Adoption Of Destination Management Plan

And we'll ask staff as normal to give us an outline overview of the document thanks Councillors um Councillors today we are recommending to you the adoption of the Destination Management Plan is a combination of many years of extensive community and stakeholder engagement technical analysis and collaborative development the DMP provides a long-term 10-year horizon evidence-based framework to ensure noosa's natural assets lifestyle and experiences can be enjoyed for generations come it responds to the needs and aspirations of our residents businesses Traditional Custodians and visitors and reflects the strong message heard throughout consultation Noosa is a place we love and protecting liveability is essential to our economy our well-being and our shared future the plan seeks to strengthen foundations of a thriving and sustainable visitor economy one that supports local jobs respects community expectation and safeguards our environment that underpins noosa's identity whilst ensuring that our community is at its heart it positions Council partners to proactively plan for change manage pressures and plan for and leverage opportunities for our destination including in the lead-up to the Olympics DMP aims to identify actions to help address the challenges bought by noosa's growing popularities such as population growth increased visitation changing travel behaviours and the increasing impacts of climate change on our destination it seeks to redefine the role of tourism in noosa's future ensuring it supports and protects the environment lifestyle and values while contributing to a thriving economy whilst these challenges are not unique to Noosa the way we choose to respond to them can be through consultation our community has consistently called for a stronger more proactive approach to managing these issues an approach that is bold and forward-looking one that redefines the role of tourism in shaping and places noosa's lifestyle environment community and identity at its heart the plan has been shaped through extensive community engagement and is tailor-made for Noosa with overwhelming support 75% of all respondents supported the draft vision in the DMP across all age groups and geographical locations the message was clear build on our strong environmental foundations put our community at its heart and shift towards a regenerative tourism model one that leaves Noosa better than we found it with around three over 3,000 responses across two phases of community engagement the DMP is structured around four guiding principles. Our community leading the way living our values and tourism for good it see it seeks to strengthen existing initiatives that are underway and align and introduce new and bold initiatives including new areas of focus around day visitation management establishing a joint customer custodian program hinterland regeneration and establishing this Destination Stewardship Council the DMP is a long-term plan it has a 10-year horizon success will take time and is only achievable through collective commitment and effort its success depends on a number of factors strong leadership and sustained to bold action increased investment to accelerate priorities effective advocacy with a clear plan to influence policy and decision-making strategic partnerships with business government and community to ensure alignment and shared direction and importantly regular monitoring and evaluation and checking in with our community to stay on track adapt and improve as plan needed includes a high-level Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and is supported by a draft initial three-year rolling implementation plan that outlines what we aim to achieve how we will get there and how we will measure success the drafting draft implementation plan sits alongside the DMP and is intended to be reviewed regularly and updated it is intended to provide transparency and accountability while providing flexibility to monitor learn and adapt as we go a key tenet of the DMP to establish a Destination Stewardship Council to bring together people and organisations with the capacity to help deliver on the DMP it is intended once that this group is established they will play a key role in refining and overseeing the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and the implementation plan to help guide the tracking of progress managing risks and ensuring resources are aligned to the plans intent. It's important to note that this strategy won't and can't do everything. It sits alongside other equally important documents that Council has endorsed. Council's Corporate Plan, our smart biosphere economic development strategy, our Environment Strategy and many other key strategies. Each of these documents align and work together to provide clear strategic direction for our Shire and community. The D & team has been D &P is considered a contemporary approach to destination management that seeks to ensure noosa's values and iconic status are preserved. It puts our community and their values at its heart. This means what's important to our community, including a strong and supportive and supported economy maintaining our enduring commitment to our incredible and significant environment and prioritising our community's wellbeing and ensuring the people we welcome here know and respect these priorities too. As mentioned this is a long-term plan and vision. It will take shared commitment, partnerships and investment. No doubt we will learn and adapt along the way. The supporting Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and draft implementation plan are designed to enable us to do this. The most important thing now is to have a plan that clear in its intent and vision and strategy, supported by our community, and in this context I am very pleased to commend this important report and plan to Council.

Amelia Lorentson31:17

Thank you Mr Chair. I'd like to move an alternate motion. Is that one just emailed? Thank you. That Council note the draft Noosa Destination Management Plan and the submission received acknowledges the need for further analysis and refinement and defers adoption of the current draft to the April 2026 April round of meetings and be engaged a suitably qualified independent destination management professional to finalise the 10-year Destination Management Plan.

Karen Finzel250:17

Yes, I'd like to just please test this. I did circulate it but it was probably not intended due to circumstances. My apologies. Thank you. That item JB added to read, endorse the establishment of a Destination Stewardship Council as a priority action to support implementation of Destination Management Plan with its purpose to provide oversight, monitoring and evaluation, guidance and transparency. A terms of reference be prepared outlining the process for establishing and stewardship Council and report back to Council for consideration is provided as the first priority following adoption of the Destination Management Plan. I'm happy to take that. I'll get it before. Thank you. I think a pivotal, really important part of this conversation is the destination and stewardship Council, especially in support of another level of governance to a surety also to the community that there is really strict and strong frameworks around transparency, providing opportunity for another level of governance around that. So it's proposed as an advisory body to provide oversight, guidance and accountability for the implementation of the DMP. The DSC as a collective, in my opinion, plays a critical stewardship role, ensuring that tourism in Noosa is managed in a way that aligns with community values, protects environmental and cultural assets and supports long-term wellbeing. It is understood that the DSC's purpose is assist guiding noosa's transition towards regenerative tourism consistent with their identity as a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a destination that is Different by Nature. The Council provides a forum organisations and stakeholders come together to support shared learning, transparency and adaptive decision making. Through its oversight of the monitoring, evaluation and learning framework and the rolling implementation plan, the DSC will help ensure that the DMP remains relevant, evidence based and responsive to emerging challenges and opportunities. As outlined in the Council report and DMP, one of the first roles of the Destination Stewardship Council will be to refine and oversee the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. The and rolling three-year end implementation plan. Ensuring that strategic goals are being achieved, risks are actively managed, and resourcing requirements are identified progress will be reported to Council supporting an adaptive approach that allows Noosa to test ideas, learn from experience, and continuously improve how tourism contributes to community, environment, and economy. Given this important role, in my opinion, prioritising the establishment of this stewardship Council is, if not the most important action before us today.

Karen Finzel282:59

Think I want to just say thank you to everybody who's contributed. It's been a big journey and today has been really finished that off with another big journey. I love this idea that we can be proactive in the best of our ability and our capacity to action something that can at least move us forward. Noosa is not just a place people visit. It's a place we love. It lives in our daily rituals. Our morning swims, our school drop-offs, quiet walks along our hinterland trails stunning coastline. Conversations with neighbours and the deep sense that Noosa Shire holds something precious. Noosa has always been more than an economy. It is a community shaped by care, connection and respect for the land and each other. And yet here we are today. At a turning point. At an intersection that demands magnification and readjustment to safely inform and facilitate unprecedented change socially, economically and environmentally. Both locally and globally. The pressures of over visitation are being felt not just in traffic or crowded beaches, but in our hearts. In the quiet erosion of amenity, the in strain on infrastructure, in the rising cost carried by residents, and also in the growing fear that what we cherish may slip beyond our reach. This is not about closing the door to visitors. Are a part of our collective story. But the current model asks too much of residents and too little of those who benefit from Noosa without carrying its long-term responsibilities. Health and wellbeing, shared access to affordable housing, meaningful employment and equity matters here. When the costs of visitation are absorbed by ratepayers alone. When young people inherit congestion instead of connection. When community wellbeing is treated secondary to growth, something fundamental becomes unbalanced. That is why collective voice matters. As I said before, it takes a specific style of bold leadership to legitimise voice. Through the act of engaging and illuminating citizens' contribution of their own knowledge, coupled with their lived experience, to act together through voice, to deliver a collaborative vision for a sustainable future for the next generations. Because when decisions are made by only a few, the burdens fall on many. But when residents, Traditional Custodians, young people, local businesses and visitors are all heard. Fairness becomes possible. Shared voice is a shared responsibility. It is the foundation of equity. Our young people remind us of what truly matters. They tell us they value a healthy environment ease of getting around the Shire and a future where Noosa remains liveable, not overwhelmed. They are asking us to think beyond the next season, the next budget, the next election and to act for generations and is where we must lead with heart. A destination stewardship model in conjunction with the destination management stewardship Council demonstrates how tourism. Be responsibly managed. It's not just a governance change, it's a value statement. It says that Noosa chooses care over short-term gain, burnout, balance over and shared guardianship over fragmented decision-making. It gives equal voice to residents and visitors. It ensures those who benefit also contribute. It places community wellbeing, environmental protection and social values at the centre of every decision. This is our opportunity to create a shared vision for Noosa. Grounded in one fairness, respect and love for place. So let us stand together, let us raise a collective voice that speaks not against visitation but for stewardship, for equity, for our young people, for future generations who deserve to inherit a Noosa that still feels like home. Because when we lead with heart and when we choose to care together, Noosa doesn't just endure, it flourishes. And that is why I support of the adoption of the Destination Management Plan. Thank you.

Amelia Lorentson32:02

Destination Management Plan reflects significant work and extensive consultation and the alternate motion in front of us is not intended as a criticism of staff or the effort invested to date. Rather it recognises in my opinion that the plan is not yet complete and requires further refinement and analysis to ensure it is generally fit for purpose and capable of delivering on critical outcomes. In its current form it's my opinion that the plan lacks the rigour and detail and clarity on key elements such as risk assessment, implementation detail, costings, funding pathways, and contingency planning. Engaging an independent suitably qualified professional will help ensure that these gaps are addressed and it will strengthen the foundations of the plan. And I'll note. As staff just mentioned that the draft will be reviewed, monitored and reported on. Ongoing oversight in my opinion is insufficient. We need strong foundations. To ensure that the plan is evidence-based, actionable and again generally fit for purpose. The alternate motion is not about delaying progress or kicking the can down the road. It's basically about setting ourselves up for success. A robust, well-considered plan is critical to maintain public confidence and uphold community trust and demonstrates that Council approaches strategic planning with the excellence our community expects. When I went through the plan I just thought that there was further work that was needed to ensure that the plan appropriately reflects emerging economic conditions. State policy changes, dynamics and strategic opportunities including Queensland destination 2045 and the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Strong alignment with existing Council strategies and statutory plans is also essential. To duplication um clearer guidance on responsibilities, Measures of Success and contingencies for outcomes that are dependent on external agencies must also be analysed and embedded to ensure that the deliverable. Again, deferring the adoption until April and undertaking this further analysis me to me will de-risk the plan and again set it up for success. Again, not a criticism of staff, it's about just getting it totally right so that we can generally implement a Roadmap that protects our residents and supports our local businesses and most importantly safeguards noosa's unique natural and cultural environment.

Brian Stockwell115:11

I'm just. What you're reading from is a draft which we're not endorsing. So this adoption, this one, once again, we're not. Only able to let you read it. We're not. That particular document is a. Draft for not endorsement. So so so this we're looking at a different document that's in here. It'd be the destination management we're playing, plan, you know, I think, and it only relates to the actions. It doesn't relate to the measures in the new evaluation framework. So the actions are the ones that are numbered 1.32, 1.33, 1.34, etc. Sorry, with that being said, Councillor Phillips, would you wish to answer the question?

Brian Stockwell10:41

I'll speak. I historically try and keep the Boreen Point campground lower to because I know from my long-term association with that campground that it is a place where young families from our community go to camp. Because of competitive neutrality, it's probably not the place to make policy decisions in that regard, but I do note that the Draft Destination Management Plan does have triggers in there where if a Council wish to have incentives for families who live locally doing the right thing and could maybe be able to make that affordable by their participation in some of the programs. So that's an opportunity that we may see emerge over the coming months. Thank others? All those in favour? Chair. All those in yeah yes. That's unanimous. We now invite up the Acting Manager of Finance to do the Financial Performance Report. And we also have the Director of services to assist.

Council is what you're being asked to adopt is the dmp as a final document alongside that is a draft implementation plan it's not unusual it's actually normal practice. For us to have strategic documents endorsed by Council and then to have annual implementation plans you receive annual updates on our implementation plans like the Environment Strategy for instance so that's what we're asking you to do adopt the final Destination Management Plan and a draft rolling implementation plan that will include and be evolved when any first destination stewardship councils established so there's you know independent shared detailed approach I'm asking oversight project scopes detailed project feasibilities costings for budget ongoing monitoring adapting all of those things so