Special Meeting Transcript

1 DECLARATION OF OPENING ¶

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2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY ¶

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3 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES ¶

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4 SPECIAL MEETING REPORTS ¶

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4.1 TOURISM NOOSA FUNDING AGREEMENT AND PERFORMANCE DEED ¶

▶ 00:00:59· Carried 5-2 · 8 divisions from council's minutes

00:01:00 brand management and promotion of Noosa and other related activities. Firstly, I just want to correct something in the report where we talk about the GDP and the percentage of overall GDP. We mentioned there the numbers are correct, except for the percentage of overall GDP. Instead of being 25%, the number is actually 11.4%, which is still significant in terms of the overall performance and outcomes provided by Tourism. I just also wanted to make the point that Tourism Noosa has been a body that's performed exceptionally well over many, many years and has won a number of awards over that time in terms of the activities and the activities that we've been able to do in the past. So we're really proud of that. And the campaigns that it's put forward and the work that it's done for Noosa. In the current two year agreement, it's essentially met all performance outcomes except for the

00:02:00 DMP, which it relates to the DMP, but that's something that was out of their hands in terms of that's a Noosa Council issue to provide the conclusion of the DMP which then feeds into the performance outcomes. The other piece that potentially didn't meet was the alternate revenue from the visit information centres and membership and alternate revenue. It's recognised also that the management of events, the major events, could be more streamlined and that's something that we're providing and talking to in the report. So leading into this report there's been criticism and discussion as to the funding of TM, Tourism Noosa, and whether there is correct value and the need to continue marketing in Noosa in the same way. This report recognises that it is critical that Tourism Noosa remains contemporary and sustainable and fit for purpose. It needs

00:03:00 to be responsive, flexible and strategic given the potential road ahead, which we're all very unsure of. What we're proposing with this report is a new one year funding deed or funding agreement. Currently the current funding or the existing agreement is 2.5 million dollars per annum. What we're looking to do is bring the events and management of those events back into Noosa Council over this 12 month period. So we'll work towards that, so it's not an exact science in terms of how that happens, but we will look to bring that back in because there's a number of duplications where Tourism Noosa and various other bodies are involved in the delivery of events and or management of those events. So we believe there's some efficiencies to be gained by bringing that back in to Noosa Council. That equates to approximately 270,000 dollars of that 2.52 million dollars of funding. That would be brought back into Noosa Council.

00:04:00 The second piece is that we reduce the actual dollar funding by a further 250,000 dollars. To come to a total of cash provision of 2 million dollars, we'll reduce the actual dollar funding to be provided at 1.2 million dollars in the initial signing of the agreement or the new agreement for six months and then at the end of six months if KPIs are met then there's a further 800,000 dollars that may be made available to Tourism Noosa from a funding perspective. We're proposing a process over this first six months to develop a road map with Tourism Noosa, along with Tourism Noosa to understand future needs and ensure the body suits the purpose. The current structure has served Noosa well. In 2023 with this existing arrangement we set far more stringent KPIs which I've elaborated on and it's in the report in terms of meeting those KPIs. In 2025 we're looking to transition to a new, understanding

00:05:00 a new body or a new agreement that meets the needs of Noosa and Noosa Council and the Noosa residents. I've put this report to you for discussion Mayor Wilkie: and or decision. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Zetton, it is a formal meeting so I'd like to start by bearing in mind everyone can't ask a question at any time. I'd like to move the staff recommendation. May I have a seconder please? Thank you Councillor Stockwell. Today's discussion signals that after a quarter of a century as Noosa's highly successful destination marketing was going on, tourism Noosa is moving towards new form, focus and funding sources. This transformation was foreshadowed as a discussion point and featured as a key theme in the feedback gathered in the first phase of consultation for the destination management plan. The DMP was done

00:06:00 to map out how Noosa can retain its identity as a highly desirable and liveable community while managing its success as a quality over quantity visitor destination. The community's feedback strongly suggested a transformation of the destination marketing body towards community values-based messaging, attracting visitors who respect and undertake experiences that enhance the community they are visiting. The next phase of the DMP is due to enter its second phase of public consultation shortly. This motion for a new funding agreement seeks the discipline of a 12-month timeframe to collaboratively work through these changes to the funding agreement with Council and key stakeholders. This agreement and timeframe is intended to take on board any priorities identified in the DMP public consultation also. It also allows time for alternative funding streams such as a bed tax or a new form of levy to be investigated or accommodated. It's also proposed that to remove duplication of

00:07:00 bureaucratic oversight, management of events, transfer from tourism Noosa to Noosa for a council. This will involve a reduction in annual event-related funding of $250,000 for TN. It's also proposed that there be a 10% efficiency reduction of $270,000, taking the 12-month allocation to $2 million. This reduction in council funding represents a saving in the lead-up to the 2025 budget, which has enormous demands upon it and is involving cost efficiencies across all council departments to minimise rate rises while accommodating large jumps in expenses. Tourism Noosa was formed in the early 2000s as a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation focused on promoting Noosa Shire as a diverse and sustainable tourism destination. After forming, Tourism Noosa quickly established itself as a highly respected local tourism

00:08:00 office, winning state and federal tourism awards for marketing and brand management. Noosa is the largest local tourism office in Australia. It is the largest local tourism office in Australia. Tourism Noosa's intended focus has always been on attracting interstate and international tourists. Travellers, who typically spend 20 times the amount per day as day visitors, intend not to drive nor contribute to the traffic congestion. Along with the community groups who successfully advocated to preserve Noosa's natural assets and social fabric, TN have played a pivotal role in establishing the high regard many have for Noosa as a liveable community, offering a high-quality lifestyle and visitor experience. We acknowledge there are mixed views within our community on Council's funding of Tourism Noosa, and importantly our community will get to have further input on Noosa's tourism future and how best to manage the destination as part of the next phase of engagement with the DMP. In the meantime, I would like to personally thank all community members who gave their feedback during the first phase of public consultation. It is extremely relevant

00:09:00 and still remains extremely relevant. I would also like to thank all members of our community for their patience and trust during this period of great change. Councillor Wilson: I want to start by saying that I fully support the tourism industry and thank all of our business owners, workers and volunteers for their contribution. I would also like to thank Tourism Noosa's staff and board for their work and their patience in this process. What I am about to say is not personal or intended to be critical of individuals. Today we are debating whether Council should continue to fund Tourism Noosa and if so, by how much. We are not debating the economic or social value of the tourism industry in our community. The tourism industry is a key contributor to our economy and creates thousands of jobs.

00:10:00 That is fact. We are proud of the industry and the work it does. But let's not conflate the whole tourism industry with Tourism Noosa, one entity. Tourism Noosa is not the only entity to promote Noosa. Marketing of Noosa businesses would not stop if TN caused its annual marketing spend of roughly $1 million. Comments made around the impact of reducing that spend, in my mind, do a disservice to our tourism businesses and business associations that also spend money on marketing and the resources they invest in the tourism industry. Tourists keep returning to Noosa because of the experience they have here, not just because of marketing. I can't support the staff recommendation today, not just due to the proposed amount, but because I have too many concerns with the sub-points A to F to manage through amendments today. Some are vague, contradictory, and seem to work towards a predetermined position that

00:11:00 hasn't been strategically set by councillors. It's directing where TN should focus in improvements before the work is being done to set them at the future focus. I feel it's also overstepping into telling another Noos team board how to operate its business, rather than encourage outcomes. Albeit, I can see that these were included in the current funding deed, hence I'd rather start anewing all this wage. The foreign constitution was already changed in 2021 in order for TN to be more streamlined, contemporary, and flexible, and achieving that continues to be the board's role. Council should not be funding this transition as late as 2026. While the decision today is around funding, it's a broader question of the role TN plays in supporting council strategies, and I don't think we can answer that today, nor I would imagine. Overall, there's nothing in this report that sets out what council receives in exchange for $2 million. So with no justification to the amount, I can't reassess whether it's reasonable, other than it's a bit less than before.

00:12:00 Part B2 refers to a milestone payment of $800,000 in January 26, subject to meeting KPIs. For this to be a reasonable condition, we would need to be clear on what those KPIs are, when they need to be met, who decides if they're met, and when that decision will be made. Otherwise, I feel we'll just be back in this precarious position again, with more uncertainty for TN. I don't believe it's appropriate to introduce new KPIs without a strategic direction, as they may become irrelevant or impossible to achieve. If there's to be any future funding agreement, it needs to include clear and measurable outcomes. Any KPI should be linked to those outcomes, not how TN funds other sources of income. TN's board should determine the level of income it requires to meet its strategy and cost base. Part D refers to writing a roadmap to council, which is also stated as a KPI. I don't believe that should be a KPI, as TN does not have full control over the bringing. Who decides whether the roadmap should be adopted?

00:13:00 Why would a payment be linked to completing a roadmap if we don't know what that roadmap will recommend? The report is setting out what that roadmap should consider, for example operational efficiencies, where these are the roles of the board. It's not clear what six months of TN and council working on a roadmap together can achieve without any strategic direction. We won't have any new information in the next six months to bring us any closer to reaching a resolution. And we've already delayed this decision so much already. If we're looking for streamlined processes, I'd prefer council to focus on delivering the destination management plan. I'm not against some funding for TN at all, but I think we should rethink what that looks like, and go back to the drawing board on a new agreement based on services and outcomes. I can't support an arbitrary amount linked to inappropriate KPIs, and I don't have sufficient information to suggest alternatives today with our ratio analysis. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Lorentson. A question to staff.

00:14:00 Who funds TN for Noosaville? Which rateable properties actually pay for the funding for TN Noosaville? Director Rawlings: Through the Chair, there is a differential rate applied to commercial properties. That was done in 2021, I think. There was a change. There was a change. And that funding, a portion of that funding that council receives is then directed to fund Tourism Noosa. Councillor Lorentson: So, for clarity, only the rateable properties in commercial, industrial, short-term accommodation, they're paying extra. That money used to be collected as part of the Tourism and Economic Levy. It's, they're still paying that amount, but it's collected non-stop. It's not in a levy, but it's collected through general rates. Is that correct? Director Rawlings: Yes, it's collected through general rates.

00:15:00 Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. I have a few amendments that I'd like to play with, thank you. Sure. Amendment B1. That as part of the development of the Tourism Roadmap and considerations of future governance models, Councillor Lorentson would like to see the development of the Tourism Roadmap and Benchmarking data against other local tourism organisations and regional tourism organisations. This information is to consider various funding structures, the level and proportion of investment by other local governments, staffing levels and the overall economic value of tourism. At the conclusion of the roadmap process, two clear options are to be presented to Council for consideration. Mayor Wilkie: And we have a seconder for that please, for the purpose of the debate. Councillor Stockwell and I can't second it because we have moved the original motion. Councillor Finzel: I'm happy to second the debate, Mr Chair.

00:16:00 Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I don't believe the report has gone far enough, so I've just included some additional amendments that I think address a lot of the community concerns. This being one of them. Benchmarking is really important and I think it's important that Council benchmark tourism. We can't evaluate performance in isolation. We need to understand how other tourism bodies operate. For example, how many staff they employ, how they are funded, what level of contribution their local governments make and how their roles are defined. Without this

00:17:00 comparative analysis, I think we're flying blind. The kind of benchmarking is standard practice in good governance. It helps us answer key questions. Questions such as, are tourism NUSA staffing levels appropriate for a $3 million organisation? Is the tourism NUSA model efficient? And most importantly, are we leveraging the best value for every dollar invested? It also ensures that any reform we pursue in terms of governing models is based on facts and not assumptions or political pressure. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Norris. Councillor Switzer, speak to the amendment. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm just going to ask the question and it's probably to the Director. In terms of the outline of what to include in the roadmap, is that the sort of deliberations you would have been having or is there anything in there that you think would take staff in a different

00:18:00 direction? And I suppose the last one is, was it the intent of the roadmap to come up with one agreed option or is it one that councils would present as a two or more? Speaker 1: I'm happy to answer that. Look, that pretty much covers what we're considering as being the type of work that we would do in terms of developing the roadmap. The idea of providing two clear options is something that councillors provided. Whether it's two, whether it's three, whether it's one, there would be an iterative process where we'd get to a point where we'd bring it back to council for decision. Councillor Lorentson: Can I answer this for clarifying the intuitions? The intent is, again, the motion I don't believe is clear enough. I think that at the end of the process, we need to have two options. I think the community deserves that clarity. Point of order. What's your point of order? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: She's spoken to the motion. She's not answering your question. Therefore, contrary to standard

00:19:00 order. Councillor Lorentson: I'm answering your question, Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: No, I asked the staff. Councillor Lorentson: Can I ask for the chair to make a real answer, please? I would like to hear you complete what you were going to say. Thank you, Chair. Mayor Wilkie: Especially around the number of options. Councillor Lorentson: I've actually just thrown a couple of examples. I think the report is a little bit too vague. It speaks in general terms, but doesn't offer actually any structural options for council and community to evaluate. I think the future, this is just me, I've spent a lot of time on the Tourism NUSA board. Okay, so examples is, for example, a place-based model where Tourism NUSA may become the brand manager of visitor education and destination messaging, and the decision may be that more funding is allocated to infrastructure and visitor amenities. I'm getting lost, Councillor, which means I'm going to answer your question. I appreciate the leniency.

00:20:00 You can send your closing remarks. Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate the leniency, Chair. Thank you. Councillor Phillips: Councillor Wilson. Thank you. No. Councillor Lorentson: Phillips. Councillor Phillips: That's right. Thanks. I'll speak quickly to support this amendment because I see the intent. Thanks, Councillor Wilson. And I do feel that up to today, I want clarity for the Tourism NUSA and for our community. We do need solid comparisons and we need to see what other regional and local tourism organisations are doing, how they're structured, funding, performing. And that data will give us options. Not opinions to work from. So, two governance models, which is what I'm hoping this achieves, at the end of the road map process will give Council a real choice based on facts and not just sentiment. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yes. I just have a question through the Chair to the staff. I'd just like to seek some clarification

00:21:00 on the definitions of the LTOs and the LTOs. Given a question I raised that was not, you know, adequately answered given the structural change that's required. Mayor Wilkie: You're getting into commentary now. Just please ask your question. Councillor Finzel: Yes. Okay. Can I have a definition, please, of the LTO and the RTO? Yes. What TN is currently sits at and how that affects funding? Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Definition of an LTO as opposed to an RTO and how that affects funding. Director Rawlings: Yes. Sure. Through the Chair. I was going to refer to the page in the report, but I don't have got numbers on the report. But the report actually provides clarity on what an RTO is and what an LTO is. It also outlines the hierarchy of tourism organisations in Australia. So, there is a national tourism organisation, then there are state tourism organisations, then there are regional tourism organisations. Visit Sunshine Coast, for instance, is a regional tourism organisation that covers

00:22:00 the region from Gibraltar. Then there is a local tourism organisation, which local tourism organisations tend to cover one LTA. Regional tourism organisations work at a broader level to market and position their region from a tourism destination perspective. Their primary role is destination marketing, ensuring visitors travel to and experience their region. They tend to collaborate directly with state and national tourism bodies, such as TEQ and Tourism Canada. Tourism Australia, they are also funded through state funding as well as local government funding. Whereas local tourism organisations operate within one LGA, build closer relationships with their local industry and tend to have a higher proportion of funding coming directly from local governments. Speaker 1: There it is. Okay. To answer.

00:23:00 Give me that. Director Rawlings: Tourism Noosa is a local tourism organisation. Is that helpful, councillor? Mayor Wilkie: Yes, it is. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Just to clarify, I was seeking more in terms of then funding across the sector that's provided to an LTO. We were provided a table. I did ask staff if that could be addressed for the debate. I believe the staff was asked, seeking permission from the different areas, if we could make that public knowledge. How has that proceeded? Director Rawlings: So, councillors, as advised yesterday, which I provided you that information, you were provided data. Some of it is publicly available. And the table that I provided you indicated which data in that is publicly available. And you feel free to reference that data. It also indicated that some of it is not publicly available because we have sought information from other local governments. And colleagues for our own analysis, we have not yet been able to get permission from

00:24:00 them as to whether or not we can make that public. But that information was provided to councillors yesterday with clear indication of what can be made public and what cannot be at this very year. Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Thank you, councillor Finzel. Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes, I'll talk to you in a minute. And Cathy, while I do my introduction, if you can get the file up that says comparison. I'm just having some computer issues. Oh, well, I'll just talk for longer. Yes. Sorry. I have no problem with the first part of the amendment. I think it is part of the logical roadmap process. The question, the query in my mind is about at the end of the roadmap process, we have two options. Ideally, the roadmap process is a collaborative effort that leads to consensus. I would think multiple options considered would be the best option.

00:25:00 However, at the end of the day, if that is the case, and we do reach consensus, we all think if there's one good way, the second option would be no change. Keep it as it is. So that, to me, I will support the amendment. Councillor Lorentson: You might need to get ICT. Oh. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. I'll talk about the comparison between LTO and RTO. Adelaide? Mayor Wilkie: Yes. The other councillors wish to speak to this particular amendment. Councillor Lorentson: Yes. Mayor Wilkie: Can we have the amendment up on the screen, please? Councillor Lorentson: We have the amendment on the screen. It should be very nice and tall. This way. This way. I'm sorry. Councillor Wilson: The screen is frozen. We're going to have to turn everything off, I think. Councillor Lorentson: We don't have to go all the way down. I don't know. Call ICT.

00:26:00 Councillor Wilson: I think there were probably two parts to the amendment. The first bit, the benchmarking of other LTOs and RTOs. I think it's always useful to have more data than less, obviously, to make an informed decision. It doesn't mean that those LTOs or RTOs are operating under the right model, so there's always the danger of trying to reflect what other people are doing. But at the same time, it gives you solutions to have that as a comparison, but noting that other regions are different in their appetite for tourism, in what their community wants, what other industries they have in their areas. So I don't know how useful that would be, but it's certainly worth having. When it comes into staffing and those kind of things, again, I think that's really getting into the role of the board. And the board should decide how many staff it wants, but then also how we should fund that if that's not going to happen.

00:27:00 I think it's just information to use in the decision-making process if you thought to have it, so I'll support the amendment. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Anyone else wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, I would just like to make a comment that I think, yes, benchmarking is appropriate to use in decision-making. I think right now where we're sitting in this interim of transitioning from where we are to where we're going, I think every tool available to us we should be calling on. And given that, I will support the amendment. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Any other councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Lorentson, do you wish to close? No. Put the amendment to the vote. Those in favour? That's Councillor Stockwell, Phillips, Wegener, Finzel. That's unanimous. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. I'd like to move another amendment, please.

00:28:00 Yes. G. Ensure that any future proposed funding decisions for tourism in Noosa include consultation with industry stakeholders. Ensure that any future proposed funding decisions for tourism in Noosa include consultation with industry stakeholders. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. May we have a seconder for that for the purpose of the debate? Look, Council, I will handle this. You are able to second an amendment and it won't affect your ability to move an amendment. Councillor Phillips: Then I'll second the amendment. Yes. Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Thank you for the authority. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. Thank you for seconding, Councillor Phillips. Funding decisions regarding tourism NUSA must be made in full consultation, not only with residents, but also with industry stakeholders.

00:29:00 These are the people whose businesses fund the tourism and economic development allocation through additional commercial and transitory rates. Their contributions underpin this investment. And their livelihoods are directly affected by how those funds are spent. Strategic decisions about the future of NUSA's visitor economy should not be made behind closed doors. They must be informed by those on the ground, the operators, the ateliers, the event organisers, retailers. Those who understand the challenges and opportunities first hand. These stakeholders deserve transparency, accountability and a genuine seat at the table. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Davidson. Do any of the Councillors have any questions about this one? Do any of the Councillors wish to speak to it? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I don't think I can support this amendment. I think one of the problems we're having in the current debate is a perception of them and us.

00:30:00 Part of that is that they seem to be competing so many times. I think the only way to get to the sort of destination that we'd hope we evolve to is by seeing it as an issue that is addressed by all. While I have no doubt that industry stakeholders could make valuable input, so could the community. So this one to me just says we're going to consult just with those who may be the rate payers in this particular case, not necessarily those who may benefit or dis-benefit from it. So to me it's too focused on one side of the equation. I think we should, if we're going to consult, it should be more broadly. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor? Sorry, question through the Chair. Question. Would I be allowed to make a technical change to the amendment to include residents? That

00:31:00 was part of my... What I understood I had included in the amendment. Industry stakeholders and residents? And residents. Are the councillors happy for that technical change to be made? Thank you. I spoke to it in my argument. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Alright, so that change has been made. Are the councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Oh, I will support it with that change, but I'd just like for the record to say that no decisions are made behind closed doors in this council. When a councillor makes a decision on any matter, it must always be in a public meeting. I'll just state that for the record. And so we need to be very careful with our language. But I will support the amendment. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson, you're supposed to close. I will close and close just to clarify what you just mentioned, Mayor Wilkie. I think

00:32:00 I was more referencing ad hoc or reactive decisions that are made around this table. So there needs to be consideration to the people that the decision may impact. So thank you for pointing me up on that. Councillor Wegener: Okay. Thank you. The word ad hoc, is that maybe a different word other than ad hoc decisions made around the table? Councillor Lorentson: I accept that, Councillor Wegener, and I apologise. Mayor Wilkie: Okay, so we'll put that amendment to the table. All those in favour? That's Councillor Stockwell, Phillips, Finzel, Lorentson and Wilson-Wilkie against. Councillor Wegener. Does anyone else have any more amendments? Councillor Morrison. Councillor Lorentson: H. Investigate the reintroduction of a tourism and economic development levy that clearly defines who pays, ensures transparencies in contributions from the tourism industry,

00:33:00 and strengthens the economy. The levy should strictly regulate how the funds are spent. The levy investigation should align with the goals of the destination management plan, guarantee that revenue is used effectively for sustainable tourism development. Mayor Wilkie: Right. May we have a seconder for that one for the purpose of debate? Councillor Wilson: I'll second again for the purpose of debate. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I've included this amendment in my statement. I believe what's currently happening is just a lot of confusion. Reintroduction of a tourism and economic levy will be able to provide some clarity and prevent misinformation fuelling our community. Right now, many residents believe that they're paying to fund tourism use through their household rates. That's not the case.

00:34:00 Tourism use is funded through contributions from the commercial. Industrial and transitory accommodation sectors. Businesses that benefit directly from a well-managed visitor economy. The problem is that since the levy was removed and funding was absorbed into general revenue, we've lost transparency. The community can no longer see where the money comes from, who's paying it, and how it's being used. The lack of visibility, in my opinion, has created a bit of divide between residents, businesses, and council. Reintroducing the levy would restore transparency. It would create a clearly defined, ring-fenced funding stream for tourism and economic development. One that's visible, accountable, and aligned with the goals of a destination management plan. It would also help correct the public narrative, making it clear that households are not footing the bill. And that tourism-related funds are coming from the various sectors that rely on the

00:35:00 visitation to tourism. So, I'm hoping that we consider, and that's what the amendment does, just consider as part of the roadmap the investigation into reintroducing a special levy. Thank you, Councillor Watson. Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: I'm going to speak in the extra motion. I don't think this is relevant to the decision we're making today, which is the potential payment to Tourism Noosa for the next financial year. We wouldn't be bringing the levy in for this financial year. While it's something that we could investigate in the future, I don't think it's relevant to the motion that should be part of the motion today. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm going to start with agreeing with the problem that Councillor Lorentson is trying to address by this amendment. The problem is that when we shifted off the levy, the transparency to the community of

00:36:00 how it's funded got lost. And created confusion. The reason why I'm not supporting it is the reason why we did it. And that was the CEO and the Director of Corporate Services said that funding economic development and tourism, local tourism organisation, has become core business for local government. And therefore it doesn't meet the benchmarks or the criteria for having a special levy. And that's also important in this debate, where we have a lot of people saying it's not the Council's business. It is standard Council business to fund local tourism organisations. I do, however, think the problem needs to be addressed. And that may be something that we address in the DMP. Having a really clear line of sight, some form of charge that is directly linked to visitation. The comment of, you know, this current government came, said it was willing to look at the options

00:37:00 around bed taxes. Now, if bed taxes did become something we could enter into, it'd be far more line of sight, far more direct link, then part of that could go towards the tourism organisation. So I can't agree to going back to a levy while I understand the reason why the amendment was put. Councillor Stockwell. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel. I agree that before us is about the funding. When we talk about benchmarking, which I've just supported an amendment for benchmarking, the table that we were sent around that gives us some opportunity to look at benchmarking across the Shires as to how the money is collected, whether it's general rates through community levy or general rates, we do have benchmarking against that. So I think that's quite sufficient to inform my decision today. I don't think we should be doing that. We need to be looking at this.

00:38:00 I think that we've supported benchmarking and we can, you know, pull that information when we need it. So I won't be supporting this. Mayor Wilkie: Question of staff. Investigation of the reintroduction of the tourism levy will be rolled into investigations into alternative revenue sources that will take place as part of the DLP or in parallel to the DLP? Does it have to be linked to this funding need? Director Rawlings: Yeah, I think it could. I think investigation into alternative revenue sources is fairly broad and could consider a range of, a raft of options. Yes, I think that's feasible. Thank you. Councillor Phillips. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Just before you do. Clarifying question. I'm just thinking, Councillor Wilson's point is that this is not an amendment of the motion. It's new business and I, on that reflection, I think it might have to be ruled out. Order. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: My ruling is that I'm not going to rule it out of order.

00:39:00 We're going to consider it and vote for it or dismiss it accordingly. Thank you, Councillor Stewart. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. I'll just speak very quickly on, I understand the intent of this and actually I quite agree that at some point perhaps it's something that this council should have appetite for down the track. But I can't help but think back to conversations that we've had in the past. The conversations we had earlier as a council is finishing what we started and I feel like this might come part of the finalisation of DMP and then it may come after that. So although I completely appreciate the intent behind it, I think today is the right time. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Anne, I waive my right to speak. Councillor Lorentson, would you wish to close? Councillor Lorentson: I do. I just want to reference something. The Standing Meeting Procedures 25.1 in terms of whether an amendment is ultra-virus.

00:40:00 An amendment must modify, refine or add to a motion, not reverse or nullify its intent. I don't believe that this amendment reverses or nullifies its intent. It adds to the motion. In terms of the discussion around the table, I respect everyone's feedback. I will add that it was an investigation that I was requesting and something that could be done as part of the roadmap to again provide clarity to the community as to who pays and what that funding is directly for. But I'm happy to whatever decision is on this council and it's something that I'll probably revisit as part of the destination management plan discussions. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Mayor Wilkie: Those in favour of the amendment? Councillor Lorentson. Those against? Councillor Stockwell, Wegener, Phillips, Finzel, Wilson and Wilkie.

00:41:00 The amendment is lost. Does anyone else have an amendment they'd like to test? Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I have a last amendment. I request that the CEO provide a report to a future council meeting noting the executed funding and performance agreement with the additional KPIs, the agreed roadmap, once finalised. The event sponsorship costs included, including operational and resource costs associated with the events. Mayor Wilkie: And we have a seconder for the purpose of debate. Councillor Finzel: I'm happy to second for purpose of debate, Mr Chair. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Lorentson. Thank you. This is just a simple noting report and I've understood that this is what has historically happened. That a report, a noting report comes back to council. That our Council outlines the executed agreement with Tourism Noosa that includes any extra KPIs, the agreed roadmap and a breakdown of the event sponsorship costs, including what it

00:42:00 takes to run, the costs to run, and support those events. This is not about making another decision or interfering with the CEO's delegated authority. It's about transparency and just keeping the councils and the community in the loop. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I don't want to be a pedant, but I think there needs to either be dot points or a slight wording change. Procurement CEO provide a report, one report, although there's two different time frames. The funding and performance agreement with digital KBI's will be finished quite soon, the roadmap later. The event sponsorship probably links to the funding and performance agreement. I just think maybe it's, request the council provide reports to future council meetings for the, and then. Am I speaking this?

00:43:00 Colon, and then dot point, the executed funding agreement, performance agreement with additional KPI's, dot point, event sponsorship, dot point. That's my suggestion. Mayor Wilkie: So provide reports, not a report, to future council meetings. Yeah. Provide reports to future council meetings. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: That note. Mayor Wilkie: And meetings. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: That note. And I want to put a colon after that note, and then the dot points after that. If the, I think. Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, next one, that's it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And then. And then, if the, if the council's are happy, I think that's fine. Mayor Wilkie: Council's happy with those changes to be made, those typical changes to be made.

00:44:00 Any further questions or comments? Councillor Phillips: I'll make a quick comment on that one. Councillor Forrest. To show support, because we've heard it a few times, transparency matters to this community. We do need a public report. Of what's been agreed to, the funding and performance agreement, new KPIs, the roadmap, and the actual cost of sponsoring events, and I believe that it's our obligation to build, continue to build confidence with our community, and this, I believe, will assist in that. Councillor Wegener: Councillor Wegener. I'll speak to it. It appears to me this is just your standard order of business. We're requesting the CEO for full reports, that, which is part of what our normal process is around the table as councillors, if we're, as these things come along, and as they evolve, especially the destination management plan, where our fingers are going to be on the pulse, so if this is putting, is micromanaging the CEO.

00:45:00 I'll come to one. Councillor Phillips: Question. Yes. , would we see the finalisation of the roadmap for endorsement, or, and all of these things individually, or would some of it be under operational delegation? Speaker 1: My proposal would be that we would bring this back on a regular basis to council, because it is, obviously, it's a very, very well publicised public exercise, but also, I think, bringing the roadmap back. As we work through it, and then we get a finalisation of that. The sponsorship costs, I think, is something that would come probably sooner rather than later, because we just need to work through that and understand what those costs are. We just haven't had that opportunity. But the roadmap, certainly, that's the six month, at the end of six months, is where we'll be looking at the roadmap.

00:46:00 The executive performance, funding and performance agreement, would be, because we're looking for the end of June, early July, is the signing of that agreement. So, we'll get the agreement in place, bring that back to councils, and no to more endorsement. Mayor Wilkie: Okay? Any other councillors? Councillor Lorentson would like to close. Councillor Lorentson: I included the amendment, because the recommendation brings that the CEO is authorised. Authorised to prepare and execute the performance agreement, approve the release of funds, authorise the CEO to transition the sponsorship events, to prepare the funding performance agreement, to work with Tinian to complete a comprehensive roadmap, and note that the funding agreement is established prior to the completion. There is no mention in the report, but a report will be coming back to provide transparency and clarity to what's actually going on.

00:47:00 And we'll be making sure that that's being agreed to. Again, as Councillor Phillips mentioned, we've made a commitment to transparency to our community, and we have an obligation to ensure that happens. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Those in favour of the amendment? I don't know, Lawrence, I hope. I actually . It's too late. Yeah, it's too late. It's okay. Sorry. Now, that's unanimous. Any more amendments, councillors? Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: Okay. Thank you. My first amendment, that council recognise and reinforce the importance of maintaining the Noosa brand, and include in the new funding agreement a requirement for tourism Noosa to maintain focus, investment and marketing activities directed on the enhancement and maintenance of Noosa as an iconic destination. Thank you. That's through, one, ensuring that the marketing product remains strong and appealing by supporting sustainable tourism and community wellbeing, and two, working with tourism Noosa to identify key areas for investment that align with the future destination management plan.

00:48:00 Mayor Wilkie: We have a seconder, please. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: I'll keep it brief again. My amendment is to ensure, or sorry, to prevent any service gaps, any sudden staff losses or programs that could potentially come from the new agreement. I'm proposing this amendment to ensure that the operational stability of tourism Noosa during what will be a complex and important road map process, regardless of where we land on the long term funding or governance, we cannot afford a gap in essential services gap. From the visitor management to frontline business support and this amendment gives us a steady hand while we plan for the future. It's not about entrenching the current model, it's about ensuring that we don't lose control of tourism outcomes while we rethink the structure behind it.

00:49:00 Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Phillips. Councillor Lorentson. Just a question to staff. Council has an endorsed strategy and we partner with Tourism Noosa. Is what we propose aligned with that strategy? Director Rawlings: So through the Chair, are you referring to Tourism Noosa's strategy? Yes. So Tourism Noosa has a four-year strategy. Excuse me. Which they developed, which is a requirement of the current funding deed and Council have endorsed that strategy, but it's Tourism Noosa's strategy. Yes. The funding agreement also currently, the current funding agreement also requires Tourism Noosa to have a four-year strategy. And be a leader in terms of the Noosa brand. So there is alignment with the current agreement. I would think that that should flow through to the future agreement. And yes, I would think that that does align with their existing strategy.

00:50:00 Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to support the amendment. I think it just provides clarity. I believe this is already what Tourism Noosa is doing. And I don't think it poses any onerous obligations on Tourism Noosa. And I appreciate that the amendment has given clarity that that is the role of Tourism Noosa. Mayor Wilkie: Can we see the wording again, please? Council. Council Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. I support the amendment because it does provide clarity. It does reflect the intent of what we're doing. I also think it's important that it's talking about the importance of maintaining the Noosa brand. And there's a lot of commentary at the moment how Noosa's got a strong brand and that is all we need.

00:51:00 Whereas in talking to the substantive motion, I'll talk about some of the research which suggests the brand as we perceive it is not what is perceived in the market. And the need to continue to reinforce and evolve that brand such that new demographics aligned to our values are achieved. So it's really important to understand that while people who live here have a really strong sense of what Noosa is and its brand and its image, the people who we'd like to visit here don't necessarily have it. And so that's one of the arguments of why we continue to need to promote and market Noosa. Noosa is a destination. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Mr Stockwell. Any other councillors who wish to speak to this amendment? Councillor Phillips, you wish to close? Councillor Wilson: I won't. I'll close then. Mayor Wilkie: Those in favour?

00:52:00 Councillor Stockwell, Wegener, Phillips, Wilkie. Those against? Councillor Wegener: Finzel. Sorry, who? Hunt. Mayor Wilkie: Oh, you already used the word you said. I supported that earlier. Finzel and Wilson are against. It's carried. Any more amendments? Councillor Phillips? Councillor Phillips: I have another one. Thank you. My next amendment is to ensure that the development of the tourism roadmap and any future amendments to governance or funding structures be explicitly aligned with the informed... and informed by the final destination management plan, ensuring consistency of purpose and long-term strategic alignment between Council and Tourism Noosa. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Do we have a seconder, please? Councillor Finzel: I'm happy to second for debate.

00:53:00 Thank you, Mr Chair. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Phillips? Councillor Phillips: I'm aiming to achieve broader strategic direction. Thank you, Mr Chair. I understand that there's a lot of discussion from the DMP preventing any short-term governance decisions. We need to prioritise and finalise the destination management plan. And I understand I may have, you know, maybe taken a little bit longer to understand the full weight of the DMP. But today, I confidently say that it's... Council, we have to lead here and say that we're going to deliver on something we said we would, which is destination management plan. And that's going to reflect our community's values, environmental, social and economic. So any roadmap or funding change needs to be aligned with that vision. This amendment simply locks that alignment in. We cannot afford to let any short-term governance adjustments undermine our long-term strategy.

00:54:00 Thank you. Councillor Phillips? Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lewis? Any other? Councillor Lorentson? A question to Kim. What happens if the DMP isn't finalised or if it's not endorsed by council? Are we potentially building a roadmap around something that may not even be adopted? Director Rawlings: I think the report already says that should the DMP be completed in this time frame that it should influence. It also suggests that there is a clause in your agreement, as per the existing agreement, that when the DMP is finalised that any amendments to the agreement can occur at any time to align with the DMP.

00:55:00 So any new funding agreement would continue to have that. Cathy, can I have those words back, please? I do read this to say that any future amendments to governance or funding should be informed by the DMP. So that's not saying now, that's saying sometime in the future. It doesn't lock it to a time frame. So I think it's okay. I think it's consistent with what we were intending to have in the agreement in terms of when the destination management plan is complete, that we ensure consistency. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor. Director Rawlings. Mr Stockwell. Don't demote her.

00:56:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Ensure that the development of the tourism roadmap is consistent with the final destination management plan. Unfortunately, it can't be done. Yeah, future amendments could be. Director Rawlings: Yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: But one may have a shorter time frame. I understand what Councillor Phillips is trying to do, but as we just outlined, it's what is proposed in terms of one informing the other. So just because that first bit of it does basically say you're not going to get a roadmap until the DMP is finished, and we know from recent experience and historic experience, and this river plan was at a draft stage in 2016 when I got here, there may be hold-ups. So I can't support it just on that basis, but I understand and support what was trying to be achieved. Mayor Wilkie: I'm going to support the amendment, because it imposes a discipline on this council to meet time frames,

00:57:00 and it is perhaps a very strategically sound amendment. I fully support it. Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Wilson: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. I'd maybe suggest a technical amendment to take. I'd take out the roadmap, given that the roadmap will probably come before there's a final destination monitoring plan, but I do appreciate the intent of this amendment to make sure that the DMP is a priority, and a focus to get that done as quickly as possible. Mayor Wilkie: What would be your suggested changes if this one were to? Councillor Wilson: Ensure that the development of any future amendments. So just take out the tourism roadmap. That's going to happen in the next. Director Rawlings: Ensure that any future amendments. Mayor Wilkie: Ensure that. Ensure that the development of any future amendments to governance and funding structures will be explicitly. Councillor Wilson: I'm happy with that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: You wouldn't need the development. Councillor Wilson: No. Just ensure. Ensure that any future amendments.

00:58:00 Director Rawlings: Am I taking that out? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. Is the whole council happy? Is everyone happy? I'm happy. Mayor Wilkie: Is everyone happy? Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Are you happy with that, Councillor Phillips? Councillor Phillips: I'm happy. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: We're all about transparency and good governance. I think anything moving towards that is well worth supporting. With the technical change, I'm happy to support it. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. I fully support the intent. What I'm concerned is that we're locking ourselves in a direction based on a plan that remains uncertain. I think final alignment should only be made once the DEP is fully endorsed by the royal council, and for that reason only, I'm not going to support this.

00:59:00 Thank you. Councillor Phillips, do you wish to close? Councillor Phillips: Very quickly. That was mine. I appreciate the decision from everyone here and all the points raised. Again, I'll reiterate after today, I want to walk out of here with absolute certainty and clarity and transparency. My amendments have all been directed at making sure that that occurs. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Put the amendment. Those in favour? Councillor Wegener, Phillips, Finzel, Wilson and Wilkie. Those against? Councillor Stockwell and Lorentson. The amendment is carried. Councillor Phillips: I'll follow on from my next one because it may assist in some extra clarification. In providing a 12-month agreement, Council wants to ensure operational continuity of Tourism Noosa throughout the roadmap, include a clause as per the existing funding agreement that when the DMP is adopted, any agreement and associated funding with Tourism Noosa may be varied in terms of funding.

01:00:00 Councillor Wegener: Question, Councillor Wood? Can I second for that? Without compromising my ability. Mayor Wilkie: Yes, you can second this. Councillor Wood, thank you for seconding. Councillor Phillips? Councillor Phillips: Again, to reiterate, I'm looking to provide some flexibility without locking council and tourism news state into structures that may no longer serve their purpose once the long-term strategy for DMP is complete. So this is a safeguard to provide leadership and clarity to the industry, tourism news state and council and our community. Any temporary arrangements or funding adjustments that we make during the road back process

01:01:00 should be subject to review once that work is complete. We don't want to lock ourselves into a stop gate solution and this clause, sorry, this amendment ensures flexibility and gives council the chance to revisit and refine its approach with the right data and consultation behind. Yes. Councillor Wegener: Just a question. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The current agreement varies the terms to, well, has terms to reflect any changes needed by the DMP. Yes. I mean, you couldn't have this condition that the agreement be varied, could you? Like, you're saying we're going to enter into a 12-month agreement, but we can vary that agreement. You'd have to have it worded so that it really is just, yeah.

01:02:00 I just have problems with the context. I know what's intended, but I don't think it says what's intended. I think it has a bit of a circular loop in it. So, we're into an agreement, but then we're changing the agreement. We just need to say that the agreement varies what PN delivers, and in response to the DMP, or perhaps we could have the existing clause to clarify what is in there at the moment. I just have difficulties with the wording. Director Rawlings: Through the Chair, would you like me to refer to the existing clause? Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Director Rawlings: Chair? Chair? Mayor Wilkie: Yes, please. I'm looking at the clause. The clause that you're talking about. Yes. Go ahead, please. Director Rawlings: So, in the existing agreement, the relevant clause sits in Schedule 1, under the Priority of Destination Management Plan, with three parts to it. The TN acknowledges that Council is presently developing a DMP,

01:03:00 which will inform TN's strategy in relation to management of the visitor economy and tourism in Noosa. Part 2 is TN will implement aspects of the DMP with those aspects to be identified by Council from time to time after collaborative consultation with Council and Tourism Noosa. The relevant clause is TN will, upon request from Council, agree to a variation of this deed to incorporate agreed obligations arising in relation to the DMP. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So, this is one. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: My question is, the motion, the original motion from the recommendation says, however, should the DMP be adopted? During the term of the agreement, provisions will be in place to allow for variations to the agreement to ensure Tourism Noosa's activities align with the DMP's principles, outcomes and relevant actions. Is this reinforcing what's there already? Yes. Yes. Okay. Look, I'll speak to it.

01:04:00 I appreciate what you're doing. I agree with what you're doing, but it's already in the original motion. So, for that reason, to avoid duplication, I won't support this particular amendment. Any other councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Finzel: Yes. Councillor Finzel. Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Councillor Finzel: For duplication, I won't be supporting it, but I want to commend Councillor Phillips as working really diligently to try and make sure that we've got our eyes all over this, and that we're dotting the dots and crossing the T's, to engender trust in our community that we've got our eyes all over this. I think that we are really taking a good look at this, so I commend you, Councillor Phillips, on working extra hard on this to try and ensure that we are providing good governance to our community. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Any other discussion? Further discussion? Councillor Phillips, you wish to close. Councillor Phillips: Oh, just quickly. Thank you. All I am trying to do is, sometimes I think the language that we use in reports in council,

01:05:00 are often very clear for the people that watch our meetings, and so sometimes my intent is more around very clear communication with the mums and dads and just the people that may not know the intricacies of the language that is used, but I appreciate everyone speaking around the room. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. We'll put the amendment to those in favour. Councillor Phillips? Those against? Councillor Stockwell? Wegener? No. It's not? Any other amendments to be tested councillors? Yes. Councillor Finzel. Yes, thank you.

01:06:00 Councillor Finzel: This amendment, oh we've lost the screen. So just in support of good governance, continuous improvement. We know policy change alone won't earn trust of our community. My amendment, the purpose of this today is to ensure again, community we have eyes all over this and again we're being, wanting to bring good governance to this decision before us today. So my amendment is to request the CEO to provide monthly status reports on the progress of the Tourism Noosa funding and performance agreement with Noosa Council. Mayor Wilkie: May we have a seconder for that please? Councillor Wegener, thank you John. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finzel. Yes, I've brought this before us today. I did speak to the CEO with regards to this.

01:07:00 Again, to make sure that our good governance framework that is set and ratified in council is adhered to and can ensure that our community can feel that we are providing transparency and accountability. Through the Chair, can I ask the CEO a question? You may. Certainly. So Mr CEO, how do you see the benefit of the monthly reporting back to Councillor with regards to progressing this? Speaker 1: Thank you Councillor, through the Chair. That's what I was talking about before. I'm more than comfortable to bring this back as an iterative process so that we do, and I'm aware of the profile of this, so it's important that we do have a regular status update. There may be not a lot to report on a monthly basis, but where we can we will certainly, and it just gives us a discipline. That I'm keen to have, and people can then see where we're travelling and how we're progressing with this very important piece of work.

01:08:00 So I'm happy to do that. Thank you Mr CEO. Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Can I just ask a question as well? I'm just concerned about confidentiality and privacy, and I'm not quite sure what exactly this, what type of information this would be requesting, and whether Torres & Noosa would want that shared in the public? Speaker 1: Again, through you, and I think through the Chair, I think that that's a matter for us to work through. But there'll be parts that we can bring to the table. There'll be other parts that are confidential in terms of finances or whatever it might be. But I think just to show that it is progressing and we are keeping on track, I think is a very important piece, because that's part of the criticism of some of the things that we've done in the past that things have lagged, and they don't understand why they've lagged, because there's other priorities. But if we can keep that monthly reporting, then I think that's an important piece of governance that we should be adhering to for this particular project. So I'm comfortable with it. But, you know, I would be certainly very conscious of what's confidential, what's not, and what we can bring to the table.

01:09:00 Thank you. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to support the amendment in front of us. We're talking about a significant amount of public money. And I just think that the amendment ensures that there's transparency as to how it's used. So I'm happy to support. Councillor Quincy. Thank you. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. I'm also happy to support. Given the recent discussion around that feeling of maybe not so transparent, I hope that this will achieve exactly that. Some transparency. And I'm happy to support with the community about the Trews and Noosa funding. So thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I don't think I can support it. I think monthly is overkill. I think reporting based on key steps or achievement of the process. We had a previous amendment that talks about supplying the agreement once it's finalised,

01:10:00 the events once we know about it. I think that is a preferable approach. I think if the intent of this is not clear is to report back on performance in terms of the performance agreement, then quarterly is probably the minimum you would need to have any real feeling of achievement of performance. So I just think monthly is too onerous. And we are trying to get as much efficiency as possible. And I just think that this is an efficient way to do it. Speaker 1: Can I respond? You may, Mr. Chair. Thank you. I'm not necessarily talking about the performance of it. I'm talking about the progress of the roadmap and how we get to the end point and how that's developed. That is what I'm more proposing. Mayor Wilkie: The other councillors wish to speak to the amendment. Councillor Woodson. Councillor Wilson: No, I wanted to ask another question. Yes, you may. That's not what I read from that. And if the first payment would be due in July, surely would we need to get to the point

01:11:00 of having a funding agreement by then? So I'm not quite sure what process we would be updating the progress on. Director Rawlings: I think the intention, and maybe councillors may want to consider a technical change to the wording. Quarterly. Was around the progress of developing the roadmap and how that's advancing. That was my understanding. Councillor Kingsall, you may want to consider. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. I think what I was trying to achieve was, and I'm open to think if people need quarterly, I was also discussed, should we bring it through the monthly financial reports? We thought that it was probably best brought through another channel. Really my intent was that we would have clear stage gates that track delivery, flag risks and ensure residents stay informed, giving community confidence that we're not just planning, we're taking action and we're mindful.

01:12:00 That we bring the community along with the journey. You know, I think the only success we're going to find through this is that strong connection to bring everyone with us. So that was sort of the intent. Mayor Wilkie: Okay. I understand the intent. It was suggested that what you, the change was request the CAO to provide monthly status reports and the progress of the development of the roadmap. Councillor Finzel: Yes, we can do that. Mayor Wilkie: Not the tourism, nurses, funding and performance agreement. Councillor Finzel: Yes, we can do that. I'm happy to do that and I'm also happy to change it to quarterly if the councils around the table feel that they would support it if it was quarterly. Mayor Wilkie: Well, okay. Let's leave it at, if people, my ruling is if people want to change it to quarterly, that's a significant change. So we'll let this one. Councillor Finzel: Lapse. Mayor Wilkie: Lapse or continue for those of us that want monthly reporting on how this roadmap's going. Okay.

01:13:00 We'll put it, we can put it to the vote. Okay. Sure. Look, I, I want to speak to, I, I support monthly status reports on the development of the roadmap. The CAO says it's not going to be an amorous thing, it could be a one pager, but it just imposes a discipline and a mindset in the CAO and key staff that you've got to keep this thing moving along. So for those, those reasons alone, and also keep the community informed, for those reasons alone, I'm, I'm willing to support this amendment. Thank you. Councillor Wilson: The report's actually saying that the roadmap, roadmap has to be completed by December, so if we have quarterly, that would mean only two updates. Yes. So I'll support that. Thank you. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: Any other councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Finlayson, do you wish to close? Councillor Finzel: No, I'll vote by roll. Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Put the amendment vote in favour? Yes. It's Councillor Wegener, Phillips, Finzel, Lorentson and Wilson and Wilkie against. Councillor Stockwell, Mr 6-1. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah, I have to continue my leadership of having the most 6-1s. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah, the record is intact.

01:14:00 Okay. Councillors, do we have any more amendments you wish to test? Councillor Finzel: Oh, yes, I do have one more, Mr Chair. Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Councillor Finzel: This amendment is to request the CO to engage an independent expert advisor to work in collaboration with Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council, addressing the matters outlined in this report and present back to Council. Mayor Wilkie: Can we have a seconder for that, please? I second. Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Noosa is at a crossroads. We're at a crossroads. We're a world-class destination, but we're also a community, and right now that community is under pressure. I just feel like to engender trust with community and show good leadership. This to me is just another layer to ensure that the outcomes we're seeking remain transparent

01:15:00 and that we take action and we measure that. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Questions or comments, discussion, Councillors? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. I've got a question. Mr Stockwell. To the CEO, do you believe within the organisation there is any key gaps in knowledge, expertise and experience that are required to address the matters outlined in the report, or do you think we have got that knowledge, expertise and experience existing within the organisation? Speaker 1: Look, we've got a lot of knowledge and experience in this organisation, and I acknowledge that. I think that we have, but I think also I think that having, and it's a matter of course, part of how much of this independent advice we utilise or need, but I think just to make sure that we are contemporary and people are looking at it and saying we've considered as wide a range as we can, so if we can, we can look to do that, I'm comfortable with this amendment.

01:16:00 Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Yes. I'll support this amendment. We all need to work together to focus on the future, but we do have resource and constraints in both organisations, and I think it's important that we do that. I think it's also good to get an independent perspective. There's a lot of history to this relationship, different iterations of how funding's worked in the past, how it's been funded, how it's been raised and delivered, and probably lots of different options of what the future should look like. So I think having an independent person who comes in and has a broader look, maybe has some different perspectives from other areas as well. So rather than just trying to work with a new organisation, I think having an independent view version of what's been there before, having a really fresh perspective. So I support it. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: I really understand where Councillor Finzel's coming from, but this exercise is getting more and more expensive, and I'm very concerned about that.

01:17:00 Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wegener. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. Again, I respect the intent of the amendment. I'm a little bit confused. This is the first time I've seen all these amendments. So I'm processing the implications, financial impacts, and whether we're duplicating. We're in the process at the moment with our destination management plan. We have a project control group. We've got an ERG group. It's about to go out to the board for public consultation. I think we're making this probably a little bit too big. Also, I am a strong advocate for public consultation. What's the word? I'm a strong advocate of utilising internal expertise. I really, really don't support external expertise, unless there is a gap, a talent gap. And I believe between Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa, and the PCG, and the ERG, and the community,

01:18:00 and the councils around the table, that, you know, we can work together. We can reach. We don't need an independent expert advisor. Again, given that this is the first time I've seen the amendment, I can't support something without really having some considered time. Councillor Phillips: Can I ask a question, please, Mr. CEO? Can I ask when the last meeting was with the project control group for DMP? Director Rawlings: Can I ask when the last meeting was with the project control group for DMP? The last meeting with the project control group collectively was probably early to mid last year, just prior to the DMP being placed on hold by council, which I think was, I might be even losing the year, I think was mid last year, to advance other projects like the Noosaville foreshore.

01:19:00 So it was just before then. We have been keeping in contact, regular contact with the PCG and have recently had individual meetings with them to keep them up to speed. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm weighing up, part of the issue is the generality of the amendment, independent expert advisor, and then Matt has outlined in this report. The matters outlined in this report could be as far as does marketing work versus what is the best governance structure for the future arrangement. Is it member based, is it something else? I have no problem with if we see a need to get independent input that we do that, but that can be done as normal operational business.

01:20:00 I don't think... I think a fallback position of just getting broad consultancy services in is one we want to set the precedent on, as I agree with Councillor Lorentson, and in this matter I believe we have a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience both within Tourism Noosa and its board, its members, our PCG and our staff, and I don't think paying additional people to be involved in the process would make sense. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Fonter, unless you can respond, bring your clothes. You will be able to do so fully then. Any other councillors... I got excited. Sorry. I love your enthusiasm. Councillors wish to ask any questions or speak to it, I'll speak to it.

01:21:00 Councillor Fonter, I really appreciate you bringing this. I understand the intent behind it, but I also have concerns about the scope, about what's included in all that independent expert advisor. I think it's a very important aspect of the process, and I think it's a very important aspect of what we're advising on, because it could be quite vast. And also, I'm also convinced we do have the expertise within Council and Tourism Noosa and any other body involved. To have an extra body brought in has the potential to slow down the process. This is something we have to keep moving along, and I wouldn't want the process slowed down any more than it needs to be for proper oversight. Having referred to and back and forth to an independent expert advisor, I think would just be an unnecessary level of oversight. And I'm reassured by the monthly reporting that the CEO will give us from the previous amendment, that'll keep us on track and give us the proper oversight.

01:22:00 So, for that reason alone, I appreciate the intent, but I can't support this particular amendment. Councillor Finzel, will you wish to close now? Councillor Finzel: Yes, thank you. Thank you, councillors, for your comments around the table. In terms of the scope and the broadness, that was done with intent. I felt that that gave the CEO the opportunity to call in fresh eyes or extra expertise as matters arose. I did not want to constrain that opportunity to limit it. I do support the expertise that we currently have access to, and that is, you know, I commend the work they do around the table within this Council, and externally, out in community. So, that was not my intent. And actually, my intent was to progress and action what's been outlined in this, because it has dragged on for a long time. And in what you have to say, I respect that. From my viewpoint, I raised this matter because I felt that would have been speediated, because if there was a bit of a speed bump and we wanted a fresh set of eyes with a new perspective,

01:23:00 something that's innovative and forward-thinking that we haven't thought about, I just felt this was a fresh set of eyes that provided that opportunity, and support the CEO in progressing this to reach really significant timelines. Because, as we're well aware, the community is at a crossroads. We have a community that is under pressure right now with the impacts of over-tourism, traffic congestion, housing affordability, crowded public spaces, and environmental stress. And they're not abstract. They're felt every day by the people who live here. Locals are telling us it's too much, and they're not being heard. I just feel that, like, this engenders trust. If we can pull on any mechanism we can to try and give action to this, support the CEO and the councillors, I'm not dismissing that we do not have expertise. But I think this was a well-thought-out amendment in support of the issues that I just raised.

01:24:00 But I respect everyone's opinion around the table. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Finzel. I'll put the amendment. Those in favour? Councillor Wilson, Wegener and Finzel. Those against? Councillor Stockwell, Phillips, Lorentson and Wilkie. The amendment is lost. We go back to the original motion now, which contains all those amendments. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: I would like to just... I did not ever want to do this, but I'd like to do an amendment on the floor, and I'll tell you why. Hearing that the PECG group hasn't met for some time, I would like an amendment that... Do I do my amendment first, or speak to why I'm telling you my amendment? Mayor Wilkie: Can I ask, is it critical and pivotal to the development of this funding deed? I believe so. The DMP. Councillor Phillips: The DMP. Mayor Wilkie: Which is a separate matter.

01:25:00 Separate. Councillor Phillips: They're intertwined. Mayor Wilkie: We're talking today about the funding deed? Yeah, they're intertwined. We're talking about the funding deed. Councillor Finzel: Through the Chair, may I request to speak? You may. I feel for democratic process and giving one equal voice at the table. We're not here to debate whether we think Councillor Jess Phillips' amendment is where it needs to be. I think we put that up, and then we'll debate that around the table. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: My suggestion, Councillor Phillips, is leaving it for a discussion on the DMP, which is due to come before Council sometime soon. What's your... Councillor Phillips: Whilst I respect that, all I've heard is we're putting... And yes, we're here for Tourism No Sight, indeed, but we've put a lot of restrictions and all kinds of restrictions in place. We've put a lot of obligations on what we want from them. And now I feel that it's only right to say that we are going to have monthly meetings

01:26:00 with our PCG and ARG group to deliver DMP. But I understand that... Mayor Wilkie: Look, I'm going to rule that that's out of order, because it's not germane to the development of a funding deed. Certainly, it's not out of order. I think the development of a DMP... And there are other avenues that we can discuss the frequency of meeting for the PCG and the ARG. Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Now, the only Councillors who have spoken to the original motion are myself and Councillor Wilson. The motion... The substantive motion before us now is the original motion with all the amendments that have been passed. Thank you. So does anyone else wish to speak? Councillor Wegener? No, Councillor Wegener? You have the floor. Yeah, I'll speak.

01:27:00 Councillor Wegener: You know, we've just been through numerous financial meetings, doing the budget, and I do not believe that funding this agreement is financially responsible. And we were all there today. We have painted ourselves into a budget corner. We should have raised rates two years ago and last year. And now we are in a bad spot. And I think that it is just terrible financial management to be paying two to two million dollars to Tourism Noosa when we know it's going to come ahead of us with rates. So I cannot support this. And people ask what would happen if, you know, if we didn't support Tourism Noosa. Well, Tourism Noosa is a very strong organisation. They have a great board. They have a substantial membership. They get grants. They're a fine organisation. They have an enormous history that we all respect and love on the board, and we get letters of support for Tourism Noosa, including RACV, Peppers, Noosa Springs, Niche, Holidays,

01:28:00 Glen Eden, and others. Tourism Noosa is a strong organisation. We are in a financial bind. I do not believe it is prudent for us to pay the two million dollars to Tourism Noosa this year. It's absolute. It's going to come back and bite us, and I just can't support it. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Wegener. Mayor Wilkie: Any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm put by a question. The question is, we heard that it's currently funded by a rate of the dollar to business and accommodation, housing. If we were to... Yes. If we were to not spend two million dollars, would the ethical thing then to be reduce the rates to business and housing? Mayor Wilkie: I'm not going to allow the question, because it's an unfair question to ask of staff.

01:29:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Mayor Wilkie: But you can make that assertion in your own speech, if you like, Councillor. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I thought it was a good question. I am going to speak, and I haven't done this for a while, but I might need to ask for leniency in terms of that. Because I do think that the perceptions and advocacy in the community want three questions answered. One is, the question is, will continued funding of tourism in Noosa exacerbate or facilitate the continuation of over-tourism? The second question is, why is it important for continuing funding for brand promotion and marketing? And the third one is, how much is a reasonable level of funding to our local tourism organisation? Perhaps arrive on that compared to other industry sectors. So, Cathy, if I can have the one up regarding statistics, tourism statistics.

01:30:00 We've heard that part of the issue driving our community concern is over-tourism. No, no. You can leave that one to last. The... And the main one that's affecting people is congestion. And we think about what a local tourism organisation does. And we think about where we market. Day trippers are the primary source of the congestion. Combined with people from within the community. So, in 2022, 2023, 2024, 42% of our visitors were day trippers and they only spent 7%. Nothing that tourism Noosa does or is funded to do goes towards that.

01:31:00 Okay, you can see the graph on the left. The orange is the day trippers. Most significant portion. To address marketing, we have to have other levers. Sorry, to address over-tourism, we have to have other levers. Changing what we market or not defunding marketing or stopping marketing is going to do very little, in my opinion, towards alleviating day trippers. Next slide, please. And why is that so? So, here's some very recent data from November 22 to January 23. Not that recent. I thought it was next year. So, here's some very recent data from November 22 to January 23. About mobile phones. And here you see 75 to 83 at the peak time in Noosa, Hastings Street Precinct, are not the people that we target with marketing from Tourism Noosa.

01:32:00 They come from Noosa, Gympie and the Sunshine Coast, and southeast Queensland. None of what we ask tourism to Noosa is to bring the brand or market to that sector. So, what will it affect? It will affect our budget. So, if we're thinking about pure numbers, the likely reduction coming from stopping all marketing as we've been, stopping public funding of marketing is likely to have a marginal effect. I'm not saying that those other areas won't benefit from some of the messages we put out, but I'm saying they're not the target market. So the next one. One of the challenges for us is to try and maintain our economy while reducing the number of people visiting. And that's exactly what's happening. So 306,000 less visitors compared to 2019, but expenditure is increased.

01:33:00 So the bottom one shows that trend. So the trend that we're achieving through the current collaboration and partnership with Tourism Noosa is exactly what the community's been asking for. Can we do more? Of course. There's lots of other levers. But that's really important to understand, is that the value is created by the overnight visitors. So if we come to the next one, we can see that more clearly, that year ending 24th of June. The spend. While the number's fairly consistent from 2016, the spend is going up. Okay? And you can see once again, 47% daytrippers. The last one. And why is it important? Why is it important to continue to invest in this? And we think about, you know, that it's one of the top three sectors.

01:34:00 And we think about a gross regional product. But where it makes the most difference is what you see on the right there. 47% of all Visa cards spent across the whole Shire during the summer peak came from visitors. So that's the retail sector. All those small businesses that are direct to our visitors as well. So that's quite an astounding amount. 47% of the stuff being sold and bought in Noosa over that period is coming from visitors. So if we make significant changes, we're going to see that. It obviously has that potential to adverse economic impact. And we've heard in this report over 4,000 people employed. We know when we look at the global situation that the likelihood of the economic buoyancy going downhill rather than uphill at the moment is high. So the risk of not continuing to try and attract that high-value domestic overnight is quite

01:35:00 high. So when we are asked to make a decision, we're going to have to make a decision. We're not just asked to make a decision about those who are suffering from over-tourism. We have to balance that about those who are struggling to get housing at a reasonable price. Those who have got the cost of living price. Because a lot of those are working in this industry. So we have to balance it. Now the DMP has been mentioned quite a few times and Councillor Wilkie mentioned it. If you go to that next set of slides. We've had a lot of feedback recently. We had a lot of emails following it. Some standard letters saying just cut it. Black and white. Them and us. We don't want it. Not council business. Most of those people I know their names because I know most of them have supported me in the past. Maybe change that. We also had the reciprocal, which is we got a lot of letters from the industry saying

01:36:00 we continue to support, continue to do and do so. One of the problems of this them and us, black and white, simple solutions to really complex sustainability problems like over-tourism is that it vastly oversimplifies it. So one of the techniques you use to address this is scenario planning. And fortunately we've already started that process in the DMP. We created a range of scenarios. And one of those scenarios was based on governance. And one of the key criteria in the governance scenario was this one. And it said, do nothing scenario. Stop promoting Noosa Shire to all business. And a whopping 6% of the respondents supported that. So councillors, we may be feeling the pressure of a range of letters and emails coming into us. But when taken out of this hotbed of the current environment, only 6% thought that. And there are other criteria in there. Look at what was most supported. It's that transformative suffice scenario.

01:37:00 Market Noosa Shire by highlighting values that align with regenerative tourism, making things better. Community and Kabi Kabi values which will encourage people to give back, respect people in place, and travel responsibly. Develop an innovative initiative to attract visitors and philanthropic contribution for environment and community health projects. If you add that up to the next aspirational one, which is to step back, you see that over 50% of the people saw, well, as part of their scenario, thought that a continued role in promoting the brand and marketing to people who are likely to share our values was heading towards a vision of the future of Noosa which aligned with their vision. And that's really important. What we're talking about here is, is the role of tourism Noosa to help this community get to a place where we want to be in the future? And fortunately, we've got an example of that. Next. When we think... Mayor Wilkie: Quick, Councillor Stockwell. Your time has been questioned.

01:38:00 Yes, Councillor. It has. On this matter, prepared to allow Councillor Stockwell to speak a bit longer. Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to allow. He's leaving soon. Thank you. Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Yes, it has. Mayor Wilkie: It has. Councillor Lorentson: Has it? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. Yes. Oh, okay. I've got two more. Okay. Very quickly. Councillor Finzel: One more. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: We perceive it. I've talked about this earlier. But four months of research showed that Noosa is currently perceived as offering less than average experiences. It was talked about, we thought we had great experience. And it is not widely recognised for its efforts in environmental conservation. That's the real take home message. So this campaign was focused on it. Next slide. Talk, okay. After the campaign, 8% lifted the perception of Noosa having great experience, 7% lifted the perception. And what was it all about? It was about getting people here and about who share our values, who want to do it.

01:39:00 And I haven't got time to go through it. I'll send it to you around. But basically, even part of it was doing a climate calculator. So it's highlighting activities such as hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, eco tours, which attract a more diverse visitor base. That is what the community said we want to do. And that's what we need to do more in the future. I'll finish on the last one, which is the first one. And this is the one that I tried to bring up before, that we had our computer. And that is, we talked about benchmarking. So we talked about the confidential data. I've just extracted some statistics out of that. So the dark green is Noosa in the current year. And it's comparing the investment by similar sized councils in their local tourism organisation. The left hand side compares this based on the amount of dollars that the council put in compared to the gross value of the tourism industry. And on that, our investment is a little bit below the average. Okay? So we put in more compared to average.

01:40:00 However, if you compare the amount of investment from the council and the LTO compared to the number of jobs in the industry, we're well above average. Just compared to those three. So that's what I want to leave you with. Councillor Wegener: How much? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think the balance we've got in the recommendation by staff is somewhere around the average. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Stockwell. Any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Anyone? You may ask the question. Councillor Wilson: Yes. So the one we've got almost a million. Thank you very much. Is there any evidence to suggest that if you were to increase or decrease the amount of marketing to focus interstate or overseas visitors that it would affect, it would actually increase or decrease the number of visitors? How could we be seeing that marketing will say, oh, we've switched up internationally, so now we'll go another direction?

01:41:00 Is there any product? Mayor Wilkie: Do I have the right to that one? I think so. Director Rawlings: Well, in terms of, is there any evidence? Speaker 2: We don't have any evidence as part of this report either way. We can take that on notice. But generally speaking, we have lots of case studies that have shown where government, local governments have taken money out of the RTO and then taken many, many years to get back to the RTO. And then they went back to the position that they were in when they took that money away. So we have got evidence and case studies to show that, but not immediate Australian experiences right here and now. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. And now... I have a question. Councillor Phillips.

01:42:00 Councillor Phillips: Can I understand, maybe more in layman's terms, please, Director Rawlings, around the management of the RTO? Can you talk a little bit about the milestone payment of $1.2 million and how that, how you came about that figure? Director Rawlings: So the existing funding agreement of $2.52 million has two milestone payments. This is how we will always pay tourism and Noosa. The first being at the 31st of July of each financial year, half of that payment being $1.2 million. The second being at the 31st of July of each financial year, half of that payment being equivalent to the current agreement at the 31st of January of the same amount. So given that the intent of this report in some way is to allow operational, allow the

01:43:00 operations to continue, allow ongoing current commitments to be serviced and honoured, the recommendation is that we provide... Thank you. ...the almost equivalent amount to what we provide now at the six-monthly mark, which is $1.2 million. So that figure was based on what we currently pay to allow six months of continued service while the roadmap was being developed. And then that six-month mark to that for the second payment to be contingent on roadmap and a couple of other things. Okay. Councillor Phillips: A lot of pressure because we have... Thanks, Councillor Wegener, for prompting me after our budget meeting this morning. Has there been consideration when we were coming to this new agreement? We're asking Council to look at areas to find efficiencies. Has there been a conversation through this process with Tourism USA to put an obligation back on them to find some efficiencies in their work?

01:44:00 So then we can pass that on because I'm hearing that that's definitely a consideration here today. Director Rawlings: Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, absolutely. That's what the report does. The report says there is a reduction of $520,000 proposed based from existing funding. A portion of that, it relates to events. The remaining portion of that is essentially an efficiency dividend to find efficiencies within the organisation to the value of $270,000. Councillor Phillips: So a follow-up question. Do we say that... That our commitment is 1.2 and they have to find the efficiencies or do they say this is what we need to deliver? Director Rawlings: No, this is Council's decision. This is an officer recommendation then for Council's decision about what we're putting forward in terms of an amount for 12 months.

01:45:00 Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: Would you give me the... Councillor Wegener. ...a ballpark of the cost invested into the DMP and how much of that, looking forward through the rest of the year, is being allocated to the DMP? Director Rawlings: I think we have about $100,000 allocated for completion of the DMP, but I would have to check that. It's around $100,000. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Wegener, Stockwell have spoken to the motion. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any other councillors wish to speak before I close? Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor, you go ahead.

01:46:00 Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: I'm not quite ready, but... Okay, so firstly, we are at a crossroads. I believe we're at a transition, trying to give fair consideration to everyone involved transitioning out of where we are and where we'd like to go. Anyone who's given birth realises that transition is challenging, it is painful, but it comes with a measure of hope. So I'm hoping that's where we're heading for today. I always like to go what has preceded me, where I am and where I'm going. So as part of my research into this, I went back to November 2021 when we had the then CEO put his report to Council. Interesting to note in there that Tourism Noosa jointly worked together to work on Tourism

01:47:00 Noosa and the constitution, which was based on a representation model. What's interesting, I did a little bit further research and I'll be really brief and I can only take an excerpt, but from a journal of Sustainable Tourism, May 2011 from James Cook Uni, from Gianna Moscato, she provided a discussion paper and it revealed a dominant social representation of tourism planning in which destination residents play only a minor role and are typically excluded from tourism governance and external agents. And their views of tourist needs are dominant. Many planning models were narrowly excluded. Some of them had limited evaluation of all tourism benefits and costs, paid little attention to economic factors and did not integrate into wider development processes. The paper argues that their social representation assumes the core objective of tourism planning is to enhance outcome for tourists and tourism businesses rather than for destination residents.

01:48:00 And I think what we've got here today is like, you know, this is a model that was written. There's deficiencies in the model. Or you could say there's celebrations in the model and this is where we've ended up today. So I think we're in a transition trying to amend where we have been and where we're going. Like I said, we are at a crossroads. We are a world-class destination, but we're also a community. And right now, we know that this community is under pressure. The impacts of over-tourism, traffic congestion, housing affordability, crowded public spaces, and environmental stress aren't abstract. They're felt every day. I want to thank all the people that sent me emails. There were so many in my inbox. I do apologise. I've been unable to answer every one of them. But it's been across the whole of the sector, not just one group. It has been, you know, pretty much a good representation of our entire community. That's where good governance matters. And I think the real change begins with community involvement.

01:49:00 We must bring residents back into the centre of tourism decisions, not just as stakeholders, but as co-creators to the solutions. Together, we can build a future we can be proud of. Connection and kindness for each other is paramount during this time of insecurity. We also know that tourism brings major benefits. It's a pillar of Noosa's economy. Supporting local jobs. Across hospitality. Medical and retail. Health and wellbeing. Transport. And creative industries. Small businesses, from our tourist operators to cafes and boutique stores, rely on visitor spending to survive and thrive. Tourism, when well managed, brings vibrancy, opportunity, and income to the Shire. Also providing employment opportunities for local businesses.

01:50:00 For our students. Which is really important. All of us can say we started somewhere as a teenager, learning how to get engaged in the workforce, and put money in our own pockets. But we can't ignore, and we are not ignoring, residents are carrying the weight of tourism's growth. From noise and traffic, to infrastructure strain and rising living costs. It's not sustainable, and it's not fair. The challenge is, is how do we maintain economic stability? And how do we maintain economic benefits while protecting our quality of life? Continuous improvement, innovation, and the use of balanced tools like visitor levies, access fees, and fair use charges. We can ensure tourists contribute directly to the things that they impact. This revenue can be reinvested in infrastructure upgrades, environmental restoration, community services, and local events that benefit both visitors and visitors.

01:51:00 But policy change alone won't earn trust. We need to track our delivery, flag risks, and ensure residents stay informed, giving the community confidence that we're not just about planning, we are taking action. And we are taking proactive steps to transition us from where we are to where we're going. Change will take time. But with clear reporting, community consultation, and good governance, we can shift the model, in my belief and hope, that better reflects and pays respect to our people, our place, and our future. A Noosa where tourism supports jobs and small business, but not at the expense of local lifestyle. A Noosa where rural tourism supports jobs and small business, but not at the expense

01:52:00 Our residents sit at the core, at the heart of who we are, supported and proud of how we welcome each other and the world. I think, you know, this is what we all aspire to. We're all here for the same reasons. I think the challenge before us today is how we do not disadvantage one sector or many sectors as we transition forward. It's a challenging decision before us, but at the heart of this sits our love of our community and our connection to our community. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Yep, I'm happy to speak. It's been interesting for us. The community has been us. And questions that we actually can't ignore.

01:53:00 Is Tourism Noosa aligned with the values and expectations of our community? Is it efficient? And are we leveraging the best value for every dollar invested? And most importantly, is the current model fit for the future? The current model may have served us well once, but it may not or may no longer be delivering what this community needs. Every council department is being asked to find efficiencies. Every public dollar is under pressure. And every organisation receiving public funds, regardless of where the money comes from, must be held to the same standard of scrutiny and accountability. I want to make it known that I support Tourism Noosa. I support the work it does. And I have great respect for the team. Some of the most capable professionals in the industry. But today, it's not about individuals.

01:54:00 It's about performance. It's about structure. And it's about public trust. We're not here to protect status quo. We're here to manage public funds with integrity. To make hard decisions. And to strike a balance between what our businesses need and what our community demands. This report, which defaults to the current structure while we wait for the destination management plan, is not what I was hoping for. In my opinion, it falls short of the bold, decisive leadership that our community expects. But in the absence of a fully developed and tested alternative, I acknowledge that for now, there is no formal option before us. Do I think the report has gone far enough? No, I don't. I don't think it addresses some of the core concerns that the community continues to raise. We owe the people and community of Noosa a review of tourism Noosa's structure.

01:55:00 Not to dismantle it, but to future-proof it. We need a model that's leaner, more transparent, more efficient, and firmly aligned with Noosa's long-term vision. A model that delivers maximum value, draws on expert industry capability, and eliminates unnecessary overhead. I want to take this opportunity to make a few things clear. Who pays? The $2.52 million that's allocated to tourism Noosa is not funded by residential rate pays. It comes from Noosa's commercial, industrial, and transitory accommodation sector. That distinction matters, and it must be made clear, and it must be respected. However, once those funds are into general revenue, we need to make a decision. If those funds are into general revenue, they become public money. And public money, no matter its source, must meet the same standards of transparency, accountability, and return on investment as every other dollar we spend.

01:56:00 I need to also make clear that Noosa Council is the destination management. Tourism Noosa is not responsible for potholes, congestion, or parking shortages. That's not our responsibility. That's not Tourism Noosa's job. That's our job, and that's on Council. But smart, strategic tourism management can and should alleviate those pressures by guiding visitation, shaping infrastructure planning, and influencing the kind of behaviour we want to see from those who visit our home. Tourism Noosa deserves scrutiny, just like every publicly funded organisation. But we don't throw away two decades of strategic work because the structure may be outdated. The answer isn't to abandon it. The answer is to rebuild it. Stronger, smarter, and better.

01:57:00 And we must do so with residents and industry consultation. Any future funding decisions must not be made without consulting with industry and without consulting with residents. The businesses who fund Tourism Noosa through additional rates deserve a seat at the table. Their voices matter, their investment matters, and their partnerships must be respected, as does the voices of our community. Tourism sustains one in seven jobs in Noosa. It fuels our hospitality, events, retail, and services. And with the 2032 Olympics on the horizon, one thing is certain, the world is coming, whether we're ready or not. I also want to take this opportunity to raise a couple of other things.

01:58:00 First, in our conversations and discussions, we talk a lot about over-tourism, traffic, and congestion. I do want to highlight that we need to also factor in the extra money that we need to bring to Noosa home. Traffic congestion isn't just on Hastings Street during peak season, it's outside every school gate at drop-off and pick-up time. That's not visitor demand, that's population growth. That's planning, and that's Council's responsibility. In closing, I just want to make one statement. Tourism Noosa is more than just a business. It's not just a contract. It's a brand built over two decades. A brand that's positioned Noosa as a brilliant, sustainable destination. A place of natural beauty and strong community values. That kind of credibility takes years and years and years, 20 years in fact, to build.

01:59:00 And it takes seconds to lose. And it deserves our respect. I support the recommendation before us today. We will be added another year. But I do so with a clear and firm expectation that the real work begins now. No more delays. No more deferrals. And it's time for us to leave. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Councillor Morrison. Councillor Filch, you should speak. Councillor Phillips: Yes, thank you. I feel like there's tourism, and then there's tourism Noosa. And the last few months, that's how I feel like the Noosa has been. If you don't support tourism Noosa, then you don't support tourism. And I kept going over this in my mind around, you know, the fact that we actually, part

02:00:00 of our history is tourism. Like Noosa's, it's in our, it's just in our story here that tourists come because they love the place. So, today we're talking about tourism Noosa's D, but then they're sort of entwined with it. I've lived here my whole life, so I've watched it grow and change. And I've felt what many of the residents are feeling is the pressure and the congestion. And that creeping fear that we might lose what makes Noosa, Noosa. But what concerns me right now is something bigger than traffic. It's actually the division that this has created. This idea today that if we support tourism Noosa, then we're going to be able to get tourism above residents. And that's not how I feel. I'm not certain today's proposal is the outcome our residents seek.

02:01:00 But I also believe there are people who would like to shut the gates. They feel overrun by Noosa. But I didn't, I do know they love Noosa. But I believe that that passion can some way, some, or has potential to be missed. And that's why I decided if it turns into an entitlement. Because none of us, and not even us who have lived here for decades, have the right to keep this place entirely to ourselves. My very first job at Noosa Sports Power would have peak seasons where tourism would come and by. There was more sand on the floor near the tolls. But then in off-peak, every resident came and replaced their runners and got their kids' shoes. And that was my first job out of school. So it was hugely supported by tourism. And then it also had this, when the tourists left, there was this, quite a sense of quiet in town and everyone sort of met their friend for a walk because they knew they could get a park.

02:02:00 And I think that's what's happened today and that's why there's so much division. Because we miss that Noosa and we feel a little bit overrun by tourism. But that's not tourism Noosa. We can't ignore the impacts. The pressure on the waste system and the infrastructure. But that is where, in my opinion, and you've just mentioned it, thank you. Council has its job to do in management of the product. Which is Noosa itself. We have to maintain it. We have to protect it. We have to prepare it for the locals and the visitors. Because let's be real. Not having new toilets doesn't stop anyone from needing the loop. It just worsens the experience for everyone. So I'm not going to blindly support the status quo. I do believe we need a smarter, clearer relationship with tourism Noosa. We owe that to council staff, us here at the table and our community.

02:03:00 I do believe we need to finalise and deliver the destination management plan. I've made that really clear. Because we just have to. We have to finish what we started. Today it's, we're talking about tourism Noosa. We're not talking about tourism. I don't want to see another comment that it means that I don't support. I want to share this place with everyone. I just want them to leave it. Remembering that when they've gone back, that we have to do it. We live here. You know. And that's what I want to protect. So this one's tricky. And I think everyone at the table is feeling it. The community's feeling it. But today it's leadership. It's old leadership. It's making sure that we even make the decision that could potentially harm relationships. And I'll finish with, I know that I've made the right decision when I sleep tonight.

02:04:00 Mayor Wilkie: In closing, I don't want to go over. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for all the excellent points the councillors have made. But I do have a confession to make. And that is that I did come here as a visitor initially. But I love the place so much that I wanted to live here. And the philosophy that has guided the evolution of this place for many decades is that if it's made a great place for residents to live, then by default it'll also be a fantastic place to visit. But the reason, the whole reason we introduced the destination management plan is because that livability for residents and therefore the visitor experience is reaching a tipping point with traffic congestion and greater numbers. We are facing, we're in the middle of a growing region that also likes, people also like to come here. So that destination management plan is very important.

02:05:00 And Tourism Noosa has a critical role to play, or any destination marketing organisation, has a critical role to play in where we go as a community, as a community, as a community, as a community. And there, a point has been made about the things that bring us together and the things that divide us. People who are involved in the tourism industry are our residents. The people that are residing against the impacts of that are also our residents. The people that are guiding the tourism industry are also concerned about over-tourism. Because they know the value of protecting livability, residents, and the people that live here are residents with ability, because they live here as well. We're intertwined, whereas you can't, you can't separate a resident from any, from the tourism industry, because we're all one on this. We have a lot more work to do. We heard the term bold leadership. The destination, this is, this is a transition plan.

02:06:00 Now, there's going to be a, people on all sides of the argument are going to be unhappy, so that's, that could be a sign that we've got the balance right. But, bold leadership will become part of the destination management plan. That's when councillors will be asked to step up and back the transformative changes that the community are asking us to make. Getting on with this is also, at the down to the councillors, driving the process. So, it's up to us to make sure that our words match our deeds. And I'm very happy about that. And I'm hoping that we can start on this work as soon as possible, tomorrow if possible. I'd also like to thank every community member from every side of the argument for their feedback on this funding deed issue, and also in their input in the destination management plan, because it's important work. And I'm hoping that they'll see their views reflected in the next phase of consultation, and that we can work together on this.

02:07:00 It's important. Thank you for your patience today. I'll put this motion to the vote. Those in favour? Councillor Stockwell, Phillips, Finzel, Lorentson and Wilkie. Those against? Councillor Wegener and Councillor Wilson. The motion is carried. That concludes our business today. Thank you everyone for your attendance. Councillors, CEOs, staff. Thank you everyone in the gallery.