake which is very sobering and we've come through it. The other thing that just jumps out at me in this report is the other work that's going on in the background since the 2022 flood event successfully attracted over 100 million dollars in QRA funding to repair, oversee the repair of 31 landslips including the biggest in the Shire and Sunshine Coast history. It's a 40 million dollar job alone. The loss damaged 100 roads or more. We were very lucky with TC Truck and Cyclone Alfred in that it didn't hit but it gave us the opportunity to have a really good rehearsal so we got the opportunity to see how the centre worked at the depot. It gave us an opportunity to see where the pressure points were and I think through your position we realised there was a lot of pressure on you and you've got, since the review you've got a backup person now. Yes, working on that, yes. And Shaun, it was noted how you noticed some shortcomings in our flood, interactive flood mapping system and you were able to quickly adapt the system to provide that information. That's correct. Also, I'm really glad the SES was noted in this report because it became apparent during that operation, how important they are to being the interface of the community and providing what the community needs immediately. Over 40,000 sandbags. They provided sandbags for 11 different locations across the Shire. Hundreds of call outs and since the change in the disaster management arrangements at the State level, they are going to be... They are going to be relying on more and more. So I'm really glad they're getting the accolades they deserve and the recognition they deserve through this report. And also Ian, thank you for the work you do. You're out there all the time, interfacing with the community, providing them with the information they need to prepare for fire season, fire and storm season. So thank you very much. Thank you. It's been a, thank you for your support. It's my first time as chair of the LDMG and I've appreciated seeing how professional the attendees are and their contributions and it's, the LDMG has been well, Noosa LDMG has been well regarded long before I arrived here. and it's it's good to see that continuing and I'm glad to have an experienced deputy chair and Councillor Jessica Phillips on hand as well with her experience in the police. It's been great. So thank you for the report. Karen Finzel 21:36.160
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Is there a question? No. Frank Wilkie 21:40.300
You're just speaking to the notable points. Thank you Madam Chair. Karen Finzel 21:44.880
Thank you, Councillor. Oh, okay, I'm sorry. No, thank you. Frank Wilkie 21:47.712
I'm happy to move it, Madam Chair. Karen Finzel 21:49.592
Oh, I just have a few questions. Oh, yes, of course. Thank you. Firstly, yeah, thank you. It was a really comprehensive and good report to read and I'd like to extend my thanks and gratitude for the great work you do on behalf of the community. It's really to be commended. And it was great reading the report to see all the work that you've undertaken, especially engagement with reaching out to schools, the aged care sector. and nursing homes, coming up with the local resilience action plan. I mean, I don't have to tell you guys what you're doing. You're doing a great job. I'm just highlighting, you know, the benefits back to community on the ground where we are. Particularly to me is, you know, in Pomona and the sandbags. I mean, that's been a long iteration for Pomona and Cooran and it's great to see that, you know, that's mentioned in the report and those steps have been taken towards that. So just So just on the ground, the great work that you're doing, we've got the, you know, the toilet block now, the infrastructure in there, which has been, you know, in the pipeline for so long. So it's just wonderful to see the work that you're coordinating and bring. in the community along the journey and that dashboard, it's great. Now, whenever something comes, get on Facebook, I direct people to the, to the dashboard and I always get great thanks from the community to, you know, lead people to that, to get that information. And especially that collaboration and you're bringing everybody on board and, you know, you're really leaders in the space and I just really commend everyone for what you're doing there. I just have a question around, it was mentioned in the attachment that there's talk about a hazard and risk task force. What, what's that about? It was in the attachment. Is that something you're looking to, like, build? Yeah, what was that? There was some mention around the university. Amelia Lorentson 23:37.917
Yes, that would have been one of the technical. We did have the university provide us with assistance because we don't have an on-staff hydrology team. The university provided us with some assistance, particularly with the storm tide mapping. mapping. And there are some recommendations in there that just need some further clarification with Cheyenne and the university. Karen Finzel 24:00.085
That's great. Thank you. That's why I asked. I'm not quite sure. That's great. Also there was another question in that list as well. Pomona Depot, the need for a permanently based generator. Where are we at with that? Is it around, is that budget or? Amelia Lorentson 24:16.720
No that will, that one along with the that one along with the permanently based generators for the evacuation centres will require budget so we'll be looking for grant applications or putting up a project initiation for in future budget for consideration of future budgets. Karen Finzel 24:30.656
Fantastic, thank you. What else? I don't have any other questions. Councillor Lorentson. Amelia Lorentson 24:36.596
Hi, just a question in regards to Daintree Estate. and I'm grateful there's a new initiative, a tailored community disaster preparedness information document. I've noted the Can you relay how that's going to improve personal emergency planning and preparedness for the community? Does that mean there's going to be new work systems? Can you just give me some information? Shaun Walsh 25:07.063
So probably I'll lead the charge on this. It's probably young, obviously. Ideally a community like that which is surrounded by forest and also constrained by significant drainage issues would have a community subgroup with the relevant community leaders appointed so they can actually organise themselves. The nature of that community because there is no town hall or no sort of shopping centre or anything like that means it's quite hard to actually establish a traditional subgroup like Pomona. or Kin Kin which have got more you know relevant structured sort of society. So we started a new initiative that once a year will actually drop off almost like an abridged community sub-plan in the form of information sheet. That information sheet articulates what the risks are in terms of drainage and flooding and also fire. It gives them all the tools to actually better prepare themselves for those seasons so they actually can self-initiate where to get the relevant alerts on our disaster dashboards and also to sign up for alerts. They can sign up for alerts now. They don't need a tailored alert system. They just need to tap into our existing alert system and get their awareness and their discussion because we know the first thing about resilience is actually talking about it and actually communicating with your neighbours about your circumstances. And also having backup plans, you know, how to collect the kids from school and stuff like that. So that's the best thing we can do at this point. We that there might be some further discussion with the community once we release that information sheet and they may wish to coordinate themselves to form this community subgroup and we'll be able to there to support them through that process. we suspect Is that a good summary? Is that a good summary Sue and Ian? Yes. Karen Finzel 26:41.800
Thank you very much. Sounds good, thank you. Jessica Phillips 26:44.860
I'm happy to move the report and then I've got something to speak. I'd like to speak on it if there's no more questions. Karen Finzel 26:50.340
Thank you, I'm happy to second. Would you like to speak to that Councillor? I would like to, yes. Of course. Jessica Phillips 26:57.732
First of all, after 15 years in the police I have absolute confidence in the room where we stand up for LDMG and that's a reflection on the... the group. I think community should really feel confident if even when we face disaster that that room is completely surrounded by experts in the room and it's great that the relationships through even that the relationships through even the Cyclone Alfred was a good way to sort of come back together and see how we are working. I really appreciated the review, Shaun, that you did with the group. I think that was a really great highlight of being able to reflect on lessons learnt and it's also, from a leadership point of view, I really respected when we can say things weren't done well and divert and and look at the next time and how to improve. So I appreciate that. After going to the Australian National New Zealand Disaster Management Conference with Ian. That was an incredible experience. I want to thank Council for letting me go to that and highlight your position in what you do in community because from a national point of view, the thing that I bought from those days was it's going to be a community that are resilient through disaster. We can have a great LDMG and all of that expert and that confidence in that room, but it'll be the community that gets through a disaster and so in absolute sincerity in what you're doing in community and bringing them on the journey is how we'll be safe through anything that we face in the future. So please continue doing what you're doing. Thank you. Paul Brinkman 28:47.734
Thank you. It's respected. Thank you. Shaun Walsh 28:51.154
Thank you very much. Karen Finzel 28:53.174
I'm happy to take it to the vote or you would like to write a reply. Thank you. Frank Wilkie 28:58.654
Just I don't know if I can say much more except this is the whole purpose of this process is to keep the community safe and a well informed community is a safe community. One thing we haven't mentioned before is the communications with the community. The amount of people that turned up and were engaging and were getting their sandbags early showed that there was a high level of awareness in the community about the impending weather threat. So that's testament to our comms team, the work you're doing in the community, Ian, and the LDMG, and Shaun, and Sue, of course. So, again. Can't thank you enough. And I also respect the commitment to continuous improvement that was evidenced through the review. And some of the suggestions are documented here, and a lot of them are already in place. So keep up the great work. Thank you. It's an honour to be part of it. Karen Finzel 29:57.444
Thank you. I'd just like to add to that too. We always talk about engendering trust in our community, and often that is sits at an all time low. But I must say your team and when you step up to these disasters, and also for people that address the reconstruction post the disasters, I think our community is in really good hands because you all do a great job. So thank you for that. And it's that one step closer to building that trust and those relationships that, you know, when the rubber hits the road, we all step up and work together for the collective good. So thank you for that. Thank you. You're welcome. And thank you for your report today. So we'll take it to the vote. All in favour? Thank you. That's unanimous. Thank you very much. Well done. Thank you. Well done. So with that, we are... Oh, you may leave the table. Thank you. You're welcome. I know Shaun has to stay. So we're moving on now to item 7.2, the Noosa Botanic Gardens Master Plan. We welcome Shaun here. Thank you. And Geordie. Kerri Contini 31:10.140
Thank you. Karen Finzel 31:12.006
So who's giving the overview? I just wanted to do a bit of a prelude to then handing over to Geordie because I was thinking about this the last couple of days. So we're a member of the Australian New Zealand Botanic Gardens Association and I sort of tapped into their views about their views about what makes, why Botanic Gardens important and they've got a great list of environmental benefits like conservation of biodiversity, seed banks and research, urban cooling and air quality, pollinator support, but then educational benefits of Botanic Gardens, public education, school and university... partnerships, citizen science, where visitors can participate in plant monitoring and conservation efforts. Very significantly, health and well-being, you know, the mental health of green spaces, reducing stress, anxiety and depression, physical activity, encouraging exercise and then therapeutic horticulture for rehabilitation therapy. Then there's the culture and recreational values such as art and culture, tourism and community engagement, particularly volunteer opportunities, fostering community spirit You know, plant science and taxonomy and then climate change studies and I thought that's a really good context because what we're at a phase with the Noosa Botanic Gardens is really realising its benefits or its opportunities on behalf of the community because when we started this process we actually didn't even know how many people visited the gardens. and then scientific research. Shaun Walsh 32:26.635
So we, you know, this is, it's a community, it was originally a community land enterprise. So we put out traffic monitors just for cars. We did it in May. November last year and assuming, you know, 1.5 passengers per vehicle, that equates to a visitation of 180,000 people per year to the Denny Gardens in its current format, which is significant when you compare it to our suite of other recreation and cultural facilities. So I see that that's the context that we're really thinking, well, this is such a valuable facility on behalf of our residents in our community. of this master plan, which is, well, how do we cultivate that even more? And that's really set the tone. So, and actually answer their desires and their aspirations with this space. So I'll hand over to Julian. Thank you, Shaun. Julian 33:10.984
So I used to go past this site as a school child, riding from Cooroy through to go and slide on the spillway at Lake Macdonald there on some hessian sacks. It was only five years ago. Overgrown dumping ground at the time and in that short space of my short life we've seen it develop so much and that's a testament to the to the volunteers and council to develop it to this stage and as Shaun said it is highly valued in our community for a whole range of reasons but the question is how do we continue to improve how do we continue to maintain How do we continue to maintain the gardens going forward if we don't know what people want and we don't have a plan so I'm very excited and very proud to have developed and present to council a draft plan. Consideration endorsement for the next round of public consultation. We have listened to the community. We've done a lot of listening throughout the last year. We have had pop-up and we have had pop-ups in the park, we've had online surveys, we've had stakeholder reference groups internal, we've had external stakeholder groups and we've had a lot of one-on-one sessions as well with interested parties. With community groups, with friends of groups and the like and along the way we've developed various versions of the draft and we've finally come up with a plan which we've put to the various stakeholders. We've put to the various stakeholder groups and we're now in a position that we can present to council. So as a result of all of that we've found out essentially what people love about the gardens currently and what sort of things that we should improve on. So a few of the major features of the draft plan. First of all I should say that we created a vision for the plan which was a new vision and it built on the vision that was previously put to council in 2017 but the new vision is to cultivate a vibrant botanic garden that reflects community values working with nature now and for the future. Which We think that sets the tone very well for the master plan and under that we have some objectives and some of those developments proposed. so the plan is a 25-year plan it's not a promise that we're going to deliver everything within the next term of council or within a set period of time it's just saying as we develop the gardens in time these are the types of things we can proposed types of things we can do and it's not detailed so if we need to move a pathway if we need to change things around slightly we can do that if we need to change the planning slightly later on we can do that it's really just setting a plan for the future so as council gets capital money operational money can tap into funding we've got things that we can do within the gardens and develop the gardens according to a plan which is a good thing so the major features of the plan first one was preservation enhancement of our botanic collection which is very important it is a botanic garden improved visitor entry experience which includes a drop-off area we had some feedback around that there was multiple entrances to the gardens and we didn't have that feel of the entrance and it also includes a community facility there was quite a lot of feedback around wanting some sort of commercial offerings commercial offerings like teas, coffees but also places that people can go for meetings and also get information so there is a small community meeting facility within the plan at that entrance feature area and we have area we have primary accessible grade pathways around the Botanic Gardens so it's the main loops around the gardens so people with people with accessibility issues can can go around those loops we have activity zones including a playground in the Botanic Gardens as well at the moment it's separated from the Botanic Gardens to the north end and we're have cultural heritage considerations as well so as you read through the draft master plan you'll see this like there's a whole range of whole range of developments and improvements that are planned around all those things and including legibility and signage and other things education within the plan so the plans presented for council's consideration the next stage council's consideration the next stage if you endorse this for public for further public consultation we would do some more pop-ups in the park we'll put some posters out we'll put it in the paper we'll put online surveys we'll put it back to the stakeholder reference groups internal and the external stakeholder groups and then do some more consultation with each of those individual groups as well we would then come back to council revise the plan come back to council again for with a summary of that engagement submissions received Karen Finzel 38:14.735
Thank you what a great overview it's a very exciting day it is it really is it's been great as the chair of the stakeholder group it's been a wonderful experience to come along that journey and it's been a really good reflection I think of the voices in the community and coming together around the table and everyone engaging. in that and see the all the different iterations and the the ups and downs and especially with the friends of the gardens to ensure like their highest goal that they wanted to see was the protection of of their their collection collection and I don't think we've managed to keep that at the central focus of what we want to achieve at the garden so that's great so I'm happy to move the the recommendation thank you I I think think everything's everything's been been said would anyone like any questions before I speak to it one quick question just to understand the process I around it didn't come to that stakeholder records it group goes before out is that our normal process that a draft would go to consultation before it comes back to the reference group for the not endorsement but just for they've kind of kind of come on that I journey just want to understand that a little bit more. Shaun Walsh 39:33.310
So every Stakeholder Housing Reference Group has a different terms of reference so the terms of reference that this group says that they don't have approval rights so they're used throughout the process as a sounding board sounding board to actually form the views this draft is very much consistent with what was presented to the last Stakeholder Housing Reference Group but after that Stakeholder Housing Reference Group we had some specific submissions from some key stakeholders that raised a couple of points and we set that raised a couple of points and we sat down with them, Julie did, and worked through those key points so and we also engaged with Kabi Kabi in terms of a walk over country to get their viewpoints so I'm confident that this plan largely reflects the views of the Stakeholder Housing Reference Group and the views the changes were sort of forecast in the submission from the key stakeholders anyway so the stakeholders also really clear that you know this is a draft and in my email to them I've said that next stage is really you know using through your networks and your members to see whether we've got the draft right so I think my own view is I think if we put on the notion of it that they had some sort of approval entity over there the plan it makes it less makes it more difficult for them to engage meaning for this next phase does that make sense so we've deliberately taken control of the process as council officers engaging across everywhere and we've got some fantastic feedback and contributions to take on the reference group but ultimately we're putting this forward for council's endorsement as a draft and welcome their robust views and submissions they're not tied to what they said does that make sense yeah you're welcome any further questions? Karen Finzel 41:11.173
Sorry if I missed it in the report, what is the intended period for the public consultation length and the dates so it's regarded as a tier two so it's not a shot necessarily the same emphasis as destination management plan so we're thinking about a month you know so but we're fairly flexible with that we've had a very flexible time frame with this document we want to get it right and it might be that there's a formal period for submissions but we'll also want any to of schedule in meetings with the groups to go and visit their members and actually give presentations and the like and if that needs to take longer than a month and they need an extra time to make a submission we're okay with that. Frank Wilkie 41:50.750
So as long as the key stakeholders are engaged and you get their feedback. There are some events planned in the Botanic Gardens later on in the year as well which we'd like to tap into as well so we can be out there and do some pop-up engagement with them. Shaun Walsh 42:08.048
Because the community team are you know focused on other matters at the moment and when they come up for air we'll sit down and draft out the final details of the community engagement plan. I'm very happy to share that with councillors so you're fully aware of what that program is. Thank you. Karen Finzel 42:24.308
Thank you. I think it's great. I think we should finish where we started. which was the mission to cultivate a vibrant botanical garden that reflects the community's values working with nature now and for the future. So I think it's been a great body of work. I think it's great today. I think it's great today we're going to now roll on into Paul coming with us with the cultural plan. The gardens is very much part of the Noosa Shire story and our narrative so we'll just keep building on that moving forward and leaving beautiful space. So thank you so much today. All right we'll take it to the vote. All in favour? That's unanimous. Thank you. to the staff. Frank Wilkie 43:08.622
Thank you. Karen Finzel 43:12.502
We're moving now to item 7.3 on the agenda. Noosa cultural plan 2025 to 2030 for adoption and we welcome staff member Mr. Paul Brinkman and we've got Kerri Contini with us as well today. Thank you and welcome, we're excited to hear about this draft coming before us for recommendation and looking forward to hearing them over. Paul Brinkman 43:38.323
Thank you Councillor Finzel. So I'll just read a bit of a statement before we launch into any questions. This is a really exciting plan. It's been over 18 months in the making, so it's great to finally get it in front of Council. The 2025-30 Noosa Cultural Plan builds on the foundations of the 2019-2023 Cultural Plan and is the result of over 18 months of research, consultation and strategic thinking. The plan is future focused and responds to the needs and wants of the cultural sector individuals, groups, collectives and organisations working across the region. The Cultural Plan sits under the Council's Corporate Plan 2023-2028 and is centred around the five key themes as expressed by the five key themes of valuing our history and heritage, enabling inclusion and access, championing our creative community, activating our places and spaces and engaging our community and visitors. The Cultural Plan also aligns with the Queensland Government's Creative Together 2020-2030 10-Year Roadmap for Arts, Culture and Creativity in Queensland and the Revive National Cultural Policy. The Cultural Plan is The Cultural Plan is ambitious, aspirational and inspiring, reflecting the dynamism of Noosa creatives. It plots a path outlining how Council can be a driving force in its support of the creative and cultural sector of our region and in doing so support a healthy engaged and resilient community with a prosperous arts and cultural ecosystem. I take this opportunity to thank the many individuals and groups who provided their considered input into the plan's development Karen Finzel 45:16.932
That's fantastic great overview Paul thank you and I'd like to extend my thanks to the work that you've done in that place and led that. led the charge on that. Given your, Aileen, you in this role and to the region I think you really captured the spirit of you know the Noosa Shire embodied our story and our vision and it is reflected in the report so thank you for your diligence and the hard work that you've done together with them you know the broader community and the staff so Thank you. so much all right I'd like to move the motion that we yes of course Can I ask some questions first? Yes of course. Oh you can move first. Yeah happy to move it. Thank you. Questions please. Thank you. Sorry that I didn't raise this earlier it's just been brought to my attention today but the the report talks about responding to the digital the digital explosion in our area but I didn't know if I could really see that reflected in the in the actual plan and specifically there is one photograph There is one photograph from our Peregian Digital Hub but it's not actually mentioned in our places or so it should that's not be something that should be included and even within the internal stakeholder communication things as well that that wasn't included in there so is there is there maybe something missing in terms of the digital element of the of the sector. Paul Brinkman 46:46.730
The Peregian Digital Hub has been used on occasions for creative sector development events and learnings. Nicola Wilson 46:46.891
The Peridjian Digital sector. Paul Brinkman 46:57.430
We have had feedback from the community though to say that our creative sector is significantly ahead of the curve in regards to AI and this isn't this is not typical of artists. Artists and creatives are often the first to embrace new technologies so the feedback that we did when we did do our workshops at the Peregian Digital Hub was that artists are really looking to have the tools to explore their own expressions into AI and new technologies and so we've taken we've taken the tact of what are ways in which we can support artists by actually going out and finding their own opportunities to learn and expand their knowledge in that space and so we've come around to our RADF program our Regional Arts Development Fund and also our community funding programs to have an emphasis on new technologies on new technologies and artists having being able to have the capabilities to go and explore those spaces so I think yes we're not overtly talking about the Peregian Digital Hub because the feedback from the community is that yes that's a thing yes that's a fantastic facility for us to have but it's not necessarily serving the purposes of Creative Industries and the feedback that we got from our community was we've actually really need the opportunity to come to Council and when opportunities arise how can you support us So the $2,000 quick response grant that we've started this year is a perfect example of ways in which artists can explore new technologies because it is very much about that dynamism of grabbing grabbing opportunities when they come up and we've already had a couple of applications into that quick response grant program where artists are looking to expand their skills in new technologies by doing these external courses. Kerri Contini 48:58.929
I think this is shows how things move quite quickly so the previous cultural plan had a specific element which was around the digital future and it shows how much things have changed now that almost that's business as usual for our creatives and it permeates everything that they're doing now whether it's in their art form or in their way that they're trying to deliver that and and develop a commercial return off it so it kind of moves through everything now it's a big shift between the two I'm thinking now maybe that digital explosion that we were talking about is maybe more apt to our previous presentation on disaster management because it is literally an explosion every day there's more every day there's more opportunities for us to engage in the AI space it's it's huge at the moment so it's very hard to write into a five-year plan because in five years time it's scary what we're going to be looking at. Paul Brinkman 49:59.686
Yeah, yeah. Just another question on the engagement process as well how extensive was that and how were people reached? At the end of last year we engaged Craig Consulting who you might know from the Pomona placemaking work. We engaged their to do some feedback and some vox popping to our creative community. After we received their report back we also tabled a presentation to Council on the report of the 2019-2023 results. We combined all of that and then we went back to having multiple meetings and work workshops at the J where we called people in to give feedback and then we followed up with one-on-ones and talking to organisations and community groups on that space as well. So yes over the last 18 months Over the last 18 months we've worked quite hard on that. We've engaged with Kabi Kabi on numerous occasions. We are still waiting for Kabi Kabi. They've said they'd like to give us a small stanza at the start of the document. because of various reasons, Aunty Helena Gouash hasn't been able to provide that to us just yet, but you'll note that in the presentation that we do ask permission for the CEO for us to be able to slot that in when it comes into the plan. So, Kerri Contini 51:21.389
This is an example where we're not so much doing, you know, broad scale community engagement with the whole community. because a lot of their input comes through other consultation that we're doing. So when we did corporate plan, when we did promoting place plan, when we did livability, the theme around arts and culture comes through quite strongly from the general community. And so in preparing a plan like this, we're going very deeply with a whole range of stakeholders, whether they're individual artists or arts organisations. industry representatives or state government, etc. So it's very deep around all the various challenges across many different art forms. Thank you. Karen Finzel 52:07.510
Any further questions? Frank Wilkie 52:09.110
Well, just to follow on through the question that Councillor Wilson raised, mainly through the efforts of the Sunshine Coast Screen Collective, the Sunshine Coast and Noosa region are on the verge of having their own film industry. How is that captured in here or where does that sit in relation to the cultural plan? Paul Brinkman 52:30.704
Again we've had a number of applications to our annual RADF program for that. So when you look at the guidelines you know RADF guidelines that is something that we are highlighting as a support area we're looking at. I just met with a filmmaker this morning actually and there's great demand for streaming services for content at the moment. streaming services for content at the moment, particularly Australian content. So it's this fantastic situation where you've got people baying at the door for content. We just aren't able to produce enough content. So yeah, that's the challenge. It's not that you create content and then you're plying it around to try and find someone to buy it. There's plenty of buyers out there. It's just about finding the content. So we do want to support very much. Filmmaking industries at the same time is a very expensive undertaking and it requires a lot of risk. So something that should come through in the report also is that we need to work within our means. We would love to be everything to everybody, but we have limited budget. We have limited capabilities. We do have a number of spaces and so our big focus at the moment is enabling our spaces to assist in creatives who need to use that space. So we're looking at the J, we're looking at the gallery, we're looking at our other community spaces to see how we can utilise those facilities to enable, be better enablers to our creative community because we don't really have the cash resources to to support everybody in the way that we would like to. Frank Wilkie 54:05.717
This report comes before us today because there's a filming for a national pilot taking place at the Tewantin Noosa Bowls Club today. and it's very timely. Perfect, exactly. One of the, I guess remaining pieces out first of the cultural plan, so 2019 to 2023, that really hadn't been implemented to the depths that I would have liked, was in our cultural development space, so supporting our arts industry. And that's what I was looking for when I recruited to the manager's role, because Paul brings a real strength to not just general cultural development, but being able for our emerging artists to transition through to a professional status, which is really critical. That's very hard to do. But really, we have Paul, who's managing a whole lot of facilities as well, and we've got a three-day-a-week cultural development. officer. So we have to think carefully about where we put our efforts into. And I appreciate what Paul's doing at the moment, prioritising things, looking at our facilities and how we can best support the arts industry through our facilities first, and putting efforts into where we can make an appreciable difference. And the strategy through the RANF process as well. The strategy through the RANF process is working already. You often hear anecdotal stories of artists who receive RANF support through Noosa Council now exhibiting overseas and their careers really taking off. Paul Brinkman 55:38.672
We've got a fantastic application that we've just approved for an artist over in Japan who was offered the opportunity by a master ceramicist to work in his studio. Invitation only. Had to have an answer within a month on whether they were able to take it over. They applied directly They applied directly to the RADF quick response grant, were able to provide assistance straight away and the artists from learning those skills would bring those skills back. They wouldn't have been able to have that opportunity without our small contribution so it makes a huge difference. Karen Finzel 56:09.767
Just a comment on that at the Tall Trees Art Exhibition on the weekend there was about three local artists that were mentioned there's probably more that exhibited their work that had come through the RADF and have gone overseas to you know pursue their careers and this is exactly I think the vision that we want to see for the show out is that you know we have this economic sector through the creative industries and actually empower people coming to those careers back to a point around the like the technology just noting that in floating land we had experimenter emergence exhibition would you like to comment a little bit about that around that opportunity to give our artists you know to a create work that reflects technology and the frontier of art certainly Paul Brinkman 56:55.915
I hope some of you were able to go and see that show because it was a absolutely fantastic show and that was a touring show and this is one of the great values of having a regional gallery that's able to take touring shows because we can actually take cutting-edge artworks that are well and truly outside of our region and bring them into our region and our local artists and can what's actually happening around Australia without having to travel all over the place to see it they were the workshops that we ran from that were fully booked out great numbers for that show so for me that's really heartening to show that there's a real appetite and hunger to see more technology works that that show show interestingly is a touring show but by the time that show ends the technology that was cutting-edge when it started is now it's going to be antiquated so fascinating things we also did the river cruisers where we did the sound work underwater sound work that came back to the work that was in that space fantastic environmental linkages there with new technologies using the latest in underwater recording devices and translating that into our work so really strong environmental things which sit so beautifully with Noosa and what we're trying to do in Noosa from an environmental protection standpoint as well. Kerri Contini 58:20.258
Leah Barclay is a really good example of is a really good example of you know supporting our artists in their journey as it takes a long time to move through that professional process and to see the quality of work that she's producing is amazing. And a Sunshine Paul Brinkman 58:39.644
Coast artist that basically came from working in the Amazon recently to coming to Noosa and doing the same work here in the Noosa River as she was doing in the Amazon. Yeah, amazing global connections there. Karen Finzel 58:54.878
That's fantastic. All right. Councillor Lorentson, did you have a question? Amelia Lorentson 59:01.118
Just a follow up on Councillor Nicola Wilson's question. In terms of the Peregian Digital Hub, it has significantly contributed to Noosa creative and digital community. And not just in AI, is animation, game development, interactive media, is there a plan to include future art forms and digital culture in the next iteration of the cultural plan? I'm just thinking in terms of supporting our younger creatives. Paul Brinkman 59:38.237
Yes. There are, but as I said previously, the programming around the digital hub really are resourcing at the moment. We need to look very closely at how we can resource high quality cutting edge training in the Peregian Digital Hub. Because as I said, the feedback that we're getting from our arts community that have attended some of those sessions are saying that they need to be further ahead of the curves and what's being provided in that space. So yes, definitely we want to work closely with the digital hub and we continue to do so. But it's about how do we find and how do we keep up to speed with the technologies that our creatives are using, which is often two or three steps ahead of what our general populace is using. So that's the challenge that we're facing with the with the digital. Karen Finzel 01:00:35.220
Thank you. I'm happy to take it to the vote. Thank you. That was a great question and answer session. Do you have anything further to add? Yeah. Oh, sorry. Nicola Wilson 01:00:48.072
Oh, I just want to thank you for the plan. I've asked my questions, but just to speak to the motion. We have the motion. Yes, we have. You're free to speak. And one of the big things for me is the references to being inclusive and accessible, and not just in the ways that we normally speak to in terms of disabilities and diversity and things, but also just in making sure that we have experiences that are free to attend or low-cost workshops and those kind of things, as you've been talking about before. So going to see exhibitions for free, getting involved in things like floating land, because there's sometimes a perception that art is for the elite or it's just for the artists, the arty people, and just making sure that everyone gets a chance to enjoy art in all its forms, whether it's art in the gallery or whether it's performing arts and music. So just, yeah, I really like the idea that it's really trying to reach everybody and not just to be high-cost ticketing and things things and and paintings paintings for for thousands thousands of of dollars but the things that are that are frayed for the whole community Thank you. any further comments then we'll take it to the vote all in favour that's unanimous Thank you. very much thank you very much forward to seeing it in action thank you just to note that Councillor has to she's got responsibilities with family which family comes first and she's leaving the meeting table but we'll jump online and continue with the meeting process having said that we're moving into We're moving into item item seven 7.4 and we welcome to the table staff member John C Wolfe to review the audit and risk committee charter and review of the internal audit policy. John C Wolfe 01:02:38.168
Good afternoon. Thank you Johnsy and welcome, good afternoon. Thank you, good afternoon. Okay I provided them with a high-level overview of this item. So this report seeks Council's adoption of two revised documents. One is the audit and risk committee charter and the other one is the internal audit policy. These documents set out the framework how the audit and risk committee operates and how Council undertakes internal auditing. Both documents are subject to routine annual review and so there are minor improvements to wording and structure in both documents. However, further improvements have been made and they stem from an internal audit and the advice from the Queensland audit office. Regarding the audit and risk committee charter, these changes include increasing the term of independent committee members from two to three years which is considered better practice so previously previously it was three by two years and now it's two by three years the final tenure is still Tenure is still six years in both scenarios. Then amending the meeting forum from three to two which was inaccurate in the Charter before. This is half the committee members in our case the Ordinaries Committee has four members so it's two. And in response to advice from the Queensland Audit Office the responsibilities of the committee have also been expanded for the review and oversight of corporate culture, performance management and reporting, the security of council systems and information, significant projects and outsourcing and business planning. Further to that, the wording was strengthened for sections dealing with confidentiality, conflict of interest and internal controls. Finally, the definitions were also expanded. They are at the latter part of the of the Charter to assist the reader in a better understanding of the Charter. Those are Those are the more significant changes to the Charter. And then the internal audit policy has seen a few changes as well. However, the main body of the policy has not changed. What has changed are the terms of reference to provide some further clarification. These relate to the internal audit methodology. It's highlighting the methodologies to be applied in the audit process. The internal auditing process to improve how audit recommendations are structured and actioned just to standardise the process that any report from internal auditors follows follows the same standard and makes it very clear to staff to understand. Also the responsibilities were clarified to clarify the responsibilities of CEO, Audit and Risk Committee and Council at large, the operational teams. Very importantly, the management actions to clarify the responsibilities for the implementation of internal audit recommendations. Because if those are not implemented, then that defies the purpose of. Julian 01:06:07.077
That defies the purpose of an internal audit in the first place. John C Wolfe 01:06:10.897
The final section that was amended is the evaluation of the internal audit performance to monitor internal audit performance and client satisfaction so that we also seek feedback from the audited areas. Of the performance of the internal auditors to ensure that we actually have received a good service. There he is. That concludes pretty much the major changes of these two documents and available for questions if there are any. Karen Finzel 01:06:42.392
Thank you, Johnsy. Thank you for your report. Just noting that Councillor Lorentson left the gallery at 2:35pm. Do we have any questions? No, thank you. Frank Wilkie 01:06:56.579
Yes? Thank you Madam Chair. It's great to have the policy and the charter and the improvements. I guess the purpose of having an audience. The purpose of having an Audit and Risk Committee is to ensure that risk is managed within the organisation. How are these changes, what are the critical changes that will improve the way we manage risk? How will it improve the way we manage our risk or help ensure that the recommendations that come from the Audit and Risk Committee are acted upon? John C Wolfe 01:07:35.950
It is first of all with the Audit and Risk Committee Charter that it clarifies the roles and responsibilities and also provides further oversight for which areas the Audit and Risk Committee has oversight. There's an expansion of that as I said corporate culture, performance management and significant project business continuity planning so they'll be added and then obviously then in terms of the internal audit policy these are exactly the the changes that were made. First of all change to how we conduct the internal auditing it provides advice on the methodology so we make sure that we that auditing is conducted the way conducted the way to standard then how it's reported on that's the change as well and and also how the actions are implemented so this provides them more clarity yeah provides more clarity and there more clarity and the internal audit plan is or the oversight for that lies with the Audit and Risk Committee and they will then check the internal audit policy apply that and and after so so that's where how the minute the risk is managed in terms of identifying high-risk areas develop an internal audit plan ensuring that audits are conducted and then that any recommendations stemming from those audits are implemented. And that goes further with audit and risk committee also then reviews the strategic risk register, for example, and the strategic risk register informs the internal audit plan as well. and the CEO the sits on audit and risk committee, so that's the link to the organisation, and we ensure that the correct information is out. Larry Sengstock 01:09:24.978
And through our governors. I don't sit on the committee, but I attend the meetings. Karen Finzel 01:09:35.880
I just have a question through to the CEO. This looks like continuous improvement, which is fantastic. That will enhance clarity of roles, strengthen accountability and support council in maintaining robust oversight arrangements. Just in brief, how do you feel that moving forward that is going to... you know, help with good governance and how do you see this as the benefit to the urbanisation? Julian 01:10:05.925
Well, it's... Larry Sengstock 01:10:07.025
As Johnsey said, it's an annual review, so it's really just reviewing, topping up where we think we need to develop some strength, further strength in this, or make sure that we adhere to any regulation changes. Julian 01:10:25.850
So, you know, I have to say, ordinarily, already we do a very good job with our audit and risk committee. I think we're very strong in that area. Our risk profile is very well managed, and so I'm comfortable, we always get a good feedback from the risk committee and the external members of that group, as well as our own council members. comfortable that we've got a good foundation. This is really just building on it, making sure that we stay up to date and continue to do as best we can. Karen Finzel 01:10:59.815
Yeah, that's great. Thank you. Any further comments? Okay, we'll take that to the vote. That's unanimous. All in favour? Thank you. And a yes from Jess. I'm blind. Thank you, Jess. Frank Wilkie 01:11:13.987
Thank you. Enjoy your afternoon. Thank you for the report. Jessica Phillips 01:11:17.747
Thank you. Shaun Walsh 01:11:19.500
Thanks, Jess. Karen Finzel 01:11:22.780
So that takes us up to agenda item 8, reports for noting by the committee. There is nil. Number 9, confidential session, nil. That brings us to item 10, which is meeting closure. And I can say the meeting's closed at 2:42pm. Thank you, councillors. Thank you, Mr. CEO and the staff. Frank Wilkie 01:11:44.020
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Karen Finzel 01:11:45.320
Thank you, everyone. Related Noosa Council Meetings
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