Before the first item ¶
00:00:00 Mayor Wilkie: Okay, well welcome everybody to the first meeting of the new term. This is the post-election meeting. It is a special meeting in very many regards. I'd like to begin by acknowledging that we're meeting on the traditional lands of the Kabi Kabi people. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I note we have all councillors in attendance. For the record, they are Councillor Jess Phillips, Councillor Nicola Wilson, Councillor Brian Stockwell, Councillor Amelia Lorentson, Councillor Tom Wegener and Councillor Karen Finzel. Welcome to the new term. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Mayor Wilkie: As I said before, it is a special meeting in many ways and my commitment to you all is providing you with the best advice and support to help you make the best decisions possible in the best long-term interests of this community. And that occurs primarily in meetings like this. So I wish you well and every success in your term.
1 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES ¶
00:01:00 We have three reports direct to the post-election meeting and the first item is the appointment of the Deputy Mayor. Mr CEO, could you please give us a summary of the report and the process that we're about to undertake? Speaker 2: Certainly. Thank you, Mr Mayor. Under Section 175 of the Local Government Act 2009, within 14 days of the election conclusion, and the declaration of the councillors, we are to have a post-election meeting, which this meeting is. At that meeting, we are to appoint a Deputy Mayor as the first point of order. So we're proposing to do that in this meeting and as part of this agenda. So the way that we'll do that is I'll ask you to call for nominations for that position. If there are more than one, that require a vote, then we'll have a secret ballot vote, which we're set up for, if required,
2.1 APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY MAYOR ¶
00:02:00 where councillors will all, seven, including the Mayor, will vote on the positions, and it's an exhausted vote. So if there's more than two, then we'll take all three, the person with the lowest votes drops out, then we go with the next two and we vote again on those two, and we get to a position of Deputy Mayor. Okay. Okay. Okay, so that's the process, and if you'd like to now call for nominations, we can go for it. Mayor Wilkie: Right, we'll get straight into it, councillors. Can we have a show of hands of any councillor who'd like to nominate for the position of Deputy Mayor? We have three nominations, and Councillor Brian Stockwell, Councillor Amelia Lorentson, Councillor Karen Finzel. Speaker 2: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.
00:03:00 Mayor Wilkie: I'd like to move that we suspend standing orders to allow discussion to take place regarding the appointment of the Deputy Mayor. Can I have a seconder for that please? I have a second. Seconded by Councillor Karen Finzel. All in favour? That's carried. Speaker 2: We'll now conduct the secret ballot. Okay, so the process is that we've agreed to allow each of the candidates or each of the nominees to speak for three minutes on their position and why they should be elected as Deputy Mayor. Mayor Wilkie: So who would like to go first? Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm happy to. Sure. So Councillors, in my opinion there's two key roles of a Deputy Mayor. The first is the public facing role and to stand in the Mayor's stead in their absence or when delegated to do so.
00:04:00 To fulfil this role you need a thorough grasp of both the contemporary issues that are being discussed and their genesis in the community and Council. You need to have the ability to communicate the Council position in line with policy and, desirably, with the credibility bestowed by a track record of support for the adoption of the position. The Mayor needs to be assured that you have the knowledge. Experience and capabilities to represent the Shire. I believe with my extensive experience and relevant professional background that I possess those qualities and have fulfilled the role of Deputy Mayor well. For example, I regularly deputise for Mayor Stewart at the Regional Planning Committee in the last term, which is a ministerial forum with all the Mayors of South East Queensland. The forum allowed me to build relationships with the Minister, the Health Premier, his key advisers as well as other Mayors. The other public facing role of the Deputy Mayor has been the Chair of the Important Council and the important General Committee. I am confident of the necessary skills and experience in chairing meetings, which together with the thorough working knowledge of Standing Orders would enable me to effectively undertake that task.
00:05:00 The second role is part of a political leadership team. These functions are inward facing. To be effective the Deputy Mayor should be able to provide strategic support, policy advice and suggestions on process to the Mayor on key issues as requested. Over the last two terms my strategic positions have been similar to the Mayor's on all major issues. We share a desire to embody the long held Noosa values and a commitment to the environment and the community. As part of the leadership team I believe I can aid the Mayor in charting a course forward that creates a Shire that is different by nature for generations to come. I can bring decades of learning and research and extensive experience on topics of fundamental importance to the future of Noosa. An effective Deputy Mayor will also be an ambassador within the organisation through embodying the SPARC values. I have always been passionate about and committed to the Noosa Council mission, have a track record of walking the walk and known for being honest, genuine but not being afraid to think differently.
00:06:00 I am committed to a process of continuous improvement with my fellow Councillors and staff to ensure the position of Deputy Mayor is supportive, enabling collaboration between Councillors, staff and our partners in the community through respectful communication, encouragement of one another and in achieving our shared goals. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you Councillor Stockwell. Who would like to go next? Councillor Finzel: Karen, you can go next. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Thank you very much. Good morning and welcome to the people in the gallery and the people around the table. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the election campaign and for the opportunity to be considered for this position. I believe that I would be good at this role because I understand and have experience in this role. I understand the council. I understand the experience of leadership and how I would be able to support the Mayor in his role and stand around this table and be able to collaborate with each one of us collectively, individually and as an organisation.
00:07:00 I believe that I would be able to support the Mayor with my experience of this organisation, what I have learnt over the past four years and how I would be able to support the Mayor in leading each, all of us and this community. I understand the civic duties of this role and I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you. I believe that I am a strong outward facing member of the community and I have outward faced the community in open, transparent and honest dialogue. I believe that together collectively we need a strong outward facing council that can meet the needs of the community and relate to them with matters of their concerns and also be able to reflect the organisational values and our strategic positions and where we are heading into the future. I feel that I am good at communication and that I can openly and transparently and effectively deliver to our community what they need to hear and how they can receive that and understand the process of how their voice is heard through council inwardly and outwardly.
00:08:00 I understand the organisational activities and how this organisation works from the lowest worker to the top worker around the executive table and I will be diligent in my duties in delivering those strategic plans to each other. As for building a team, I think that I am very good at being able to bring the team together and to be able to have open dialogue with each other and have emotional intelligence to understand us as individuals and each other and how we can get the job done. I would be honoured to represent the community at all levels of this organisation and be able to contribute effectively. I believe that jointly we will be able to formulate our decisions and work together,
00:09:00 encourage each other to actively support and shape transformative leadership and set concrete goals for this term with the council, with each other and with our community. That together we can build a council that our community will be proud of. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Lauritsen. Councillor Lorentson: Firstly, I'm deeply grateful for the overwhelming support that I received from our community. Regardless of the outcome today, I'm committed to working towards unity for our community's progress and prosperity by working diligently and respectfully with Mayor Wilkie and the entire council. And focusing on the work that we've done in the past year and the work that we've done on the Betterment of Noosa, unity is what our community deserves and it's what it desires. With regards to the position of Deputy Mayor, I believe that I'm the best choice for this
00:10:00 position for the following reasons. One, I received the most amount of votes and community support. The fact that I received the most votes demonstrates a clear message from the community. It signifies that a significant portion of the Noosa community is in need of support. It supports the community, trusts and supports my leadership, and prioritises balance over share experience. Two, precedence. In 2020, the outgoing Mayor, Clare Stewart, nominated Councillor Frank Wilkie as Deputy Mayor, based on previous experience as a Deputy Mayor. But the main reason was that he had the community confidence as he, quote, topped the votes during the 2020 election. His nomination was supported unanimously by the people of Noosa. This aligns with the principle of respecting the community's wishes. It also indicates a precedent that aligns with democratic principles.
00:11:00 That is, the person with the most votes gets elected. Upholding this tradition of democratic precedence ensures consistency, and more importantly, it respects the will of the electorate. Three, experience and ethical conduct. My four years of experience on the Council has allowed me to take a step back and reflect and navigate the intricacies of local government effectively. I have dedicated the past four years to this role, working tirelessly for up to ten hours a day, up to six to seven days a week. I do not have a side business or another paid job. This has always been my primary self-focus and my only job.
00:12:00 My commitment is unwavering at a hundred percent. And during this time, I've invested heavily in building relationships and understanding the values and concerns that matter most to our community. Further, I have been a member of the Council for over a decade. Furthermore, I have a clean record without any charges or findings of inappropriate conduct by the Office of Independent Assessor that underscores my ethical and responsible approach to public service. Four, strong woman-vote and diversity. The recent election underscored the strong support for certain candidates, especially women, highlighting a significant shift towards valuing diverse perspectives and leadership. I would be honoured to represent this ethos as your Deputy-Meg. Diversity in thinking enriches our discussions and decision-making processes, ultimately
00:13:00 leading to better outcomes for everyone involved. Embracing this diversity strengthens inclusivity and strengthens gender representation within the local government. Five, community values and priorities. The recent election results, where inexperienced newcomers received thousands, up to more than 2,000 more votes than the experienced councillors, suggest that the community prioritises criteria beyond just experience. If experience was the most important criteria, then the candidate with the most experience should have got the most votes. That did not happen. Our community opted for a different style of leadership. We are a community of leaders. The community prioritised balance over experience. It's crucial that we respect and respond to what the community values and expects
00:14:00 from its leaders. Unity and collaboration. I am dedicated to upholding the values of integrity, diligence and respect in all my interactions with the Mayor and the entire Council. I am committed to prioritising unity and teamwork. I am committed to prioritising unity and teamwork. I am committed to prioritising unity and cohesion within both the Council and the community in the upcoming term, as was evidenced by the positive impact of Council Wilkie's appointment as Deputy last term. You served as a unifying force within our community and our Council. In conclusion, I would like to thank all of you for your support. Councillors, today's decision carries more significance than simply appointing a deputy mayor. It's a test. It's a test of our commitment to democratic principles and our commitment
00:15:00 to listening to our community. Shouldn't the voice of the electorate representing the people that we serve hold more weight than the opinions of seven of us seated around this table? I wouldn't be standing here today if I had not received the most votes. Doing so, in my opinion, would not only disrespect the candidate with the most votes, but it also, in my opinion, would disrespect and disregard the voice of the people we are elected to represent. There is one reason, Frank Wilkie, you are sitting here as mayor. You've got the most votes. That is the main reason you were nominated by our election. That is the reason you are not going as steward for the deputy position four years ago. This is how our democracy works. The community has spoken and the councillor with the most votes, in
00:16:00 my opinion, should be deputy mayor. In this election, it's me. That's why I seek your support for the position of deputy mayor. I ask that you respect the wishes of our community. Respect democratic precedence. Acknowledge and respect my record of ethical conduct and experience and entrust me with the responsibility of serving as deputy mayor. And allow me to support you, Mayor Wilkie, and the entire council and contribute to the continued success of Noosa, where the wellbeing of our community is prioritised above all else. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Speaker 2: Okay, so what we'll do is we'll hand out the cards. You just need to write down the name of the person that you're voting for, place them in the box over there, then Alinda and I, and I'll get Shaun to help me as a scrutineer to make sure that we count those.
00:17:00 If we have a, and because it was seven votes and three nominees, we may get to a point where there's somebody or two people had the same number of votes. We may have to go back and re-vote on those two, but we'll see how this pans out, okay? Do you want to come up to the lectern rather than handing out them to Martin or Father? Yep, yep, this one. So yes, if you want to come up and do it up at the lectern, so therefore you can. Do it privately. Oh, I'm sorry. It's really easy to say pet. Speaker 1: Good point. So yes, if you want to.
00:18:00 All right. You can come. Thank you. All right.
00:19:00 Speaker 1: Thank you. Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
00:20:00 Speaker 1: You're welcome. Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Do you want your cell phone? Do you want your cell phone? Okay. Thank you. Speaker 1: Should be a little bit quicker than Camden does.
00:21:00 Speaker 2: Okay, so based on these numbers, the person with the lowest votes is Councillor Finzel. So we now go to the next round, and it'll be the same process. Okay. I'll just cut this. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: Come on Jess. Sorry, I'll just get the cards. Speaker 1: Can I return the offices at this time? Mayor Wilkie: Sorry. Sorry to return. Speaker 1: I think that's a technical thing.
00:22:00 Okay. Speaker 2: So we're now voting for the two remaining Councillors. Sorry. Speaker 1: Okay. Okay. Thank you.
00:23:00 Speaker 2: That's awesome. Speaker 1: Okay, that's what we got. Speaker 2: That's okay, John.
00:25:00 I can then announce that the Deputy Mayor is Brian Stockwell. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. CEO. Congratulations, Councillor Stockwell. Thank you. And commiserations to Councillor Finzel and Councillor Lorentson. I now move to resume standing orders. Can I have a seconder, please, to resume standing orders? Councillor Stockwell? All in favour? That's carried. So I move the recommendation that the Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the post-election meeting dated 8th of April 2024 and appoint Councillor Stockwell as Deputy Mayor in accordance with Section 175 of the Local Government Act.
00:26:00 May I have a seconder for that, please? Councillor Wilson? I move that. I move that. Okay, all in favour? Sorry, I should speak to the motion before we put that to the vote. Councillors, we have just been put to our first test, which is a divisive vote. There is always going to be a Councillor elected as Deputy Mayor and a Councillor who is going to experience disappointment. I'm heartened by what I heard today. I've heard around this table about a commitment to unity, and also during our training on the SPARC values, the cultural values, which talks about respect and professionalism at every opportunity.
00:27:00 That's very easy when things are going well, but those values are always tested in adversity, and today is our first test. So I'm encouraging you and support you in adversity, and I'm hoping that we can hold true to professional and respectful values. We're going to face a lot this term, and this is the first. For a bit of context, I had faced four elections before I became Deputy Mayor, and I have every confidence that there is a bright future ahead for Councillor Lorentson and Councillor Finzel and all new councillors. Because you have the qualities that speak to longevity and resilience and professionalism. So please, let's get this over with. Let's get behind Councillor Stockwell as Deputy Mayor, and I know he will serve well because his experience has been recognised here today.
00:28:00 Councillors, thank you for your vote today. It was a difficult one. Anybody else wish to speak to the motion? I'll put it to the vote. Those in favour? That's carried unanimously. Thank you, Councillors. The next item on the agenda is the appointment of a local disaster management officer. He is the Local Disaster Management Group Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. Mr CEO, can you give us the summary of this report and the vote that may follow on this one, please? Speaker 2: Certainly. Sorry, I've neglected to stand in the first one. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah, me too. That's my fault. Thank you for the advice, Councillor Stockwell. Speaker 2: My apologies. The Local Disaster Management Group is a really important group that is part of our disaster management across the Shire. It involves not only people from Council but all of our servicing agencies as well, so if there is a disaster, we're fully planned and able to stand up and act in the appropriate way should a disaster occur.
2.2 APPOINTMENT OF LOCAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT GROUP CHAIRPERSON AND DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON ¶
00:29:00 What we meet on a quarterly basis formally in this chambers to discuss anything and make sure our plans and everything are on track, and if there are any imminent dangers that we see coming up. Looking forward, whether that be flood, fire or the likes, or weather events, other weather events. We as Council, we appoint a chair of that group as well as a deputy chair. The chair is the chair of the overall LDMG, as we call it, runs the meetings, but also should there be a disaster, for example, flood where Council is responsible to take the leading role in a flood. In a fire, it's other agencies, but in a flood, but also just in any disaster, that person
00:30:00 then takes the responsibility of Council's efforts during a disaster and is also the spokesperson during that, because it's the formal spokesperson and that's really a very, very important role going into any disaster as we've seen over the number of years recently, where you need a single spokesperson to be the holder of the truth and to be able to be the relayer of the truth as it stands, or the data as it stands. So what we are looking to do today is to elect that first of all as the chair of the LDMG. Then we also have the deputy chair of the LDMG, which is the assistant and assists the chair in the LDMG, but also takes the responsibility of the recovery. So they chair a separate group, which is the disaster recovery group, which is the disaster recovery group. And that's a very important role too, because after the disaster, there's a whole lot of cleaning up, a whole lot of work to do during the disaster, but then there's a cleaning
00:31:00 up as well as the psychological and the social impact that these disasters have on many, many people. So that person then takes on that role to chair that group, and that again is an extremely important role, and even with the disasters that we've had in 2022 with the flood that we had here, that role is still continuing. So that work is continuing even to over two years later, we're still in recovery mode. So it's very, very important that we have both of those roles filled, and they're very, very important to us as a community, both during disasters and post, and pre in fact with the planning. So what we're doing today is we need to call for nominations firstly for the chair of the LDMG, and then we need to call for nominations for the deputy chair of the LDMG. If there are more than one nominee, then we'll go to a vote, same process we've just gone through with the deputy mayor. Question? Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Question. Who normally performs the role of the chair and why, please, Mr. Senior?
00:32:00 Speaker 2: In my experience, the chair has been the mayor, because again, I think the community tends to look up to... Yeah. When, during a disaster, they want the head of the state or the head of the community or the head of the Shire to take that role. That's been the case. It's not necessarily compulsory that that's the position, but that's been the position, I think, if you look across all levels of government and local governments, and that's the position. But again, it's not compulsory, so it can be, if somebody else wants to put their hand up, then they're quite entitled to do so. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Speaker 2: So, if you could call nominations for that. Mayor Wilkie: Well, I'm calling for nominations of the chair, and I'll nominate myself as the mayor for that. I think the mayor needs to be front and centre. The mayor needs to be front and centre during a disaster, so I nominate the mayor in that
00:33:00 role. Do we have any nominations? Speaker 2: Are there any other nominations? Mayor Wilkie: For chair? No. Okay. We have nominations for the deputy chair. Speaker 2: We can hold that one, the chair one, until we vote on both recommendations at the end. So, if we can call now for nominations for deputy chair. Mayor Wilkie: Deputy chair. Councillor Jess Phillips. Are there any other nominations for deputy chair? Looks like there's only one nomination, Mr. CEO. Yes. Speaker 2: Okay. Mayor Wilkie: So, in that case, if I can move to... No. I'm moving the motion. I appoint Councillor Wilkie to the role of chairperson of the Local Disaster Management Group, and appoint Councillor Phillips to the role of deputy chairperson of the Local Disaster Management Group, and chair for the Local Disaster Recovery Group. It's a dual role.
00:34:00 Can we have a seconder for that, please? Yes. Seconder, Councillor Finzel. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Councillors. That's very straightforward. I think it is important that the Mayor is front and centre of any disaster. As the CEO said, the community expects that, and I would certainly do my best to play my role in that regard. It's expected, and I'm fully cognisant of the responsibilities of that. I welcome Councillor Jess Phillips in the role of deputy chairperson of the Local Disaster Group, and chair for the Local Disaster Recovery Group. She does have the experience as a policewoman, and has worked in that space and been present during these events before, and I feel very confident that we have the right person in that role. Experience is a big factor there, so I fully endorse you as the deputy chair. Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Mayor Wilkie: Any other Councillors wish to speak to the motion?
00:35:00 You would like to, Nicola? Speaker 1: No, sorry. Mayor Wilkie: No. Jess, would you like to speak to the motion? Speaker 1: No. No. Mayor Wilkie: It's fine. Thank you. All right. I'll put it to the vote. Those in favour? That's carried unanimously. We now move to the third item on the agenda, which is the committee structure and proposed meeting timetable until June 2024. Larry, can you give us an update on this three-month meeting schedule, please? Speaker 2: Assuming. Sorry. I'll just give this. OK. As part of this first formal meeting as well, we are to do the deputy mayor, the heads of the LGMG, and also to agree the schedule for our meetings going forward. What we're proposing here is that we do the first three months of our meeting schedule. So, we currently have a meeting schedule where we have our two subcommittees or two committees
2.3 COMMITTEE STRUCTURE PROPOSED MEETING TIMETABLE UNTIL 30 JUNE 2024 ¶
00:36:00 that lead into the general committee that lead into the ordinary meeting. We, as during the last cycle, we had some discussions around whether that was the right model going forward, given there's been changes over the last four years in the way that we operate and the way we conduct meetings with cameras and the like in terms of being able Speaker 1: to be in the meetings and external. Speaker 2: So, we'd like to explore that and investigate that. So, what we're proposing is we just do the first three months. And during that three months, we have more discussions around the table in terms of whether that's the right model going forward or whether there are better models. And there are a lot of different models across the country. Every council has a different model, pretty much. So, we just want to explore whether that's the right model for us. So, we're proposing that the first three months we continue with our current state, which
00:37:00 is given to the recommendations. So, we're proposing that. And if we're all in favour, then we can do it. We can change this meeting structure at any time during the four years, but we're just saying over this first three months, give us a chance to have a chat with new members around the table and see if that's the right model going forward. And we may all agree that that is, or we may not, we may like to tweak it a little bit. So, that's all we're proposing. And also at this meeting, then we need to, if we agree to that, then we need to then appoint members to the two subcommittees, the SNO and the PME committees. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah. Okay. Thank you, Mr. CEO. Any questions of the CEO before I move a motion? Councillors, I'd like to move the motion as presented here. It's slightly changed to what appears before you in your reports. That is that the... A, we approve the continuation of the Planning and Environment Committee, the Service and Organisation Committee and the General Committee as standing committees under Section 264 of
00:38:00 the Local Government Regulation 212, with the relevant roles and responsibilities identified in the Chief Executive Officer's report. B, note that pursuant to Section 267 of the Local Government Regulation 2012, each committee will appoint its own chairperson. That can occur at the first meetings. C, adopt the times and dates of future meetings of the Council and committees. In accordance with the meeting calendar until June 30, 2024, shown in Attachment 1 to the report. Full stop. Sorry, colon. D, prepare a report to Council with potential revised meeting structure from 1st of July, 2024, to be presented at the next available meeting round. E, appoint the following Councillors to each of the committees, Planning and Environment Committee, Mayor Frank Wilkie, Councillor Amelia Lorentson, Councillor Brian Stockwell, Councillor Tom Wiggott, and the City Council.
00:39:00 May I have a seconder for that please, seconded by Councillor Stockwell. Councillors I move this motion with the slight change taken out with meetings to be held at the council chambers at Tewantin because that accommodates our collective wish to take ordinary meetings out into the community, various locations, preferably in the hinterland on the first occasion, sometime within the next three months. So sometimes within the next three months we'll have at least one meeting in a hinterland, preferably in a hinterland hall. The other items there are the appointments to the committees and we can appoint the chairs at the first sitting of these committees and I hope that meets with your approval. Anybody else wish to speak to the motion? Okay, I put the motion. All in favour? That too is
00:40:00 carried unanimously. Councillors that brings us to the end of the agenda for the first meeting of our term post election meeting. According to the meeting calendar that we adopted today, the next ordinary meeting will be at 10am on Thursday 18th of April 2024. I thank you all for your patience and your discipline today. And I declare the meeting closed. At 10.41. Thank you everybody.