Planning & Environment Committee Agenda - 9 December 2025
Date: Tuesday, 9 December 2025 at 9:30AM
Location: Noosa Shire Council Chambers , 9 Pelican Street , Tewantin , QLD 4565 , Australia
Organiser: Noosa Shire Council
Duration: 01:46:35
Synopsis: Emissions: miss 2026, no offsets, focus cuts, Roadmap April 2026, Waste facility upgrade, Koala offsets, Reusable cups funding, Defend Sunshine Beach duplex refusal.
Meeting Attendees
Committee Members
Amelia Lorentson Brian Stockwell Tom Wegener Frank Wilkie Non-Committee Members
Executive Officers
Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Strategy And Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Director Infrastructure Services Shaun Walsh AI-Generated Meeting Insight
Key Decisions & Discussions Council backed a Single-Use Coffee Cups transition program, providing 2–3 hrs/week in-kind staff support, seeking $5,600 from Tourism Noosa (fallback to Sustainability Ops budget) to kickstart an industry-led reuse cohort (Item 7.1; 00:00–08:48, 10:47–20:10). Council noted organisational emissions progress; confirmed it will not meet net zero by 2026; rejected purchasing third‑party offsets; directed work toward direct reductions and local carbon removal, and requested a Climate Positive Investment Roadmap report by April 2026 (Item 7.2; 27:45–58:57). Appeal D114/2025: Council agreed to defend refusal of a “minor change” to a duplex at 1/27 Duke St, Sunshine Beach, where proposed plot ratio would reach ~0.54:1 vs current 0.4:1 (exceeds both historic and current scheme) (Item 7.3; 59:54–1:04:03). Approved “other change” to existing approval for expansion/modernisation of the waste disposal & recycling facility at 561 Eumundi Noosa Rd, Doonan, subject to conditions and Planning Act s63(5) noting (Item 7.4; 1:04:49–1:20:54). Waste facility upgrade includes: two separate weighbridges (public/commercial), new transfer station, relocated Reviva shop, improved traffic segregation, safety upgrades, and staged delivery to remain operational (Item 7.4; 1:04:49–1:10:41). Delegated decisions for Oct 2025 were noted; all approved; one environmental covenant removal was for legacy bushfire buffer reasons, not loss of environmental values (Item 8.1; 1:21:27–1:22:44). Environment Levy land purchase: meeting was lawfully closed to the public under LG Reg 2012 s254J(3)(g); matter referred to General Committee for further consideration (Item 9.1; 1:23:36, 1:45:42–1:45:59). Public health/safety for reusable cup schemes addressed: compliance with Australian food safety standards; licensed cafes must maintain hygienic dishwashing/temperature standards equivalent to dine‑in crockery (7.1; 11:48–15:37). Funding/resourcing history for emissions work discussed: past underspends and competing priorities; lessons to scale effort with updated baselines and cross‑council integration (7.2; 35:43–40:39). Electricity decarbonisation: plan to use LGCs and explore PPAs; solar/battery at Resource Recovery Centre flagged to offset facility use (7.2; 53:13–53:40). Offsets for waste site clearing: 240 non‑juvenile koala habitat trees to be cleared; officers cited a 6:1 offset and planting of 500 NJKHT at 304 Lake Flat Rd, Catharaba (Item 7.4; 1:13:39–1:17:56). State assessment context: clearing largely Category X; assessment devolved to Council; assessed against State Code 25 performance outcomes (avoid, minimise, mitigate via offsets) (Item 7.4; 1:14:45–1:16:45, 1:18:11–1:19:05). Contentious / Transparency Matters Climate Positive Investment Roadmap will not undergo external community consultation during its development; it will draw on prior surveys/strategies and be presented to Council for decisions (7.2; 50:05–50:40). Point of order upheld to separate Council’s role as assessment manager from applicant in considering the waste facility DA, preventing discussion drifting into project delivery (Item 7.4; 1:11:29–1:12:43). Reusable cups program funds are modest; reliance on Tourism Noosa’s budget may delay scale; fallback to small Council funds acknowledged (Item 7.1; 06:11–07:29). Emissions budget underspends and delayed projects acknowledged publicly; causal factors included asset constraints, staffing, and shifting priorities (7.2; 35:43–39:56). Offsets quantum ambiguity: officers referenced a 6:1 ratio and 500 trees, which is arithmetically inconsistent with 240 trees cleared; clarity needed at final conditions stage (Item 7.4; 1:13:39–1:16:14). Chair reinforced adherence to the planning scheme to avoid “death by a thousand cuts” in cumulative non‑compliances (Item 7.3; 1:02:19–1:03:22). Legal / Risk Confidential land purchase discussion closed under LG Regulation 2012 s254J(3)(g) (negotiations relating to land), with reopen and referral resolutions recorded (Item 9.1; 1:23:36, 1:45:42–1:45:59). Waste facility approval expressly noted as provided in accordance with Planning Act 2016 s63(5), supporting procedural compliance for code assessment and reasons (Item 7.4). Sunshine Beach appeal risk: clear exceedance of plot ratio (requested ≥0.54:1 vs 0.4:1 current) supports Council’s defend posture; reduces precedent risk of cumulative scheme erosion (Item 7.3; 59:54–1:02:19). Offsets compliance: clearing in a koala priority area assessed under State Code 25 with avoid/minimise/mitigate framework; as Category X, assessment devolved to Council—heightened need for robust conditions and monitoring (Item 7.4; 1:14:45–1:19:05). Climate target non‑achievement: Council chose not to use potentially low‑integrity offsets; risk mitigated by directing funds to direct abatement and validated local removals; fiduciary prudence noted (Item 7.2; 27:45–32:56, 56:24–58:57). Food safety for reusable cup systems: reliance on existing Food Act licensing and standards; risk mitigated via standard dishwashing temps/practices and operator responsibility (Item 7.1; 11:48–15:37). Environmental Concerns Reusable cup initiative aims to reduce ~1.5B annual disposable cups nationally; local pilots (e.g., NAC cafe) show successful shift from deposits to full single‑use‑free operations (Item 7.1; 01:46–08:08, 05:13–06:11). Waste facility redesign increases diversion capacity, improves safety, and reduces queuing; anticipated net positive environmental outcome through better resource recovery (Item 7.4; 1:04:49–1:10:41). Koala habitat: clearing of ~240 NJKHT in a koala priority area balanced by offsets at 304 Lake Flat Rd; retention of a significant Eucalyptus racemosa (scribbly gum) within carpark (Item 7.4; 1:13:39–1:17:56). Organisational emissions: 19% reduction since 2016 via solar, batteries at critical sites, LED upgrades, green waste diversion, and increased landfill gas flaring; landfill methane remains the dominant challenge (Item 7.2; 27:45–33:01). Future roadmap to prioritise landfill emissions cuts, fleet electrification, clean energy procurement, supply‑chain decarbonisation, and local biodiversity restoration co‑benefits (Item 7.2; 27:45–32:56). Sunshine Beach – Duplex Appeal (1/27 Duke St) Original approval under 1990 scheme at max 0.45:1 plot ratio; current scheme permits 0.4:1; proposal seeks ≥0.54:1 via “minor change,” materially intensifying bulk/scale (Item 7.3; 59:54–1:00:55). Brian Stockwell underscored trend of individual dwellings seeking over‑scaled outcomes contrary to long‑standing character controls; Council to defend to avoid precedent (Item 7.3; 1:01:07–1:04:03). Planning Scheme Discipline and Character Amelia Lorentson warned against “death by a thousand cuts,” affirming strict adherence to the Noosa Plan to preserve character (Item 7.3; 1:02:19–1:03:22). Frank Wilkie noted ~96% of DAs are approved when aligned with the scheme; clear oversizing necessitates defence (Item 7.3; 1:02:44–1:03:15). Program Delivery, Funding & Governance Insights Kim Rawlings detailed emissions program underspends due to asset constraints (roofs/switchboards), carry‑forwards, and staffing; competing budget priorities noted (7.2; 36:11–39:56). Amelia Lorentson highlighted leadership continuity and the Local Government Act’s “perpetual succession” effect of past decisions, stressing top‑down drive on climate action (7.2; 51:15–52:46). Brian Stockwell contrasted offset‑based neutrality claims elsewhere with Noosa’s integrity stance; advocated local offsets that deliver tangible co‑benefits (7.2; 56:24–58:57). Roadmap development will rely on prior community input channels (liveability, corporate planning, destination management) yet decisions remain operational/budgetary (7.2; 50:22–50:40). Tourism, Community & Health Context for Reuse Amelia Lorentson cited statewide media traction and LGAQ motion advocacy to accelerate national plastics action; proposed symbolic integration at citizenship ceremonies (7.1; 16:53–20:10). Health queries addressed: reuse programs equate to standard crockery; licensed premises must meet food safety standards, including dishwashing temperature controls (7.1; 11:48–15:37).
Official Meeting Minutes
MINUTES Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Tuesday, 9 December 2025 9:30 AM Council Chambers, 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin Committee: Crs Amelia Lorentson (Chair), Brian Stockwell, Frank Wilkie, Tom Wegener “Noosa Shire – different by nature” PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 DECEMBER 2025 1 DECLARATION OF OPENING The meeting was declared open at 9.31am. 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 Amelia Lorentson Cr Brian Stockwell Cr Tom Wegener Cr Frank Wilkie NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Karen Finzel EXECUTIVE Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Strategy and Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray Director Infrastructure Services Shaun Walsh APOLOGIES Nil. 4 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES 4.1 PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES DATED 11 NOVEMBER 2025 Committee Resolution Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener The Minutes of the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting held on 11 November 2025 be received and confirmed. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 5. PRESENTATIONS Nil. 6. DEPUTATIONS Nil. PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 DECEMBER 2025 7 REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE 7.1 SINGLE USE COFFEE CUPS PROGRAM Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That Council A. Note the report by the Sustainability and Climate Change Officer to the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting dated 9 December 2025; B. Support the Single Use Coffee Cups program with in-kind contribution from existing Council staff resources (2-3hrs per week) to support Plastic Free Noosa to engage industry stakeholders and co-develop a program for the first cohort of businesses to transition to a reuse system; C. Work closely with Tourism Noosa to prioritise the $5600.00 required to kickstart the program through their FY25-26 budget; and D. Subject to C, should budget not be available, provide in kind support and a small allocation of funding to support the initiation and engagement phases of the program through Council’s Sustainability Operational budget as it aligns with the endorsed Climate Change Response Plan, Environment Strategy, and From Waste to Resource Plan. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 7.2 ORGANISATIONAL EMISSIONS REDUCTION PROGRESS REPORT Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie That Council A. Note the report by the Sustainability and Climate Change Coordinator and the Carbon Reduction officer to the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting dated 9 December 2025; B. Note the progress on reducing emissions to date and the positive impact of setting the last target; C. Note that Council will not achieve its net zero target by 2026 for its organisational emissions; D. Confirm that no third-party offsets will be purchased to help achieve the net zero target or to claim carbon neutrality, and instead agree to prioritise ongoing investment in direct emissions reduction activities and local carbon removal projects to achieve true net zero and to deliver long-term cost savings and important community and biodiversity conservation co-benefits; E. Note the progress on developing a new Climate Positive Investment Roadmap; and F. Request the CEO prepare a report to a Council Meeting by April 2026 or before, on the new Climate Positive Investment Roadmap including an ambitious, science-based target and achievable plan to reduce emissions. Carried. PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 DECEMBER 2025 For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 7.3 132004.4552.01 - PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT COURT APPEAL D114 OF 2025 FOR MINOR CHANGE TO A DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR A MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE FOR A DUPLEX DWELLING AT 1/27 DUKE STREET, SUNSHINE BEACH Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That Council note the report by the Manager Development Assessment to the Planning and Environment Committee Meeting dated 9 December 2025 regarding Planning & Environment Court Appeal D114 of 2025 and agree to defend the appeal. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 7.4 132005.638.04 - OTHER CHANGE TO AN EXISTING APPROVAL FOR MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE - EXPANSION OF SPECIAL PURPOSE (WASTE DISPOSAL AND RECYCLING FACILITY) & ONGOING CLEARING PURPOSES AT 561 EUMUNDI NOOSA ROAD DOONAN Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That Council note the report by the Planning Officer to the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting dated 9 December 2025 regarding Application No. 132005.638.04 for an Other Change to an existing approval for Material Change of Use – Special Purpose (Waste Disposal & Recycling Facility) & Ongoing Clearing Purposes situated at 561 Eumundi Noosa Road, Doonan; and A. Approve the application in accordance with the conditions outlined in Attachment 1. B. Note the report is provided in accordance with Section 63(5) of the Planning Act 2016. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 DECEMBER 2025 8 REPORTS FOR NOTING BY THE COMMITTEE 8.1 PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECIDED BY DELEGATED AUTHORITY – OCTOBER 2025 Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Tom Wegener Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That Council note the report by the Development Assessment Manager to the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting on 9 December 2025 regarding applications that have been decided by delegated authority for October 2025 as provided at Attachment 1 to the Report. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 9 CONFIDENTIAL SESSION 9.1 CONFIDENTIAL: NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE – ENVIRONMENT LEVY PROPOSED LAND PURCHASE CLOSURE OF THE MEETING TO THE PUBLIC Committee Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That the meeting be closed to the public pursuant to section 254J(3)(g) of the Local Government Regulation 2012 for the purpose of discussing Item 9.1 ENVIRONMENT LEVY PROPOSED LAND PURCHASE. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None REOPENING OF THE MEETING TO THE PUBLIC Committee Resolution Moved: Cr Amelia Lorentson Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That the meeting be re-opened to the public. Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 9 DECEMBER 2025 Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Tom Wegener That Planning & Environment Committee Agenda Item 9.1 be referred to the General Committee for further consideration Carried. For: Cr Amelia Lorentson, Cr Brian Stockwell, Cr Tom Wegener, Cr Frank Wilkie Against: None 10 MEETING CLOSURE The meeting closed at 11.19am.
Meeting Transcript
Amelia Lorentson 00:00.000
Today, the 9th of December 2020, I declare the meeting open at 9:31am. I declare the meeting open at 9:31am. I would like to start with an acknowledgement to the country, Noosa Council to the country, Noosa Council to the First Nations people, and to the First Nations people. And we recognise the Kabi Kabi people as the traditional Indians of the lands and borders, as the traditional areas of the lands and borders of the Noosa area. We pay respect to elders, we pay respect We pay respect to connected elders and past present and emerging, and to their enduring commitment to strong and healthy intentions. I'd like to welcome council members. We welcome their council councillors, their working deputy and online councillors. And also online councillors. Welcome. There are no apologies. Before we begin, can I please request that everyone have their phones on silent or a confirmation of minutes. Can I please have confirmation of minutes. Can I please have confirmation of minutes. Can I please have a motion to move to a seconder. Thank you. No discussion will go to favour. No discussion will go to favour. Thank you. Presentations and deputations there are none. So we'll move straight into reports for consideration of the meeting. Reports for consideration of the meeting. Single use coffee cups. Yes. Tom Wegener 01:49.596
This report was triggered by a notified motion that passed through Council in June of this year. The motion called for Council to work with and support Tourism Noosa's Plastic Free Noosa program to develop a scalable action plan and show leadership by shifting away from single use coffee cups in Council's work. Some may say that single use coffee cups are not the most important issue for us to tackle as an organisation or as a community. However, it is hard not to notice how prevalent they are in the lives of many businesses and many customers here in Noosa and around the country. The takeaway cup has become something that we accept as normal. Some people even prefer them. Some cafes no longer offer certain mugs to customers. It's become part of our culture, a culture that accepts and encourages-- While the industry has done well to move away from petroleum-based plastic linings, coffee cups, and we've encouraged that shift, the compostable cup still ends up in landfills and generates emissions. It's estimated that Australians throw away 1.5-- So today we present a report that furthers our commitment to work on supporting the industry and community to take action on reducing the number of plastic free Noosa with the support of cups. SPEAKER_06 03:11.756
Plastic free Noosa with the support of Noosa Council staff have already engaged several local businesses and service providers that offer scalable solutions to address this issue. It's clear that some people in our community are ready for change. This report outlines a strategy to support an industry Tom Wegener 03:29.412
Led approach to phasing out single-use coffee cuts. We will work with industry partners that are ready to go on this journey and encourage them to take a slow and calculated approach that achieves zero waste goals and supports their customers to come along the journey with them. We will support council facilities and council-led events to investigate alternatives to single-use cups. While we're not in a position to mandate behaviour change, we will continue to educate, advocate and inspire progress towards zero-waste culture. The next stage of action is simple, which is outlined in the report, which is to call a round table of businesses that want to explore single-use cup pay scale. To have industry leading solution providers share their solutions and learnings and support a cohort of people who are ready to take the lead in this space. SPEAKER_06 04:27.392
We will continue to support the leadership of the Plastic Free Noosa program with staff time and if Tourism Noosa is unable to provide a small budget to further the program, Sustainability Operational Budget from Council will possibly contribute to program costs. And those are outlined in the report. Questions around the table? Questions? Thank you for the report, Sion. You're welcome. Thank you for the report, Council leads the way. It is important that council leads the way. And you have mentioned our experience is infancy. Our experience is infancy. There's some investigation going on. What isolation centre can you tell us? What has been going on? What isolation centre can you tell us? What has been going on? Cafe at the NAC voluntarily decided to pursue a reusable cup scheme. They offered a side-by-side option where customers could continue to take a single-use cup or they could choose to pay a $3 deposit or they could choose to pay a $3 deposit. Tom Wegener 05:33.924
They've been so successful that the owner there has decided to go completely single-use-free and they've phased out the single-use cups completely based on their own experience as well as the customer feedback. We haven't engaged with the leisure centre cafe yet, but that's high on the list of priorities for New York. There's a list of priorities for, um, yeah, plastic food and so on. Amelia Lorentson 05:58.604
In fact, we think that the owner, David, was so overworn in 2019 that he was so, um, he was a little bit concerned in the early stages, awkward, he was, he was concerned in the early stages, and his arm was just such a tight arm system, and he's just such a tight arm system, and his neck, the uses have actually just commended him. The uses have actually just commended him. The uses have actually just taken to just John Corborest, and he's reached out to John Bear, and he's reached out to John Bear. It's actually good for business. It's actually good for business. That's right, yeah. In terms of costs, so there's an allocation of $5,600. The allocation of $5,600, can you elaborate, and my real question is-- The in-kind contribution will be of staff time. The in-kind contributions will be of staff time. The $5,600 per team, I believe it is enough. It is not enough to tackle the whole issue of-- It is not enough to tackle the whole issue of-- Given that this is such a-- But I think the issue-- Given that this is such an iconic issue, if we phase out coffee cups, we can phase out a lot of other things. We can see success in this program and we can build on budget allocation from there. We can see success in this program and we can build on budget allocation from there. That's my perspective. In terms of the start-up, and I know Jim, in terms of the start-up, the discussions we've had over the last 10 years have shown how many jobs have been bought and how many have jumped. And how many have jumped on board since the IDIS evaluation? How many have jumped on board since that time? Is that data just risked with plastic screens? Yeah, I would have to check with plastic screens. One of the first steps in this program, we don't have a notation. One of the first steps in this program, we don't have a notation, is to do an industry scan and collect more data. So hopefully those type of figures will be gathered. Tom Wegener 08:08.308
I think calling a round table and seeing who's willing to step up and engage with this challenge gives us a good understanding of this, and gives us an opportunity to do a broader scale as well. more of a historic question where has this historic Noosa really reached out and worked with industry people, industry leaders, in a similar fashion as we're doing with the Plastic Free, in a similar fashion as we're doing with the Plastic Free? Maybe that's the Kim program, you know? Maybe that's the Kim? Amelia Lorentson 08:49.812
Maybe repeat the question. The Kim? Yeah, Kim. Can you repeat that? SPEAKER_03 08:58.772
Historically, have, as Council reached out to industry leaders, like it is for the Plastic Free program, like Joris & Noosa and Noosa Council, through the Notified Motion, to really help change industry, the way industry works, or industry response, in this sort of way? SPEAKER_02 09:24.320
So, there's things of the industry, and we've also been approached by a number of businesses, also. So, eventually, it was really... It was a very warm, really proposed approach. But, essentially, it was really about bringing this back to the council to say, you know, we could invest more in this, and that would be really... We could invest more in this, and that would be really... We have been doing this with our cafe, the webinar. If council is reaching out to industry leaders, we would be then reaching out to industry leaders in a more kind of proactive way to get them involved. Is this in any way analogous to the digital hub, saying where Noosa Tom Wegener 10:05.008
Council sees an issue, an opportunity, and then supports going down a track towards, in this case, the digital hub, connecting with the digital hub? Connecting with the digital hub, connecting with the digital world, in this case, getting rid of coffee cups. But it's council interaction. It's council interaction. SPEAKER_02 10:27.368
When we say a problem, and how we guide people to help us solve that problem, and how we guide people to help us solve that problem, the reality with this one is the solutions are there. The reality with this one is the solutions are there. It's about take up and support and facilitating. It's about take up and support and facilitating our businesses to take on board those solutions. Amelia Lorentson 10:51.596
Karen, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel, you're online. Thank you. Karen, Councillor Finzel, you're online. SPEAKER_03 10:57.608
Good morning. Thank you, Madam Chair. This is a great initiative. Thank you, Madam Chair. This is a great initiative. My questions today are about... My questions today are about process and regulation for maintaining our community public health. I have one question. Maintaining our optimum. I just have a question about how we... I just have a question about how we... Health around communicable disease and how we have... Communicable disease and how we have and how we have ensured that to make sure that to make sure we got to to make sure we got to... make sure we got to... make sure we got to... make sure we got to... make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to... make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to to make sure we got to... make sure we got to... Unknown 11:46.572
To make sure we got to... Thanks, Councillor Finzel. The alternative options that we would be working with Plastic Free News on to offer to businesses, there are already solutions available in the industry today. And they have to comply with all Australian regulations around food safety standards. So we wouldn't be looking to compromise in any way, shape or form in the... That comes along with an alternative option moving away from single-use coffee cups. In fact, the reduction of a single-use item that can often end up as littered in our waterways may actually improve environmental... We think we can stay steadfast to that and that will be a key criterion in our selection of recommended service providers. The idea of an industry round table is really to get those service providers in front of business owners and business owners can ask exactly these kinds of questions, which are really important. Ultimately, the business owner runs a cafe as responsible for health and safety standards and they would want to know how they can support a healthy workplace and ensure the health and safety of their customers. Amelia Lorentson 13:30.155
You have any further questions, Councillor Finzel? Yes, so following on from that, can you just please explain the process that you mentioned that has to be followed given we've also been doing, you know, you know, pro-registry, given we've also been, you know, pro-registry. Can you just give us a quick overview of the processes followed to ensure community health, please? Tom Wegener 14:01.683
We don't administer or implement this program. That's, you know, it's run by the cafes themselves. So, you know, it's run by the cafes themselves. So, a reused program accepts a cup back and runs the cup through their commercial distribution. And runs the cup through their commercial distribution machine on the way that they would any other utensils or dishware that they offer to their customers. There's no distinction between a reusable coffee cup and a mug that someone sits down to drink their coffee out of or a glass that they're drinking. Thank you. And how is that regulated? What's the process for that? Amelia Lorentson 14:40.603
Can I ask, we've got director, can I ask, we've got director, the question asked was how is community health regulated in terms of reusability? Yes, yes, so thank you, Councillor. So, yes, so thank you, Councillor. So, all cafes obviously have a food license. So, that's obviously, each year comes to start. So, each year comes to start with the preparation of those, of food and preparation of food. So, they have food requirements, so they have food and preparation of food and requirements. So, they have actual preparation of food and requirements. Patrick Murphy 15:24.914
So, they have actual preparation of food and requirements. So, obviously, that's those food and requirements. So, obviously, that's those food and requirements. So, obviously, that's the steps of providing food and drink that's hygienic and safe for consumers. Food and drink that's hygienic and safe for consumers. Food and drink that's hygienic and safe for consumers. SPEAKER_03 15:37.714
Food and drink that's hygienic and safe for consumers. Thank you. Brian Stockwell 16:04.250
The issue around reuse cups going through the system of a cafe is obviously something, as you say, the one that I think a number of cafes in the early days had doubts about is accepting people rocking up with their key cups who might have not washed it really well and kept it in the door of their car. But yeah, it may be something that we want to just get some If you ran Clarification on when we do reach out to businesses, whether that's something where they should make sure. I believe, for example, dishwashing, the standard is a certain degree of temperature. But it might be something in the education of what you do when someone brings a KeepCup to make sure your responsibilities are met. Amelia Lorentson 16:53.078
I don't know whether this needs to be in an interview, I don't know whether this needs to be in an interview. Maybe it's just an idea, but I'd love to hear it. I spoke with one of the real champions of the space. Less than a week ago, with the president of the chamber, Ralph Torch. Ralph Torch. And he was talking about, you know, his goal in the NGC, like, you know, one day at the airports, ambassadors, one day at the airports, ambassadors for Noosa, handing out cups to people that are visiting Noosa as a sort of symbol of who we are and what we represent. As we represent, make me start thinking, maybe we have an immediate opportunity in terms of presenting cups to our new citizens. Make Noosa. So four times a year, we welcome so many incredible people in our community, and most actually have been in our community for some time. And we present them with a beautiful sermon, which is very representative of who we are. It is that we care for our environment. But a KeepCup with Noosa logo is another way to really push that message. This is what we value. This is who we are in our environment. It matters. And it's not just in plain sight. It's behaviours. So I might take that offline if it needs to be the minimum of speculation. But I would really love consideration as part of our citizenship process. There are names in Noosa in the last five years. But anyone want to speak up? I just have another question. SPEAKER_06 18:58.789
This is one of the actions from a waste source. And it's also vegetation and precipitation on the range of strategies and faster packaging practices. How are we going to generalise the other practices and actions from the waste? SPEAKER_09 19:24.371
That's something we'd probably defer to Kyron and the waste team to respond to, however, and we recently concluded a great week raising awareness about waste, including textile waste, which we get two times every week, which we get two times every week at our land. I think they're going well in terms of how they're going, holistically across the plan and progress report I've got for you. Holistically across the plan and progress report I've got for you. SPEAKER_06 19:58.585
And once we get out of the composting region, so the recovery centre will be able to have some of the earth and the amount of coffee cups that we get heard from. Yeah, agreed. Thanks. Amelia Lorentson 20:11.785
Yeah, agreed. Thanks. One last question. So the LGAQ motion that I've put forward here, which was supported unanimously by Council and almost had unanimous talks across 77 councils, in terms of accelerating the National Plastic Plan and the National Passage Agreement. Do you know what these are up to at the moment? I do not know at this time. But we can take that on notice. We'll take that on notice, though, and we'll send an email. We'll take that on notice, though, and we'll send an email. Thank you. I'm happy to move. Can I have a second, though? Thank you, Tom. And I'll just say that I'm happy about the speech. To say that I'm happy about this report is an understatement. We think the $5,600 that that has been asked to support this is, in my view, the most effective and impactful marketing investment this council can make. When I moved the notified motion in June when I moved the notified motion in June 2025, it made front-page news across the State. Noosa Council, Plastic Free Noosa, then Clive from Sunshine Social were on the six-pockets in the Courier Mail, Sunshine Coast Daily, and in local cafe papers across Queensland. Why? Because it was good news. Because it matters. It matters. And because it opens a conversation. And because... And because everyone can do it. And because we can't actually do it alone. We need courage, courage to start the conversation, to challenge the norm, and to say that it's not acceptable to buy coffee, drink it, and three minutes later throw the cup into a landfill. the night, there was a real effect on that. I want to note, there was a ripple effect from that. After the media coverage, Professor Ian Lowe from the Biosphere contacted them and said that the Brisbane cafe had seen a huge uptake in businesses committing to reusable. The Biosphere board itself soon afterwards voted to support the initiative. Reinforcing that this is not just a local project, it's part of a broader movement and I want to take this moment to acknowledge the plastic free Noosa program, led with vision and determination by no better person than Jen Sharpe. She is a seriously incredible driver of this program. The program has really shifted community behaviours. It's already reduced waste and it's already good strong partnerships between our county businesses and residents. Again by backing this program we're not just funding an environmental initiative, we're investing in cultural change. And I also want to note that this Plastic Free Noosa program was recently recognised for making a prestigious biosphere thriving in nature of the world last month. I want to thank the industry leaders and businesses and I also want to do a shout out to the Kin Kin Market for being the first market that recently put their hand up to transition away from single use coffee cups and we're working at the moment with Kin Kin to make it the first village to jump on board. Having said that, when I spoke to the guys down at Grinching Markets, they wanted to take on the challenge and become the first village. So again, the conversation, it has ripple effects. I think our goal, and we're about to embark with the destination management plan, is that we've got to dream big, we've got to think big. And our goal should be that every cafe in Noosa, to voluntarily, can I stress voluntarily, throw out some of those coffee cups. And this is how I think we should be setting these things. Not with lossy summer campaigns, but with a campaign that tells the world this is who we are, this is what we do. This is what we value, and this is what we expect from our visitors. So Noosa always been different by nature. Again, Noosa always been different by nature. So thank you. I know you guys have been working on this with Noosa for years, and just love, you know, love your energy, and you guys are really positive. But when we speak to Jean, she talks about the driving passion that comes from those high corridors downstairs in our environment department. So thank you, because all these people here in council, and the white people in our community, and of course we've got our amazing Jennifer from Plastic Free Noosa. So, super excited. Thank you, hold. SPEAKER_06 25:55.304
I think it's important to note the importance of waste and resource going into the 2023 waste and resource plan. 2023, 2028, there's about 30 actions in there. This action about there's a lot of great work going on in other quarters of the council. There's a lot of great work going on in other quarters of the council. We've got another motion coming to council about upgrades to the waste and resource recovery centre. I think that's quite an amount of material you're going to waste your land for as well. A great impact on reducing the waste of the landfill as well. And I just would like to acknowledge that there is good work going on in other parts of the council as well that will also have a great impact on reducing the waste of the landfill. And just a community consultation as well as one of the key actions was about the cost cuts. as well as a whole bunch of other great ideas which we are working on as well. Tom Wegener 26:49.967
No, no, I just think it's fantastic. It's all worked out. No, no, I just think it's fantastic. It's all worked out really well. Amelia Lorentson 27:00.647
Thank you very much. So we're now up to, so we're now up to item 7.2, Organisational Emissions Reduction Progress Report. Yes, thank you very much. Yes, I apologise for the length of the report, but this is now up to item 7.2. in global warming was and is not in dispute. The seriousness of the threat is demonstrated by the attention given to it by many countries around the world, and the attempts made by them to reach agreement and to cooperate to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in order to reduce the rate of increase of Earth's surface temperature. There are challenges to some of the primary judge's findings, but by and large, they are challenges to some of the primary judge's findings, but by and large, the nature of the risks and the danger from global warming, including the possible catastrophe that may engulf the world and humanity is not in dispute. This sobering clarity frames report the progress before you today. The risk reframes the progress from longer, more intense, and more frequent floods, bushfires, heat, extreme heat, cyclones, and intensifying storms are now well documented and increasingly witnessed in our community. The report before you today is an act of transparency and honesty. It confirms that council will not meet its original net zero by 2026 target for our organizational missions. One of the biggest challenges council faces is in landfill emissions. Even with gas flaring and diversion programs, waste decomposition continues to generate methane, a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide. This is why landfill is often the hardest sector to tackle and why, to the best of our knowledge and staff, no other council in Australia has achieved net zero when they have had landfills. However, despite not meeting our targets, gas. This report also confirms that a mistake is not this mission. We have been on this journey for over 20 years as a recognised leader of both in Queensland and nationally. Since 2016, we have achieved a genuine Since 2016, we have achieved a genuine 19% reduction in operational emissions to practical and impactful projects such as large-scale solar installations, battery storage at critical sites like evacuation centres, LED lighting upgrades, green waste diversion and increased gas storage at the landfill. These actions have delivered not only emissions reductions but also electricity cost savings and resilience benefits for both council and community. By the metrics of the widely accepted social cost of carbon, these actions have also already avoided millions of dollars in damage to society. The recommendation before you today is also one of integrity. We could buy third party offsets to claim neutrality on paper. We are recommending against this as we are choosing not to outsource our responsibility. The offset market also currently faces integrity and availability. The offset market also currently faces integrity and availability challenges. Industry best practice is very clear. We must prioritise reducing emissions at the source before releasing offsets. That is why we recommend prioritising That direct is why we recommend prioritising direct investment and here in Noosa, tackling waste resource challenges, restoring local ecosystem, cleaning local air pollution, and supporting the community with a circular and sustainable economy. Notably, this report only addresses Council's organizational emissions, whilst we still have the net zero target for community emissions, also by 2026. In partnership with Zero Emissions Noosa Incorporated and other community organizations, we will aim to work closely together to bring clarity to the emissions reduction effort for community, including an updated calculation of its emissions profile and potentially new resilience funding opportunities next financial year. We are currently developing We are currently developing a new science-based climate-positive investment roadmap to return to you early in the new year. This will be a long-term plan with ambitious, yet achievable targets, and where net zero will only be one step in the turn. The plan will aim to accelerate direct emissions reduction, particularly at the landfill, and in keeping with our endorsed list of resources. It will fast-track clean energy and fleet electrification, support supply chain decarbonization, and invest in local carbon removal projects that restore biodiversity and deliver co-benefits for our community. Importantly, it will be paired with a clear investment strategy that prioritises actions based on cost effectiveness and cost efficiency. It outlines the resources required to deliver it and identifies innovative and alternative finance opportunities to responsibly scale the investment required. Councillors, this is the moment to reaffirm our direction. Climate just action is no longer an environmental responsibility. Climate action is no longer just an environmental responsibility. It is a governance responsibility, a financial responsibility, a disaster risk responsibility, and an intergenerational responsibility. We have a moral imperative to the most vulnerable in Noosa. We have a moral imperative to the most vulnerable in Noosa and to the youth of the Shire to move forward with the strength of our resolve, knowing that the cost of inaction is a price we cannot afford to pay, and knowing that leadership from local governments like ours is essential for the collective effort required to address the scale of the challenge the collective effort requires. SPEAKER_09 32:51.573
To address the scale of the challenge. Amelia Lorentson 32:56.293
Questions around the tidal place. I might speak to it, just because this question is too long. Tom Wegener 33:11.133
When at the tourism news at AGM, they had somebody speaking about tourism news to AGM and somebody speaks. about tourism and threats to tourism and one of the threats came up as insurance. We've had the insurance agencies and they say that the peak bodies come and speak to us and they say that climate change is very real. And to them, the climate change is very real where they make the decisions about what your premium should be around Australia and around Noosa. they take climate risk into account. they take climate and they say that So if you may deny climate change, but it's very hard to deny that rates are going up in response to climate change in decision making. But the key thing was I bring this up because I asked them how about Noosa Shire where we take climate change very seriously and we're adapting to that. And they said yes, you will have lesser insurance premiums here because you are already You will have lesser insurance premiums here because you are already on top of what we're worried about. And so for me, what we're worried about was, for me, coming from them, was undeniably evidence that we are on the opposite track. Evidence that we are on the opposite track. a couple of y 'all. Imagine if we saved a couple of dollars off everybody's insurance policy here in Noosa. Well, this whole program would pay for itself instantly. I'm so happy that this, but I don't think people really realise that. out-of-pocket expenses and insurance are tied to our climate change response program here in Noosa Council. that arc, they're daily. Amelia Lorentson 34:48.947
It would be great to see Noosa back. It would be great to see Noosa back. We certainly can with adaptation and resilience initiatives. We certainly can with adaptation and resilience initiatives. Mitigation would be harder to do, but it's something we can take on notice and get back to you on whether that can be measured. Because every ton of green greenhouse gases that we emit into that has an impact on society, but it's a global impact. SPEAKER_09 35:25.226
And so trying to bounce that back to the Noosa level to understand how that has affected can an effective insurance premium would be challenging, but we can move into it. active insurance premiums. But also just the awareness. Amelia Lorentson 35:38.346
I'm going to start with why only half of the money allocated for remissions has been left to us in the last 15 years. The last 10 years, I think the report notes that half of the... So I think the report makes that half of the 4.06 million emissions per capita is left, instance, by given that it is... SPEAKER_02 36:11.985
There's a combination of factors. So there's been an annual budget allocated for emissions reduction for a number of years, essentially since we've had the strategy in place. And a combination of... A combination of issues in terms of why some of the foot budgets haven't been spent in each full year, including needing to do asset assessments where we've gone to put solar on roof and then during the investigations realised that roofs need replacing or power boards and switchboards need replacing. So it's created other projects that need to be done. Other projects that need to be done before solar projects are going to be done which has delayed programs and pushed programs across multiple years. As part of our budget, normal budget considerations, unspent funds and carried forward funds are considered at each budget year on merits and decisions whether or not they're rolled forward or carried forward or not are made on an annual basis. is that we've had an honour. through a number of years where unspent funds in the zero emissions budget hasn't been carried forward because of priorities or issues that are considered as part of that budget each year and that varied depending on what the priorities of that particular budget were. So that's been some considerations of it. We've also had some staffing resources. We've had some staffing and resourcing changes in the program over the years. So, you know, a combination of issues, a combination of lack of best efforts and prioritisation of this program. and prioritise that. And I might just add to that that the issue of admissions is systemic. The issue of admissions has an impact and has an associated impact. Footprint. So it requires more than just one branch. It requires more than just one branch. It requires the whole of organisation as one. SPEAKER_09 38:19.254
We believe that we have learned from the challenges and successes in the past ten years of effort. There is an amazing understanding and level of awareness within council staff now. And we think we can leverage that in our next major push to reduce emissions. which is a major push to reduce emissions in the next few years. Amelia Lorentson 38:47.278
So you mentioned resourcing. Again, I think that would be stated. There's one staff that I would encourage to you. There's one staff that I would encourage to you. Again, something of such high importance. Kim Rawlings 39:06.909
Why are we, again, slightly already given the, again, the high Over the years we've put forward for additional staff and resources for this program and they haven't been allocated through the budget as a result of competing priorities, Councillor Lorentson. So this year, this last year we've been able to put some temporary resources to try and boost the program, but like all programs in a relatively medium to small sized council, it's been about competing priorities at each budget. So yes this has been an important program, there are a number of important programs in the council. So it's been managing different priorities through budgets, but it's not through not having requested additional resources. So it's just, it's been a number of important things. But it's not through not having requested additional resources. And the baseline has increased by a fault. Should we have updated the 2026? Should we have updated the 2026? Should we have made this a road target? Updated the 2026, made this a road target, and we may be, my question is, and maybe my question is, when do you have discovered an increase in, in fact, fault error? Amelia Lorentson 40:26.896
So it So increased it increased five by-fold since when we set our net zero strategy in 2016 and first did a baseline carbon footprint. We knew that it would increase within six to twelve months, but our, there was decisions made at the time, which I'm not going to, that they'd stick to the, we'd stick to the 2026 target. And to try and scale our effort in responding to it, I believe, and, yeah, so, whether or not we should have or shouldn't have, it's definitely a lesson learned that we've reflected on in the report that should should we understand that our baseline emissions increases due to new accounting methodologies or better data collection, then we will do our best to scale our effort. And do our best to scale our effort and reflect a target that is still achievable. SPEAKER_06 41:29.954
I'm happy to move. Brian Stockwell 41:38.594
Firstly, this is a report about not meeting the target. And does that surprise you? This target was set on the base of political positions. The Mayor in Canberra in 2016 and myself both went to that election saying we want to be net zero by in 10 years time. It was based on It was based on a need to accelerate not on council's focus on this issue, not on the level of analysis we now put into it. So I'm surprised that the stretch target didn't meet. Tom Wegener 42:14.825
Am I happy with what we have done? Brian Stockwell 42:18.805
Yes, I think we are taking good steps. Tom Wegener 42:20.385
Do I think we've done as much as we should have? Brian Stockwell 42:24.625
Definitely not. There has been a massive There has been a massive vacuum of leadership, both at a political level and executive level. As the Director said, we've... We've made decisions about urgent over the strategic costs of not taking action to climate change. And in the report in the finance section you see that our current emissions are valued at costing the global community 17.8 million dollars a year. Even a conservative estimate. Patrick Murphy 42:58.108
That's... And why hasn't it happened? Even a conservative estimate. Brian Stockwell 43:00.708
It's a typical spiral. And why hasn't it happened? It's a typical spiral. We have a thing called the 2019... 2019-20 bushfire season. Climate-induced catastrophes on our doorstep where we had to evacuate most of Tewantin. SPEAKER_05 43:14.460
And then we had the 2022 floods... And then we had to recover from that. And then we had the 2022 floods where I had... And then we had the 2022 floods where I had 1,500 millimetres of rain on my roof in three days. Another climate-induced emergency. And across the globe, it is a pattern. And as organisations such as ours try and struggle to adapt and become more resilient to those, it is difficult to keep on saying what we... keep on saying what we all know, which is the cheapest time to take action is now. The cost of the impacts by waiting for longer far outweigh the benefits. And that's something that I hope this Council makes a really solid commitment early next year when we look at what's going to be involved. Because other Councils have, you know, when we did this in 2016 we were a leader. When we declared a climate emergency it wasn't just a press release, it was an understanding that this is an emergency in 2019. And since then a lot of Councils have taken more action. For example, Newcastle. They did what we hoped to do or proposed to investigate. We're currently investigating our landfill. They built a five megawatts solar farm on a landfill gas and wind turbine which created a renewable hub on an old coal landfill. It delivered 420,000 revenue in the first six months and during and exported energy during the 2020 bushfires strengthening grid resilience and it supports a growing EV network of 34 charging ports powered by renewables. A really good example of all the things we're currently looking at that we should yeah I would have to see steps in that direction in our next budget. If you look at power purchasing agreements and we've had multiple opportunities to make the decision of buying green power but since we started looking at that almost all Victorian councils have adopted Renewable power purchasing agreements and 75% of New South Wales councils. Cairns in North Queensland had a policy of 100% renewable and they've got a long-term power purchasing agreement and it was the most cost-effective path for them. So we have got opportunities to accelerate and what it's really important to understand, I understand that the Queensland Government today is considering whether to drop their own target. We're not dropping a target, we're saying we're not meeting it. We're saying that perhaps we were too ambitious in 2016 but there is still an urgent need to take action. Early next year I am confident we won't be using modelling from the consultants of the coal industry to try and make the absurd claim that coal is a cheap form of energy. We'll be looking at how we accelerate our local action in a way that's economically rational. when considering the long-term impacts on this community so I support the staff's report I thank them for being really open and honest about what we have done and what we haven't done and what the issues are and I look forward to us once again in 2026 setting a direction that will once again put Noosa towards the head of the PAC. SPEAKER_06 46:48.980
I'd like to thank the staff for the report. It's very comprehensive, very detailed. Back in 2016 we set a target which we knew was ambitious at the time and setting the target, setting a direction is the easiest part of the effort. Then the work begins. It was an ambitious target but we have benefited from learning a lot about emissions and Council's operations as a result of that aspiration. Frank Wilkie 47:21.077
We would not have learned anywhere near as much had the goal been far less ambitious. Just because the discovery of our emissions went jump from about 10,000 tonnes a year through better knowledge to about 50,000 tonnes a year, through what we learned about the contribution that the... contribution that the landfill makes, about half of our emissions comes from the landfill. SPEAKER_06 47:45.855
We're faced with an even greater challenge but we're still facing that challenge and we're still determined to push on. We are playing our part in the global shift towards non-polluting technologies and our rate payers are reaping the benefit to cost saving efficiencies and the benefits that come through that. Yes, big city councils like Newcastle and Cairns have already put in place programs that we are aspiring to and are still in the planning phase for Noosa Council. We are looking at solar, we are looking at composting, biochar, other diversion programs at our landfill facility that will help us reduce our emissions. We were one of the first councils, we were the first council in Queensland to introduce green organics kerbside collection. Which also dropped our emissions from the landfill. The methane producing material was no longer going into the landfill. So we have been leading the way. There is more work to do. We're not going to meet the 2026 target, but I think it was the right thing to do to set that ambitious target and work towards it, even though we knew there was a five-fold increase. in emissions that we were aiming at. So, thank you very much for all the work you've done in this field. It is very complicated. The detail in this report, I'll probably need a few more days to fully understand the calculations, but I appreciate that it's there as a record for anyone who's interested in this ambitious journey. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the the what you're coming back with us as to how we can address our the roadmap. Is that what it's called? And I'm sure that it will involve a lot of projects out of our Waste to Resource Recovery Centre and investing in that is something all councillors have said. that is something all councillors have said they would support and there are great benefits to come from that. So thank you very much. Amelia Lorentson 50:06.324
In terms of the climate investment roadmap, Cheyenne, will it be developed with external consultation? Can you explain what that process is going to look like? SPEAKER_02 50:22.546
We're not proposing to put that investment roadmap in its development out to the community. It's about investment and budget decisions of Council's operations, so it's development no, however it's been however it's been informed by feedback we've received through a raft of strategy development on these issues as we use that information to inform all of the development of plans. but it's and strategies so we draw on that information whether it's liveability survey, corporate plan, destination management, all those forms of consultation. Those conversations about the plan and and how it's then endorsed, adopted or considered will need to occur with council, Councillor Lorentson. Thank you very much. Amelia Lorentson 51:17.814
In terms of a little bit of history, I actually asked an ex-councillor about, you know, about who pushed this organisational emissions and brought us into this really important space with climate change. And credit where credit's due, and it was the previous mayor of Noosa Shire Council, Councillor Tony Wellington. And I think what, I think I spoke just before in terms of I think I spoke just before in terms of reusable single-use coffee cups. You need drivers, and those drivers should start at the top. So in 2016, we had Mayor Tony Wellington driving. He was driving everything in the space of climate change, and I've got a list of just a whole bunch of things that he did. Again, credit where credit's due. And also part of my little investigation is I also understand under our local government act that the understanding of what's considered perpetual succession, that once council makes a decision, it stands in perpetuity. And I love that. So we need to absolutely step up this. This is critical and it's got to be driven from the top. SPEAKER_09 52:45.948
As council staff, we are incredibly grateful for the previous council for setting such an ambitious target. We believe that is not in dispute therefore our resolve to continue this mission should not be in dispute. SPEAKER_06 53:12.840
Question, you mentioned in the report that councils on track to meet its target for all council facilities to be 100% renewable by 2026 which is a far less ambitious target, but have we set out to be able to achieve that? But what has to be done before we, there's a little bit left to go before that's achieved, what's left to be done? SPEAKER_02 53:40.496
It's just working through the final stages with procurement and finance to set the budget aside for that, so purchasing LGCs essentially. So rather than going through retailer there's options to buy LGCs from the market which could be more cost effective for council and achieve the same result of being net zero for our electricity usage. SPEAKER_09 54:04.010
As well as investigating and putting plans in place for a PPA for a more long term and then the solar and batteries at the resource recovery centre to be able to offset our electricity emissions. Amelia Lorentson 54:21.904
I'll speak just very quickly on the report. The report calls the last decade a positive journey but I think the reality as we've just discussed is a little bit more complicated. Half the emissions budget wasn't spent, the base baseline target later turned out to be five times higher and the resources behind the program weren't enough for the scale of the task. But I'm going to repeat the incredible quote that Cheyenne just said. That's not, failure is not when you set yourself an ambitious target and aim for the moon, land on the stars, that's still one step forward and we're opening the conversation, we're learning from the past and I think that that's the opportunity. Again, I'll just reiterate, you need strong leadership because even good plans struggle to get done and there's someone driving the programs and again, it starts at the top. In terms of the new climate positive investment roadmap, I'm really excited about that and an absolute positive step in the right direction provided we learn from the past. and and again, this is, you know, the report's not about blame, it's just about total transparency and openness with the community. And again, opportunity, we've got the opportunity, we've got the expertise here in council. Again, we just need to enable you to do your job. Thank you. SPEAKER_06 56:13.034
And it's worth noting that when we set the target in 2016 it wasn't even on this council. Amelia Lorentson 56:21.880
Any further discussion? I will close. Yeah, Brian Stockwell 56:25.920
I think there's some really good points. And while I was, and always will, be frustrated that how society is so slow to react as a general, I do acknowledge that there is a unanimous commitment amongst councils and executive staff to do as good as we can. It is a difficult exercise to balance competing urgent needs with those that are the bird in the hand versus the two in the bush sort of thing. One part that we have benefited from is by leading, as Councillor Wilkie, a lot of the councils have gone down this path quicker than us have got much larger budgets the bigger ones and a number of those have had previously claimed carbon neutrality or zero emissions as a result of buying offsets and they've walked away from that so one of the benefits of being more thoughtful is that we haven't gone down to the the road where it's cost our ratepayers a whole lot of money for offsets which are now coming into question as to their the veracity and in the report we talk about the staff have made that decision that they won't be recommending that sort of offset buying just to get to that 2026 target and I think it's really important. 26 target and I think it's really important that we say yes we agree with that approach. I'd love to see a scheme that was both cancelled and but also grants and incentives. I'd love to see all of the lands that prone really steep land in our hinterland with trees all over them funded as carbon offsets. It would be a wonderful outcome and probably the cheapest outcome in terms of having meaningful local offsets. So. While I won't protect anything I said, I do think from our level we could have driven harder. I do think it has been constrained by the fact that we're trying to address future emergencies in the middle of repeated emergencies. And I do think that the process we've led for the adoption of the new target, the new form of action has been excellent. The level of advice we've received in a series of speakers who have are at the top of their field in the world, IPCC members, Deloitte's, we have a really advanced level of understanding now of both the urgency and what is required and why it makes sense. who Amelia Lorentson 58:58.280
No further discussion? All in favour? That's unanimous. Thank you. So now we want to item report, sorry, 7.3, for consideration by the committee, Walton Patrick to the desk. And I'll ask if you can give us a summary of the item, which is... The Planning and Environment Court Appeal D114 of 2025 for minor change to development permit for material change of use for a duplex dwelling at 1/27 Duke Street, Sunshine Beach. Patrick Murphy 59:54.150
Thank you. So this report recommends that Council defend a recently lodged appeal against the refusal under delegation of the additions to an existing duplex development at 27 Duke Street. One of the units, number one of 27 Duke Street, is seeking further additions. When the original development was approved, it was under the 1990 planning scheme which committed a plot ratio of 0.45 to 1 and was approved at the maximum plot ratio. Since that time the scheme has changed to 0.4. This proposal is seeking that the plot ratio would be at least 0.54 to 1, so significantly over what was originally approved, significantly over the current allowance of the Noosa Plan. Accordingly it was refused and as I said the report recommends that Council... Dependent bill. Amelia Lorentson 01:00:55.520
Questions around the table? Councillor Stockwell? Brian Stockwell 01:00:59.180
Just clarifying, we can't really talk about the substance of this particular case. That's correct. So I'll move to direct staff recommendation. Amelia Lorentson 01:01:07.640
Seconded by Councillor Wegener. Brian Stockwell 01:01:09.580
I will talk in general terms. We've had a series of appeals which relate to individual dwelling... to individual dwellings or dwelling units seeking to push the Noosa Plan well beyond its accepted limits. It is very disappointing. that we are now in an era not of fighting appeals on large developments that are overscaled but individuals who are attracted to Noosa because we've been forced to plan over 30 years and think that that shouldn't apply. Amelia Lorentson 01:01:53.660
Any further discussion before we put this to a vote? Tom Wegener 01:01:58.720
What is this, you know, sticking to the code and I love Captain Captain Barbosa, you know, stick to the code from the Pirates of the Caribbean. So, you know, please carry on with upholding our planning scheme. Amelia Lorentson 01:02:19.164
Can I add maybe a more, a quote from when I first came to council, it was one of our great managers downstairs and he had this big poster, death by thousands. Can I? Death by a thousand cuts and that's really stuck with me throughout my whole term and the more time I spend in council, the more that I really understand what that means. True. SPEAKER_06 01:02:45.402
And look, it's been said many-- And look, it's been said many times that about 96%, an average of 96% of all development applications that come to council are approved because they understand the Noosa planning scheme. Applicants that work with campaign staff and councillors get the approvals they need. This one is oversize. It's very clearly-- Oversize. Clearly, yeah. It can't be supported. Of course, we're going to defend the appeal. Thank you. Brian Stockwell 01:03:15.380
I will close, because I love that there's 5,000 quotes to quote. And the other way of saying-- I think it was just 5,000 cuts. SPEAKER_06 01:03:23.960
I think it was 5,000 quotes. That's when I speak. The other way is tyranny of many small decisions. And we've seen coastal town after coastal town who wouldn't defend. Their scheme, as much as we did, being the result of tyranny of many small decisions that resulted in the loss of their character. That's why Noosa Council does defend each decision where we think the applicant has gone beyond what-- Amelia Lorentson 01:04:03.560
Thank you. Great discussion, great commentary around the table. All in favour? Thank you. Patrick, I think you're still here. So we're now up to item 7.4, either change to an existing or auditory change of use, expansion of special purpose waste disposal and recycling facility and ongoing clearing-- Facility and ongoing clearing purposes, Noosa, Doonan, Dan, hand it over to you, maybe director, Richard MacGillivray. We've got SPEAKER_05 01:04:46.606
Matt here, assessment planner is going to run us through. Yes, thank you everyone. Yes, so this application for another change to the existing approval for material change of use, special purpose for waste disposal and recycling facility, it followed a code assessment process and had the same rigor of assessment as any other application that council would have before them. The application seeks to streamline and modernize the existing facility through the stage Through the stage demolition, relocation and construction of existing facilities, including two-way bridges, one for public use and one for commercial operators. The redevelopment of the waste trans- The redevelopment of the waste transfer station, and the relocation of the Reviva shop with outdoor display and storage area, and an enhanced configuration and minor expansion of the existing clean-away. depot. The plans of the development have been prepared by an architectural and urban design firm, and the minor expansion of the clean-away depot includes the clearing of category X vegetation immediately to the east and west of the depot, and the proposal plan showed that a high-value tree is being retained in the clean-away depot car parking area. The proposed clearing triggers state planning policy and environmental offset requirements, and the proposed pros clearing retains a substantial buffer, like a vegetation buffer, along Eumundi Noosa Road. The design includes a number of safety improvements. That address workplace health and safety matters associated with the operation of the facility, and that includes the waste transfer station, Reviva shop, and Cleanaway depot. designed and sited to improve traffic flow and safety to increase capacity within the site. The new access lead-in road will reduce queuing near the existing having been Eumundi-Noosa Road access with provision made for the two separate way bridges, one for the general public use and the second for the commercial use to separate heavy vehicles from the public. vehicles from the public vehicles within the site. The relocation of the Reviva shop towards the north. It provides a space for the new waste transfer station, which will provide increased waste bins for disposal of different waste streams in a managed environment, improving traffic flow and safety and increasing the amount of recycling that can occur in the facility. There will be separation from the patrons attending the Reviva shop and patrons attending the new waste transfer station. They have a designated separate parking area. The new design of the waste transfer station limits the amount of pedestrian connectivity for patrons within the site and segregates customers using the facility from endangers such as forklifts and trucks servicing the facility. There's enhanced safety within the expanded Cleanaway depot that includes internal configuration improvements with some more on-site manoeuvreing provided and a designated and separated truck parking area for the cleaning. the Cleanaway trucks on the eastern side of the drainage line with a dedicated pedestrian walkway provided beside the existing road crossing. There was a question during the briefing about the staging of the works so I'll just talk to that. There is staging proposed for the construction of the development. To minimise the disruption on the site which is to remain operational during works in accordance with the construction management plan and goes generally as follows. Stage one will involve the construction of the new roads and weighbridge paths with the relocated weighbridges for the separated commercial and general public. use being provided. The existing weighbridge is to remain in place to allow the continued operation of the facility in the interim. Stage two is the expansion of the clean away public. Of the Cleanaway depot and relocation of the contractor office, wash bay and other facilities to allow clean away to function as required with dedicated truck parking within the resource recovery area to the east. Stage three is the construction of the new Reviva shop and outdoor sales yard towards the north and finally stage four is the relocation of the existing weigh bridge, removal of the existing Reviva shop and construction of the new waste transfer station to the north of the existing waste transfer area. area. So the compliance and assessment of the application it generally complies area. With all the applicable statutory instruments and the key matters of the assessment. Included the proposed gross floor area of individual buildings, the proposed length of the building walls and the provision of car parking. So that generally sums up the proposal and we recommend it for approval Thank you Matthew. Amelia Lorentson 01:10:43.004
Given Council's both the applicant and assessor, can you just sort of explain to us how we've ensured that the assessment in front of us is objective? SPEAKER_05 01:10:54.184
Yeah, so we have a third party consultant acting on Council's behalf. There's a separation between the two parts of Council. So the planning consultant is representing our waste team so all communication has been through the planning consultant who's launched the application on behalf of Council and coordinated the documentation and officers have undertaken an independent assessment consistent with how any other application would be assessed. Yeah. Amelia Lorentson 01:11:24.554
Thank you. Questions around the table? Tom Wegener 01:11:28.804
Tom. The time frame's up. Yeah. How soon can we get this really going? And the reason, of course, is... Brian Stockwell 01:11:36.524
On the border. Okay. Council's talking as the applicant, not as the assessor. Amelia Lorentson 01:11:44.584
Sorry, I need a little bit of clarity. Oh, sorry, he's asking about a project that the applicant, we're here as the assessor. I think it confuses the matter if we start talking around this table when we're assessing a development application about our role as the applicant. SPEAKER_06 01:11:59.555
You're talking about us as the construction man. As opposed to assessing the construction. Brian Stockwell 01:12:08.075
I can ask the Director, you have that. Patrick Murphy 01:12:10.555
Yes, yeah, through the Chair. Yeah, so our role in particular, in regards to the setback, we're the assessment authority, so our role with this hat on today is the assessing authority, so we're here to make the assessment decision. We have other hats as well that we wear, but in terms of the decision we're making today, our role is the assessment authority, and therefore I guess the focus of the discussion today should be on the role as the assessment manager as opposed to the project manager. Amelia Lorentson 01:12:42.276
So maybe I can help you rephrase the question, Councillor Wegener. If the development application is ratified at our ordinary meeting, in terms of the currency period for the development application, how long is that and when can we expect? Patrick Murphy 01:13:00.746
Um how long is the currency period yeah yeah have you got that yeah well it's a continuation of the use because the use is established there's no you can't lapse that approval um i know the comments that have been made it might be that these are questions that the could relevant be asked to director of a future point in time a briefing provided to council around the time frame of the works we might just pause that and just any further questions around the table you mentioned 500 non-juvenile koala habitat trees to be planted in the offset at a ratio of six to one where will the where will the offset offset take take place place occur? SPEAKER_01 01:13:51.598
So native foresters is working for the applicant regarding the ecological works in collaboration with Noosa Council's offset delivery team has identified a suitable offset site within the Noosa Council area at a particular location 304 Lake Flat Road, Katharabah. Okay, thank you. Um, I think that's probably not for the assessment team to provide that information. We've got a different hat on. Okay, in terms of the koala habitat trees, there are 240 being cleared. Um, how does clearing in a koala priority area meet state performance outcomes? So, for impacts on regulated vegetation, um, the majority of the vegetation that's been cleared is category X. Um, so for threatened species and koala habitat, this, this stage of the purge... This stage of the project will result in the loss of about 240 non-juvenile koala habitat trees in a proprietary, uh, in a proprietary, um, priority koala area. So clearing of non-juvenile habitat trees is considered a significant residual impact, uh, to a matter of the State environmental significance. Um, as the site is identified as koala priority, but not core, it's triggered for assessment. against the State code 25. Um, as part of the application, council officers have assessed against those triggers, um, as for code 25. Um, and in summary, the code sort of talks about, um, three areas to be considered. So being, has the clearing been reasonably avoided or can it be avoided? Um, has Um, has the clearing been reasonably minimised or it cannot be reasonably avoided? And has the clearing been mitigated, um, through offsets? Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 01:15:59.192
And that assessment's been done through state and they've given it all clear? SPEAKER_01 01:16:04.152
Um, the State, because it's category X, the State has, has, um, no assessment of that. So that's devolved to, um, council and council's undertaken that assessment. That's devolved to, um, council. Councillor Stockwell. Brian Stockwell 01:16:15.198
So it might be worthwhile, category X is at what level? Like we have endangered of concern and then? Category X is, is, is, is... SPEAKER_01 01:16:27.149
Um, so the definition category X vegetation primarily under the Queensland Vegetation Management Act refers to areas where clearing is generally considered exempt, um, or accepted development. Um, So. Brian Stockwell 01:16:46.339
For the purposes of mapping, it would come up as white, it wouldn't be identified it's one seed tree. It's one that is really when they're very, very hungry is my understanding. I think the first time that that was ever recorded was back after the clearing, the initial clearing for Noosa Springs when we found it. I think it was first noticed in Noosa of anywhere. Um, the higher quality trees in that regional ecosystem and what would have been there prior to it being clear felled in the forties or fifties, whenever it was, um. is the Eucalyptus racemosa, the scribbly gum. Um, I know you mentioned that one of those significant ones has been retained. How many of those actually high quality quality trees are we losing? Have we got a number on that? SPEAKER_01 01:17:41.342
Um, we might need to come back to that. I believe it's, I think it's, I believe it's about six of those major trees with that one being kept within the within the car park and having a protection zone around its around its own there. Amelia Lorentson 01:17:56.281
So you spoke about one of the criteria was it can't be avoided. What other alternatives were considered as part of the SPEAKER_01 01:18:10.960
So essentially the the State Code 25 has a range of performance outcomes that need to be to be looked at and addressed. I guess given the given the site and the constraints of the site it's very difficult to avoid any vegetation clearing with an expansion like this. So, um... looking at the next two steps which would be to be reasonably minimise the effects of clearing and I think this the reporting sort of looks at how the extent of clearing has been reduced to increase that 30 metre buffer in that north-south direction which has ticked that box for minimising clearing on the site and then further to that... mitigating the impacts by providing those offsets and to add I mean the development is primarily using the existing footprint disturbed area so some minor expansion with the... expansion with the vegetation in close proximity to those existing areas has resulted in some residual clearing. Amelia Lorentson 01:19:19.513
Thank you. Any further questions around the table Mr. Stockwell? Brian Stockwell 01:19:33.400
We're dealing with an application here that's for a purpose that is consistent with the zoning. There is a small area around the north-west of the site that will have some additional clearing and that is not in the... in the endangered remnant section. The Press: Thank you, Mr. President. We know that the applicant is also council and we would, if we weren't, the applicant take into consideration that this applicant has declared a whole lot of this particular lot to Nature Refuge to ensure nature conservation outcomes and the commitment to further offset that loss, I think... is a good outcome because the need to bring our waste recovery facilities up to standard which this is part of a much broader precinct plan in. The environmental benefits of achieving that outcome probably far outweigh the loss, the temporary loss of the vegetation along the edge of this area which probably if we built to the edge of the car park we would do as exempt for fire purposes. Amelia Lorentson 01:20:55.000
Discussion? Around the table? No? Okay. So we'll put that to a vote. All in favour? Thank you. That's unanimous. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. SPEAKER_05 01:21:06.620
Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 01:21:08.800
And we now move to reports for noting by the committee and item 8.1. Planning applications decided by delegated authority. And I'll hand it over to Patrick. Thank you. Patrick Murphy 01:21:29.285
Yeah, so this is the decisions that were made by delegated authority for the month of October in 2025. From here before, a good spread of applications, another consistent month from the team with all the decisions under delegation being approved this month for October. Amelia Lorentson 01:21:55.255
Questions around the table? SPEAKER_06 01:21:57.175
No short-term accommodations. No short-term questions. Amelia Lorentson 01:22:06.620
Any further questions around the table? There was just an interesting one there about removal of an environmental component which got my radar going and I'm questioning... I found out that it was a perverse use of an environmental component to achieve a bushfire protection area buffer, which we wouldn't do these days, so it's not about losing environmental values by that action, so I support... No further discussion. Can I have a mover and a seconder, please? Thank you, Councillor Wegener. And a seconder? Happy to second. No further discussion. All in favour? Thank you. So we're now moving to the last matter, which is confidential session item 9.1, not for public release, environment levy proposed land purchase. So... I'm going to move that this item is referred to confidential session, and we might close the meeting with a confidential century levy. Can I have a seconder, please? Thank you. Councillor Wegener. All in favour, please? Thank you. Brian Stockwell 01:45:57.040
Refer to the General Committee for further consideration. Related Noosa Council Meetings
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