Ordinary Meeting - 19 June 2025 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 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES ¶

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00:01:00 All in favour? There are no petitions. There are no presentations. We have three deputations this morning with 15 minutes allocated for each deputation. First we have Katrina Bodycoat and Stephen Bodycoat. Topic is the Charles Bennett Park applicant Katrina from Katrina Bodycoat. Katrina would you like to come to the lectern for your, present your deputation please. Pat Spicer: Through the Chair. Katrina's not able to attend this meeting and she did put that on her form, so she's asked me to present this on her behalf. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you Pat. Pat Spicer: My name's Pat Spicer. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of Kate Bodycoat. Kate is a long-term resident of Foresto Court. Kate speaks on behalf of not just her household but also for many of her neighbours who are increasingly in need of help. She has been impacted by the current and potential future use of Charles Bennett Park.

4.2 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES DATED 21 MAY 2025 ¶

▶ 00:01:04· Carried 7-0 from council's minutes

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7.1 Topic: Charles Bennett Park Applicant: Katrina Bodycote Speakers: Katrina Bodycote & Steven Bodycote ¶

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00:02:00 When Kate and her husband purchased their block nearly 10 years ago, they specifically chose their location for its proximity to the park, expecting it to provide a peaceful, family-friendly space for children. At the time of purchase, the park design was incomplete and there was no mention of a basketball court. At the time of purchase, the park design was incomplete and there was no mention of a basketball court. Since the basketball court was installed, it has become a constant source of noise and disruption. On many days, the sound of bouncing basketball starts as early as 6am and continues into the evening. Even with homes closed the noise is persistent and invasive. The court is the only one in the area and is drawing increasing crowds. Boots here or there at this 150 hearts are in my go to. Given the surrounding residential setting this level of use is not appropriate.

00:03:00 With the development of 62 Lake MacDonald Drive site on Lake MacDonald Drive, residents are very concerned that pressure on the park will increase even more. Beyond the noise there have been multiple incidents of late night activity involving large groups of youths arriving in cars, driving on public land and playing basketball well past midnight and leaving behind litter and alcohol bottles. These incidents have been reported to both the council and the police. While council staff did visit the site and express support for escalation, residents have had no follow-up since March. As older residents they feel intimidated and unsafe and confronting such behaviour directly. Local residents understand council may be considering

00:04:00 additional amenities as part of park remediation. Does this include barbecues, toilets, shade sails and lighting? Residents respectfully but strongly oppose these proposals. Such additions would only intensify use, extend park activity late into the evening and bring even more visitors into what is a quiet residential area. The cul de sac surrounding the park, Forest Oak Court and Red Ash Court have extremely limited parking and are not equipped to handle large levels of traffic. Residents are not against public spaces or community recreation. What they ask is that Charles Benneth Park be managed and developed in a way that respects the amenity, privacy and safety of the residents who live around it.

00:05:00 These could include removing the basketball hoop and relocating the facility to a more suitable site such as the existing slag near the skate park in town. Or replacing the shooting area with astroturf to deaden the noise while preserving open space. Avoiding any additions such as toilets, barbecues or lighting which would turn the park into a destination facility rather than a local green space. Ensuring that more recreational facilities, play equipment is allocated within the Lake MacDonald Drive development to reduce pressure on existing parks. CAIT wants to preserve the peaceful lifestyle, she and her husband moved here for and they trust that Council will consider the impact of these issues not just on future residents but on existing rate payers and long standing members of this

00:06:00 community. Thank you for your time and consideration. Why this issue is relevant to Council? This issue is directly relevant to Council because it involves the management and development of Council owned public land, specifically Charles Bennett Park and how this space is being used in a residential setting. It also raises concerns about public safety, amenity and compliance with community planning principles. The current and future use of the park, including the placement of facilities like the basketball court, potential additions such as barbecues, toilets, lighting and the increase in antisocial behavior. This is an issue that we need to address as we move forward. We need to All four were under Council's responsibility for urban planning, community well-being, infrastructure and public safety. Thank you.

00:07:00 Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Pat. Second Deputation, we have Mr Rod Mulder, Mr Ross Muller and Mr Neil Bale. The topic is the tenure issue at the Men's Shed Pomona. Gentlemen, would you like to come to the lectern? We have 15 minutes for you. Speaker 4: Mr Mayor, Councillors, our representative, Ross Muller, will speak on our behalf. Thank you, sir. Good morning, Chairman, Councillors. A little bit of background first. The Men's Shed at Pomona, it is a community-based organisation and we do serve the community of Pomona, Cooroy, Kin Kin, Keran, the area in the hinterland around there. What we provide is a place and a service for men to attend, to be physically and mentally active,

7.2 Topic: Tenure Issue - Men's Shed Pomona Applicant: Rod Mulder on behalf of Men's Shed Pomona Inc. Speakers: Rod Mulder, Ross Muller & Neil Bale ¶

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00:08:00 really concentrating on the mental activity within the environment of the shed. It's a friendly environment and it's a safe environment. What are our goals? Our goals are to provide a safe place where men can gather and where they actually want to be, to produce goods for sale that represent value for money. We are running a small business, so we actually need to have some cash coming in. To provide a cost-effective restoration service. Members of the community bring things in, you fix this for me, can you do this, can you do that? Yes, we can, and we love doing that. And we also provide community services. So what are our problems? The problems are that we are running out of space on the existing site. We do have workshops and they're well-equipped, but they're very crowded. We've got to walk around like that in there. What that does is it limits the number of people who can attend and it also limits the opening times that we have. Let me now run through a timeline. How did we get to where we are today?

00:09:00 Men's Shed was formed in 2012. At that time, it was operating under the auspices of Pomona and Community House. And it stayed that way until 2017. In 2014, and at that time they were also operating at a Boston shed attached to Pomona and Community House. In 2014, Men's Shed Pomona moved to our current site at 1 School Street, Pomona. And we occupied what was a disused tractor and machinery shed that had been abandoned by Parks and Wildlife. At that stage, it was part of the national park. We did get an occupation permit that was valid for three years. And that was issued under the Forestry Act. In 2015, we wanted to expand and so we submitted a DA to Council.

00:10:00 That was approved and a new shed was built adjacent to and abutting the existing shed. And we moved in there. The tenure for the land was changed from the Forestry Act. To the Nature Conservation Act at some stage. And I don't know when. What that did was it immediately created inconsistent use issues. And it prevented further authorisation for tenure on the land. Effectively, at that stage, the Men's Shed became squatters. Responsible squatters, I might add. But squatters nonetheless. In 2017, we incorporated. So we're now an incorporated association. And we are registered as a charity. Our tenure on the land was un... It was unpermitted for a number of years. The solution to that problem eventually was to revoke the land from the national park.

00:11:00 And put it under freehold title. That was done... That revocation went through Parliament in November 1922. And in May 1918... Sorry. 20... 22. We'll get there. In May 23, the title was given to the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation. And it was managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife. So Parks and Wildlife were originally our landlords. We were issued... We discussed the terms of and finally were issued with a licence to occupy. And that was issued on the 29th of February 2024. It was valid for 12 months with a 12-month extension. The first 12 months have gone. The 12-month extension... The 12-month option to extend has been exercised. And there will be no further extensions issued.

00:12:00 No further options to occupy the land granted by the Department. After we were issued the licence to occupy... That's why we began negotiations with the Department for a long-term lease. In late 2024, we were advised by the Department, or by Parks and Wildlife, that they had been told to get rid of any land that they have tenants on. And it includes not just us. It's the land where the Guindy Muster is, part of the land where the Woodford Folk Festival is. The Parks and Wildlife are landlords on those lands. For us, the issue is where we are. They've been told, get back to conservation. Do not be a landlord. About two weeks ago, there was a letter sent from the Director-General of the Department

00:13:00 to the CEO, asking Council to reconsider its position vis-à-vis the land. And it was a letter sent from the Director-General of the Department to the CEO, asking Council to reconsider its position vis-à-vis the land. Council position, as I understand it, since 2020, when a letter was sent from the Department to the then-Mayor Clive Stewart, Council has said, thanks, but no thanks. We're not interested in owning or managing the land. So that's where we are at the moment. Well, what is tenure? What does it mean to us? And why do we need it? We've got a strategic plan that was developed in 2020. We have a site master plan that will be published in six to eight weeks. But we don't have, we don't have a hold on the land that we've got. I'll just read the next sentence, the next couple of sentences. Security of tenure is absolutely essential for any community-based organisation.

00:14:00 Men's Shire Pomona does not have that security. Without the security. Existence on the site can only be viewed as temporary at best. The lack of a permanent home plays on the minds of any organisation and diminishes the concept of a safe place where people can gather. You can't be safe if you're going to be kicked out. That's at odds with our vision and our values and everything else. So what are the issues? We're unable to do any development. We're unable to raise any funds. We're self-supporting in terms of our operating budget. If we need to do any capital works or to do any extensions or any major maintenance on there, we need to get funding, whether it's from Council or State Government or anybody else. We need that. It is a condition precedent of any funding application that you either own the land that you're on or you've got secure tenure over it and you have permission from your landlord

00:15:00 to do those things. We've got none of that. So we can't raise any money. But we're walking around like penguins in the workshops. The land that we're on is currently zoned environmental management and conservation. Right next door to us, abutting us, is the land that Pomona Lions Club and the Scout Group are on. That block of dirt is zoned community facilities. To our southern border, the land is zoned media and social services. To our southern border, the land is zoned media and density residential. Across on the road on the other side of Squill Street, it's low density residential. Anything that we do because of our zoning is immediately designated an inconsistent use, an inconsistent development. And it's problematic. We've already had one pre-lodgement meeting with the planning and development group about what we can do.

00:16:00 We are space constrained. And therefore, we are membership capped. If we have space, we can grow. If we have more space, we can offer suitable spaces for other community groups to use the facilities. If we grow, we can support more members of the community. We have been approached by medical and health organisations who have referred their clients to MenShare. This is good for you. You should go and talk to them. Social prescription, I think, is the one to focus on. It's a wonderful buzz phrase that's used. Our capacity to accept such people is exceptionally limited because we do not have the facilities. That's where we are. That's how we got here. What do we want? We want clarification and we want some decisions. We know the council, we know the department wants to offload. Clarification on council position. Has council's position changed since 2020?

00:17:00 No. If yes, we would like to sit down at the table and negotiate a long-term lease. If no, we've actually put our hand up to the department and said, pick me, pick me. We would like to take over the land. At the moment, they've said, I'm not sure about that. But if we do do that, if you don't want it, we do. We would like your support in whatever form to assist us to get our hands on it. Our ability to add infrastructure is exceptionally limited. We're limited by the zoning that we have at the moment. Environmental management and conservation is exceptionally problematic for what we want to do. You can't do anything on the site. We would like the zoning changed to community facilities. Same as it is next door. There are community facilities next door. We're a community facility. Why not have the same zoning on the land? Open invitation. Come and have a chat with us at any time. Sit down, have a coffee.

00:18:00 We'll show you around. Thank you for listening. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Mr Muller. Look, we'll be organising a meeting with your group as quickly as possible, Mr Muller. We've got a lot to talk about. Thank you. We'll help where we can. Next up, we have Noosa Glade's speakers, Anne Budd, Ross Ward and Jennifer Finlay. We have 15 minutes set aside for questions and answers. Ross Ward: Thank you. Good morning, Mr Mayor, Councillors and Council staff. I am Ross Ward, Disposer for Noosa Glade's, representing the Noosa Glade's community complex. There are 78 rate paying residences, providing approximately $125,000 per year revenue to the Council. We maintain our housing prices.

7.3 Topic: Noosa Glades - Drainage Concerns Applicant: Anne Budd, Ross Ward, Jennifer Finlay on behalf of the Residents of Noosa Glades Speakers: Anne Budd, Ross Ward, Jennifer Finlay ¶

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00:19:00 We have our own roads, drain pipes, street lining, et cetera. We all have a problem with the waterway that runs through our property, which should be eventually going into Noosa River. This waterway banks up, causing flooding in parts of the Glades after a normal rain event. Around 15 years ago, Noosa Council put in a concrete culvert in the open waterway through the Glades. This really hasn't made any difference, as the culvert runs down to the river and gets blocked. It's full of slime, waterweeds, and bulrushes, et cetera. This waterway always had its problems, even before a previous Council gave developers of Eagle Rise subdivision permission to divert their stormwater runoff into this waterway. Our Noosa Glade's committee, along with management of the Moorindil Street Caravan Park at the time, protested Noosa Council, and we all met with Council staff, and we were informed Eagle Rise stormwater runoff would not affect Noosa Glades or make any difference.

00:20:00 Residents feel this has exaggerated the problem, causing water to bank up the waterway and back up into our drain pipes, causing flooding to properties. Flood insurance is a cost residents cannot afford. Most insurance companies will not insure homes here for flood. One quote recently was $8,000 a year. The major problem is that the waterway between the Glades and Noosa River is blocked by fallen trees, overgrown vegetation, and unauthorised earthworks, blocking water flow and lack of maintenance has caused unnecessary flooding. Our residents are well aware we live in a flood zone area. However, we now have a bigger worry due to Eagle Rise runoff being directed into the easement, plus the blockages between us and the river. The water does not flow away and has created a swamp.

00:21:00 We, the residents, strongly believe the Council has a duty of care to fix the problem before any more rain events occur. Noosa Glades residents have an understanding there are more drains from Tate Street and Cambridge court that funnel stormwater in this waterway. This impacts and affects us also. Noosa Glades residents have an understanding there are more drains from Tate Street and Cambridge court that funnel stormwater in this waterway. As the water is unable to get away to the river it then flows back down towards Moorindil Street, flooding the area known as Duke Street, which then floods the backs of houses in the Glades. Independent water tests indicate a high level of eukaryote in the waterway slash swamp. Given these test results naturally, residents are concerned about health and safety aspects. Mosquitoes, sandflies, water rats, snakes, cane toads and whatever else are considered dangerous, all coming from the swamp slash waterway. Residents have complained that mosquitoes are at 4pm in the afternoon when they sit in

00:22:00 the Moorindil decks and this is in winter, the month of June. Over the years we have written and voiced our concerns to Council about this situation, but nothing has been done for our Noosa Glades community. Residents have become sad, disheartened and frustrated from the lack of results and in actions from our previous correspondence to the Council. It took immediate exposure for us to get where we are now. The problem has been allowed to deteriorate by a lack of proper maintenance to the drains slash waterway over the years and has now become a major problem and needs immediate attention before some or all of our homes get flood damaged. We have some photos and test results available for your files. We are appealing to you, the Noosa Council, for action. You have been asked to submit your applications to the council to be taken as soon as possible. Could we assume that an allocation has been made in this year's budget to rectify the problem?

00:23:00 And would it be possible for Council to give a timeframe for works to be done? We appreciate your time, Mr Council, and thank you for listening to the residents of the Glades. Thank you, Mr Ward. Mayor Wilkie: I understand there's been three meetings. There'll be more. Then I'll sort this one out. Thank you. Next up, we have four submissions for public question time. The first is an application from Mr Brian O'Connor. Mr O'Connor, would you like to come to the lectern and read your questions, which will be answered by Kerri Contini, Director of Community Services. Welcome, Brian. Deborah Walsh: Thank you very much, Mr Mayor. Mayor Wilkie: The first question is this. Has Noosa Council developed a hinterland heritage brand, as was a heritage action aspiration contained in the Noosa Council Cultural Strategy 2019-2023? And if not, will such an action be carried forward into the new cultural strategy now under development?

8.1 Brian O'Connor ¶

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00:24:00 Speaker 7: Thank you, Mr O'Connor, for your question and your ongoing interest in the Noosa Cultural Plan 2019-2023. The final report on the... Thank you. ...Cultural Plan 2019-2023 was endorsed at the September 2024 ordinary meeting. This report showed that at the end of 2023, over 92% of planned actions were completed or underway. This was a major achievement for the Council's arts and culture team, our valued volunteers and the community groups that partner with Council to provide cultural experiences. Of the 69 actions in the plan, only three were not addressed. One of which was explore the potential of creating a hinterland heritage brand. The cultural plan was developed and adopted prior to COVID and spanned a period of considerable change and challenge. Prior to COVID, the concept of a hinterland heritage brand was proposed by stakeholders

00:25:00 as a way of celebrating our heritage and using it to attract tourists beyond the coast and into hinterland areas. However, through COVID and beyond, hinterland tourism grew considerably on its own. And the priority for hinterland communities is maintaining village character and lifestyle. Because of these changes, a hinterland heritage brand has not been included in the draft cultural plan 2025-2030. We are planning to develop a Noosa heritage plan over the next five years, and if stakeholders are interested in a hinterland heritage brand, then they could raise it as part of this project. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. The second question is, Noosa Council papers indicate that an undisclosed 2032 Olympics plan has been developed with the intention of creating legacy projects for the Shire beyond the Games proper.

00:26:00 So can the Council indicate when it will be released, and will ratepayers have an opportunity to provide input before it is adopted formally? Speaker 7: Thank you again, Mr O'Connor, for your question in relation to Noosa Council's plans for the 2032 Olympics. Noosa Council has been actively preparing for the 2032 Games over the past year, noting, though, that we are not a host local government. Our focus as a starting point has included aligning where relevant with the Brisbane Elevate 2042 Legacy Plan, collaborating with South East Queensland Councils through their relevant working group, and establishing connections with organising bodies. To be clear, a 2032 Olympics plan has not been developed. A situational analysis has begun, focusing on facilities, demographics, tourism, transport and waste infrastructure,

00:27:00 while also identifying potential legacy opportunities such as infrastructure improvements, strategic partnerships, sports development and volunteering. Mayor Wilkie has also been involved in engaging with South East Queensland mayors regarding regional planning, as well as learning from international Olympics experiences. Over the coming year, Council will continue to work with key stakeholders in early planning to maximise community and regional benefits. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Mr O'Connor. Thank you, Mr O'Connor. The next application for two questions is from Mrs Deborah Walsh. Ms Walsh, would you like to come to the lectern and read your two questions, please, which will be answered by Shaun Walsh, Director of Infrastructure Services. Speaker 7: Good morning, everybody. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. This is mainly about the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan. Deborah Walsh: So, the proposed Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan articulates a large-scale, complex amenities facility near the Big Pelican.

8.2 Debra Walz ¶

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00:28:00 Can these amenities be downsized and scaled back in complexity, to include a more simple version of the toilet block to allow for maximum use of green space? Director Walsh: Thank you for your question, and appreciate your support for additional amenities block on the Noosaville Foreshore. A key component of the new amenities block is a changing places facility, which are specialised accessible toilets designed to meet the needs of individuals who cannot use standard accessible toilets independently. They provide sufficient space and equipment, such as hoists and changing benches, to assist those with severe disabilities, which requires more space than the standard amenities block. A facility of this calibre is very welcomed by stakeholders using the Noosaville Foreshore. Council has fortunately received grant funding to design and build the facility, and has appointed a local architect to design a building of a high quality

00:29:00 that befits the Noosaville Foreshore and the Noosa design principles. Deborah Walsh: Thanks. Question 2. In relation to the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan, what is the justification and evidence used by consultants to remove parking spaces and broaden the walking pathway near the boat ramp in Hoopy Terrace? Director Walsh: Thank you again for your question. Key feedback has been received about the Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan, concerning both the need for retention of car parking spaces, as well as the need for improved pathways to accommodate recreational use. To provide perspective, there are currently 404 car parking spaces along the Noosaville Foreshore, and 10 car parking spaces are proposed to be repurposed to provide a wider pathway around the boat ramp. The wider pathway is recommended to provide a safer width to better accommodate all recreational users,

00:30:00 along with shade treatment to provide a more attractive and comfortable route around the boat ramp, avoiding traffic and pedestrian conflicts in the car park. Also, as outlined in the document, it is a 20 year master plan, and any changes in this location are dependent upon future funding, ongoing design refinement and community engagement. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you Ms Walsh. The next application is from Mrs Pat Spicer. Welcome back Pat. Your two questions will be answered by Kim Rawlings, Director of Strategy and Environment. Thank you. Pat Spicer: Through the Chair. Were the tender prices for the remediation work at 62 Lake MacDonald Drive, Cooroy, matching the estimates? Director Rawlings: Pat. Thanks for your question. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on the estimates at this time, as the remediation and subdivision works are still currently subject to the tender process.

8.3 Pat Spicer ¶

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00:31:00 Pat Spicer: Question 2. Is the funding for the remediation and subdivision works, including for the remediation of 62 Lake MacDonald Drive, Cooroy, coming from a grant, a loan or Council reserves? Director Rawlings: As part of the Council resolution of the 20th of January 2025, Council decided to support advancing the subdivision and remediation work subject to securing a loan facility, whilst continuing to actively pursue grant funding opportunities. Both avenues are still being pursued. Council has commenced conversations with Queensland Treasury Corporation regarding preparation for establishing a loan for this purpose. Grant applications and expressions of interest have also been submitted to relevant State and Federal bodies, and continue to be advanced as appropriate. We expect to hear a response regarding these applications for grant funding in the next month. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Ms. Ficer. The next application is from Mr. Paul Noonan. Mr. Noonan is not in attendance, but has requested that the CEO read out the questions, which will again be answered by Kim Rawlings, Director of Strategy and Environment.

8.4 Paul Noonan ¶

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00:32:00 Okay. Speaker 10: A question from Paul Noonan. If Council can please detail what is proposed for the Charles Bennett Park upgrade in Cooroy. Director Rawlings: Thanks for the question. Council is currently reviewing the classification of all of its parks in the Shire as part of its regular review of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan, and Charles Bennett Park is likely to be categorised as a district level park as a result of this review. Existing embellishments are of a reasonably high standard and is not currently planned to upgrade the facilities or to add to them. New development at Lot 1, 62 Lake McDonald Drive, Cooroy for housing may increase the use of the park. However, to help people cross Lake McDonald, a new pedestrian refuge is proposed as part of the proposed upgrade to the Dianalla Court intersection. Speaker 10: The second question from Paul Noonan. Can Council assure the Steering Committee that Council's park upgrades do not exempt Coaster Bay from providing good recreational facilities on site on Lot 1?

00:33:00 Director Rawlings: Any development on Lot 1, 62 Lake McDonald Drive, or any development to be determined on Lots 2 and 3 is required to meet landscaping, open space and private open space requirements set out in the planning scheme. Even though it is in close proximity to Charles Bennett Park, these requirements must still be met. The provision of recreation facilities, e.g. park equipment, swings, etc, is not required to be provided by Coaster Bay on Lot 1. There are, however, a number of public open space areas identified on the site, as outlined in the subdivision plan. How these open space areas are used going forward is still to be determined. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Director Rawlins. There are no mayoral minutes. We have three notified motions. The first one is from Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson, would you like to move your motion? Councillor Lorentson: I'd like to move the motion that Council request the CEO to prepare a report outlining the scope

10.1 AUDIT OF ACCESSIBLE PARKING PROVISION IN NOOSA SHIRE ¶

▶ 00:33:47· Carried 6-1 · 1 division from council's minutes

00:34:00 and cost of investigating an audit of all Council-owned accessible parking spaces for people with a disability within the Noosa Shire local government area to be considered by Councillors as part of future budget deliberations. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. May we have a second for that? Councillor Wilson. Councillor Lorentson, you wish to speak. I will. Councillor Lorentson: As Noosa's population continues to age and our community becomes more aware of inclusive design, there's an increasing expectation that mobility infrastructure, particularly accessible parking, is not just compliant but generally fit for purpose. Accessible parking plays a vital role in ensuring people with disability, older residents, and those with temporary long-term mobility challenges, can participate fully and safely in community life. While the National Construction Code mandates one accessible parking per 100 standard spaces,

00:35:00 compliance with this minimum requirement does not necessarily ensure equitable, safe, or adequate access. In practice, many locations, such as healthcare facilities, community centres, Council-run facilities like the Aquatic Centre, the Cooroy Library, the Jane Leisure Centre, and retail precincts, may require significantly more mobility parking than the National Construction Code baseline to accommodate actual user needs. Current feedback from residents highlights practical challenges with the design, placement, and availability of accessible parking bays across the Shire, from the hinterland to the coast. These include bays that lack sufficient clearance for wheelchair access, are poorly positioned relative to curb ramps or entries, or are consistently occupied in high-demand locations. An audit would allow Council to assess not only whether the number and placement of accessible bays meets legislative requirements,

00:36:00 but also whether it aligns with the real-world experiences and expectations of our community. Consulting with users will provide valuable insights into their experience and needs, ensuring that the audit reflects the actual requirements of those who rely on accessible parking. The audit would also inform strategic planning for future upgrades and investments, ensuring that mobility infrastructure is placed where it's most needed and designed to a standard that reflects both dignity and safety. In 2021, 5.6% of Noosa's population, more than 3,000 people, were identified as requiring assistance with core daily activities due to disability. Our median age of 50, is significantly higher than the national average, and in some areas, like in our hinterland, more than one in four residents are over the age of 65. These demographic indicators

00:37:00 underscore the importance of a proactive, needs-based approach to mobility planning. This motion's not about ticking boxes. Accessibility isn't a box to check. It's an opportunity for us as Councillors to change lives. Small improvements aren't just technical fixes. They can be the difference between exclusion and independence, the difference between frustration and dignity. As Councillors, we have the opportunity to make Noosa accessible to everyone. By prioritising voices with lived experience, we can create solutions that truly meet the needs of our community. And the best part is that it just takes doing our job a little bit better with the right insight and commitment. I'm going to... I've got quite a few letters of references across the Shire. I'm just going to highlight a couple of the letters that were submitted in support of the motion.

00:38:00 One was from a mother who has a son who is a Noosa resident, both are Noosa residents, and her son is a teacher at a local secondary school. He is a wheelchair... And I'm just quoting. He is a wheelchair user who uses a modified vehicle to drive to work and to all other amenities and attractions Noosa offers. Besides providing essential transport, his car gives him independence and a certain level of freedom that is important to him and his young family. Unfortunately, that freedom is too often curtailed by the lack of adequate and safe parking. For instance, what should be a relaxing morning at the beach frequently turns out to be frustrating instead because all the wheelchair accessible parking spaces are occupied. It is not possible for my son to use an ordinary parking space because there's not enough space to open the car door wide enough to allow for wheelchair access.

00:39:00 Parking in some of the wheelchair accessible spaces around the junction too involve unacceptable risk for him because insufficient space has been allocated as a driver he is forced to get out of the car and transfer into his wheelchair in the road. The consequences of this clearly pose an unacceptable hazard for all who may be involved in an accident. The above are just two of many examples. Another letter was the mother of a 10-year-old daughter who uses a wheelchair daily. She says that for families like mine, accessible parking is not a luxury. It's an essential. It's an essential part of being able to leave the house, attend school or therapy, participate in community events or simply go to the shops. Mayor Wilkie: It's just been five minutes. Are you happy for Councillor Lorentson to continue past the five minutes? Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Too often we're met with parking bays that are poorly designed, inadequately sized or positioned in ways

00:40:00 that make safe access impossible. In some cases, we've had to turn around and go home. We've had to take a break from the experience every day that meeting the minimum legal standards does not guarantee real accessibility. And finally, I'll just mention something written by Dane Cross, who's the CEO of Sporting Wheelies and Spinal Life Australia. He too is also a resident in the Shire. He says that an audit of existing accessible parking provisions combined with consultation with end users will provide Council with a clear evidence base picture of current gaps and future priorities. It will enable targeted improvements that reflect Noosa's demographic profile, supporting inclusive planning and demonstrate Council's leadership in access and inclusion. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Mayor Wilkie: Questions of staff, anyone? Councillor Finzel.

00:41:00 Councillor Finzel: Yes, thank you through the Chair. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson, for bringing this to attention. First question, is through the staff, for the staff, has an audit of these accessible parking across the Shire already been undertaken? I was of the understanding that has been done. Can I please get some information on that? Mayor Wilkie: Yes, Shaun Walsh, Director of Infrastructure. Director Walsh: Thank you, Councillor Finzel, for the question. There has been an audit undertaken for the parking management planning areas that we'll be working in with the councillors on. So that includes Noosa Junction, Noosa Heads and Noosa MacGillivray, but there has not been an audit undertaken of the gates of the Shire. So, and it's just something of that, because I also know that most of our disabled parking spaces were rolled out prior to more recent design changes that required site access to disabled parking spaces. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Through the Chair, I do have a further question. Yes. I was of the understanding

00:42:00 some of those audits had taken place in the hinterland. Can I please seek clarification? Director Walsh: Councillor, I need to take that question on that. I'm not aware of any audits that have been undertaken in the hinterland areas. Mayor Wilkie: Is there the intention to, as part of the Shire-wide parking study, to do audits in all the areas of the Shire? Director Walsh: Eventually. So, as we would start to progress parking management plans in other localities, in particular in business centres such as Cooroy, Pomona and Tewantin, we would undertake a detailed audit as part of that process in the future. The information we would be sending you for the parking management plans is that the three localities we've chosen to go as the first might be, or the first stage, and then we would need to undertake a more detailed assessment for those other localities in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Casey. Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: Go ahead. Tashawn.

00:43:00 This is inconsistent with our parking management plans moving forward. Director Walsh: Certainly, with Councillor Wegener, this is not inconsistent with the parking management plans moving forward. It would be useful information to inform the parking management plans Councillor Finzel: I just have one more question, please, just to make sure that it's noted that I do get that report back from the staff to answer my question in relation to the audit in the hinterland. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Alright, anyone else wish to speak? Just to close, Councillor Morrison. Councillor Lorentson: I will. Just to address a couple of things that have been raised in the form of questions. I've been meeting with hinterland residents for some time over the last, over the term of this, over the last 12 months during this term.

00:44:00 One incident, and this is probably what provoked me to bring this motion, two things provoked me. In my last term, about three, four years ago, I made a similar request from the ex-CEO, Scott Walsh. And also with Larry, our current CEO, Larry Sengstock, for an audit of accessible parking. For those who know me, this is an area of deep interest for myself. Access and inclusion is a commitment that I made when I put my hand up for hearing counsel. The audit was done, but unfortunately it was only done in the Haston Street precinct. It was not done across the Shire, nor in the hinterland. I met with a resident about two months ago, and she was late for a meeting with me. We were sitting at the FICA cafe, and she kept sending me messages. She was about 25, 30 minutes late. And I knew that was unusual because she's really, really just diligent.

00:45:00 She eventually came to FICA restaurant, and I asked what happened, and she said, all the accessibility parking spaces were occupied. And then she had to drive in a circle, and a circle, and a circle, almost drove back home. I then walked her back to her car space. It took us about 10 minutes from coffee shop to get to her car spaces. That is not okay. And that's why I'm standing here. I've since had so many people from Pomona. I was at the Cooroy scone time just recently. I got stopped by so many elderly residents at Cooroy scone time, many who live in Pomona, who also expressed the need for fit for purpose accessibility spaces. In terms of audit, whether it's already been done, I need to also reiterate that there is

00:46:00 a process with notified motions. Notified motions need to be approved by the CEO. The CEO then goes to the directors and ensures that the notified motion has been approved by the CEO. I'm expecting due process, so questions raised today, again, perhaps challenge the integrity of that process, and that's a separate discussion. In terms of conclusion, conducting an audit of accessible car parks is not just a procedural task. Again, it's an opportunity for us to change lives. It's an opportunity for us to plan for infrastructure that is fit for purpose, that's informed about by lived experiences of people with disabilities and those who care for them. In Noosaville, we have an ageing population, and many residents live with disability or mobility change challenges. Access is fundamental. It affects whether someone can attend appointments, enjoy public spaces, go to a local coffee

00:47:00 shop, support local businesses, and most importantly, feel part of their community. People with disabilities are not limited. The limitations lie in the environments we design and the barriers we fail to remove. Inaccessible infrastructure, not ability, is what excludes people. If we're committed to building a community for all, then we must start with access. An audit is a practical, necessary step to identify gaps and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access them. We must also ensure that people with disabilities are able to participate fully in the life of our Shire. Because true inclusion doesn't happen by accident, it happens by design. And I know you can feel the passion in my voice because this is really important. I've been part of the Seahorse Nipah program for 14 years.

00:48:00 I advocated for the beach mat. I've spent the last six months getting a wheelchair, allowing people with disabilities to have access into the ocean. I fight, I fight for these inclusions and I will continue to fight because everyone deserves access to every places. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. We'll put the motion notice in favour. That's Councillor Phillips, Wilson, Stockwell, Wegener, Lorentson, and Wilkie against Councillor Finzel. The second notice of motion, that's carried. The second notice of motion is also from Councillor Lorentson, Councillor Wilkie, and Councillor Larson. Would you like to move your motion, please? Councillor Lorentson: Oh my gosh, there's so many things that I'm passionate about, and I've got to say, it all revolves around Noosa and our community. So this motion, again, reflects something that I'm very quite passionate about. The notified motion is to encourage a voluntary industry-led transition from single-use coffee

10.2 ENCOURAGING AN INDUSTRY-LED TRANSITION FROM SINGLE-USE COFFEE CUPS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PLASTIC FREE NOOSA ¶

▶ 00:48:48· Carried 4-3 · 1 division from council's minutes

00:49:00 cups in partnerships with the tourism Noosa plastic-free industry. That Council, A, support tourism Noosa's plastic-free Noosa program, and work in close partnership with plastic-free Noosa to deliver a voluntary industry-led shift away from single-use coffee cups across the Shire. B, collaboratively develop with plastic-free Noosa a simple, scalable plan and program focusing on education, business support, and behaviour change initiatives. C, that Council work together. D, demonstrate leadership for the shift away from single-use coffee cups within its own operations. And D, request a report to Council detailing any costs associated with the implementation of this initiative for Council consideration and endorsement. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. May we have a seconder for that, please, for the purpose of debate?

00:50:00 Councillor Phillips. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: The Queensland Government, at the moment, is reviewing its waste strategy and And single-use coffee cup bans are likely to be part of that conversation. In fact, it was earmarked for 2027 for the ban to be introduced. But that's now been put on pause. Regardless of whether a future ban is introduced, Noosa is different by nature. And we have today an opportunity to lead by example, supporting local businesses to explore best practices voluntarily. Motion builds on the work that's already happening in our community. It's about creating the conditions for change to help cafes, event organisers, and coffee retailers to voluntarily transition confidently and successfully away from single-use cups. It's about supporting local businesses on the ground, many of whom are already ahead of the curve, and ensuring that they have the tools, the knowledge, and support to transition

00:51:00 from single-use coffee cups. Some facts. There's more than 1.8 billion coffee cups that are discarded each year in Australia, most aligned with plastics, and actually can't be recycled through curbside bins. That means they end up in our landfills, in our waterways, or as microplastics on our beaches. In 2023, Noosa Council waste audits along Noosa Main Beach Boardwalk and Gympie Terrace identified coffee cups as the most common litter. 18% and 19.5% respectively. A 2025 audit at this stage of Hastings streets only identified coffee cups as one of the top three waste items. The 2023 Your Say consultation on Noosa's waste plan confirmed strong public support for initiatives that protect oceans, reduce plastic pollution, and encourage responsible

00:52:00 business practices. Respondents called for greater leadership from Council in tackling waste at its source. Supporting a voluntary transition away from single-use coffee cups directly responds to this feedback. It also aligns with the sustainable practices, actions in our Noosa Destination Management Plan, which seeks to reinforce our reputation as an environmentally responsible and future-ready destination. There's already other regions that are offering promising examples. There's already other regions that are offering promising examples. In New South Wales, a town called Bermangui became the first Australian town ever where all the cafes voluntarily phased out single-use cups. They saved over 70,000 cups and there was $12,500 in savings for the participating businesses. Byron Shire Council has also eliminated single-use plastics from Council-run venues and events.

00:53:00 Noosa can be the first in Queensland to demonstrate this kind of progress through voluntary, industry-led, community-supported and Council-supported action. Ex-tropical cyclone Alfred reminded me and the community how vulnerable we are to plastic pollution. But it also revealed our community's strength. Our community churned out in droves for beach clean-up. Kids sifted sand from the beach. We're also looking to expand for microplastics. Cafes trialled reusable cup systems. The appetite for change is here. We just need to harness it and continue the momentum. Plastic Free Noosa has already laid the groundwork. With many local business members and more than 160,000 kilograms of plastics avoided, their community-first model works. This motion strengthens our partnership with them to accelerate local change. Just recently, Plastic Free Noosa has demonstrated its leadership in removing single-use

00:54:00 coffee cups. The recent Noosa Eat and Drink Festival was the first single-use coffee cup free event held in collaboration with a local business owner, Sunshine Social founder, Mr Ben Clark. Attendees could grab a coffee, a cup, and have a cup of coffee. This is the kind of innovation that we must encourage. That's why Council's role is not to impose change, but to create the environment where it becomes easier and more attractive for businesses to make that shift. Thank you. On their own terms and timelines.

00:55:00 This shift is not just about businesses, it's also about who we are as a community. Inspiring change, not just for businesses, but inspiring change amongst residents and our visitors. Programs like this are not only environmentally responsible, they are vital to responsible destination management, helping to ensure that Noosa remains a place where people want to live, visit and respect. Working closely with Plastic Free Noosa allows Council to build on strong local momentum, supporting a trusted community-led initiative already delivering great results across the Shire. Their close relationship with local businesses make them ideally placed to help drive this initiative. While some cafes such as Sunshine Social are already leading the way with low-waste cup-free models, broader change needs more than encouragement.

00:56:00 It requires visible leadership, coordinated support, and a commitment to walk alongside businesses. By taking practical steps now to voluntarily phase out single-use coffee cups, we're proving that small communities like Noosa can voluntarily- Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Morrison. How does Councillor Morrison continue to be on top of this? How long has it been? Five-thirty. Councillor Lorentson: Five-thirty. By taking practical steps now to voluntarily phase out single use coffee cups, we're proving that small communities like Noosa can voluntarily lead big change when we act early, act together and act with purpose. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Any questions or discussion, councillors? Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Yes, a question. Just in part A and B, what does that level of support look like? Is it financial support? Or is it resourcing?

00:57:00 What level of support would we be giving that we don't already give? Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I might request that Director King-Rawlings can assist me with that question. Councillor Wilson: Could you repeat that question? In part A and B, support and collaboratively develop with Torres and Noosa. What level of support would that require? Is that financial support? Is it resourcing? Or how is that over and above the support that we already give? Director Rawlings: So we currently fund the Plastic Free Noosa program through our multi-year environment grants. It's in its third year of funding and it's a three-year program. So the third year of funding is 25-26. So going forward that will need to go through its normal processes. There would be some resource support that would be needed from staff to work with, you

00:58:00 know, economic development staff, sustainability staff, our waste education staff to work with Torres and Noosa on this initiative. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Stockwell. Speaker 2: I think it's probably to the Director of Infrastructure. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Reading that, it appears just to be a really good idea. We've already got an action 1.3 that says continue to work with Plastic Free Noosa. We've already got an 8.2 investigate reusable schemes, take away cups and containers, preference for a reusable before recyclable. 9.4 continues support existing recycling programs and investigating emerging inducers, for example simply cups. So my question is, is this just a statement that we continue to do business as usual, or is it a statement that would require budgetary consideration and if the latter would it mean that we'd have to reconsider other priorities in terms of implementing the waste plans?

00:59:00 Director Walsh: Answer it together. Councillor Walsh. Yeah. Director Walsh. Trauma councillor. Trauma councillor. Trauma councillor. Trauma councillor. Trauma councillor. Yeah. So this is consistent, the consistent initiatives in our waste strategy and environment strategy. I think that the key distinguishment is that it's clear articulation about how we deliver it, which is about continuing to support the tourism and the plastic free noosa program, whereas the current strategies at the moment don't articulate specifically how we deliver it. So I see that as a distinction that I'd take further views from the councillor and Brian as we sort of share this. Director Rawlings: Yeah. Look, I think. Director Rawlings. I think I'd just concur that it is consistent. You know, we've had a consistent strategy for a number of years. Noosa was one of the pilot locations, as Councillor Lorentson had mentioned, around plastic free. So it has been through an evolution of support. So yes, it aligns with our strategies.

01:00:00 This does, would take, you know, another level. So like I said before, there would need to be some resource support to work on a particular program around this, the tourism noosa going forward. I can't say exactly what that would be or how much that would cost or anything at this stage. Mayor Wilkie: Question to Councillor Finzel. Director Rawlings: Yes. Thank you, Mr Chair. Councillor Finzel: With regards to collaboratively developing a plastic free noosa. When we talked about funding tourism noosa, there was, you know, robust conversation around KPIs into the future. A question to the staff through the Chair. Does this provide opportunity to ensure that KPIs are met and that it gives us an opportunity to see the future? Because we've had a lot of opportunities working with tourism noosa to, you know, work with the community to ensure that what we work together on delivers exactly what we're asking

01:01:00 for with value for money, given we're using ratepayers' money to support these opportunities. Do you see this motion, or what's before us, sorry, notice of motion. Notice of motion. To enable further results. We have a number of different rigours around our relationship and collaboration with Tourism Noosa. Director Rawlings: So existing funding agreement already talks to these sorts of programs with Tourism Noosa, so it's already captured in our existing funding agreement which we're still currently operating under. There is absolutely opportunity to reinforce those things in the coming 12 month funding agreement and any future funding agreement. Plastic Free Noosa and Tourism Noosa are already working very strongly in this space. This, as I read this notice of motion, provides some more support and strength to that and could be reflected in the upcoming funding agreement.

01:02:00 Yeah, so I think there is definitely opportunity. It's aligned with and we could continue to strengthen that. Through current and future funding agreements. Pat Spicer: Question? Councillor Phillips: Jessica Phillips. Thank you. Could this not support the road map that we talked about in the Tourism Noosa funding agreement? Because it gives a lot of depth and clarity. Could it be used in the road map or could that be an intention behind it? Director Rawlings: Absolutely it could be. The road map that was articulated in the, the requirement for the road map that was articulated in the May report, Council, was very much, provides an opportunity and a process over the next six months to be clear about the things that we would like to work with Tourism Noosa on and what that might look like going forward. So yes, these projects, these projects that do align to both destination management, our environment strategy and our base strategy would make sense.

01:03:00 Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Any other? Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: I'll quickly speak to their motion. I won't be supporting it because this already is doing what we are doing with our destination management plan with the waste strategy and so forth. But the coffee cup is a thorn in our side. It absolutely is. And when I was in Korea, in South Korea, which is so far advanced in the waste treatment that it's just so inspiring to me. But you get a takeaway coffee cup and you're stuck with it because there's no trash cans. And so it really made me think about what you do with this coffee cup because it's expected that when you get a coffee, you're going to drink it out of a cup and stay there. And they have coffee cups for tourists, but there's no place to put them because their waste cycle doesn't actually include you being able to take something and throw it into a bin.

01:04:00 Amazing. This, I think there are so many things that Council with the waste strategy with Tourism Noosa can do. There's a concept called the cup-a-charno where you take your cup and with the cup it becomes basically sort of a coupon for getting another cup and coming out of the biochar, which is a bio-biochar, something we're moving towards. And the actual cup could go straight into the biochar facility coming up if it's a paper cup, which is something that it's in the progress. We're talking about it. So I love what it's saying. I'm 100% behind. I'm 100% behind all these ideas. But I don't think that the motion actually has meat on the bone to describe how we're actually going to change when we say demonstrate leadership and demonstrate leadership for this shift away from single-use coffee cups. Well, we're already doing that by funding Tourism Noosa.

01:05:00 We're already doing that by funding the Plastic Free Noosa. We're already doing that with our waste strategy. And I appreciate this, but I don't know if it's going to work. I don't know if it's actually going to achieve what we probably want it to do, which is what we're doing. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finsal. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finsal. Yes, thank you for your input there. I'm just wondering, I guess this is to Councillor Lorentson, and in response to what you've said, Councillor Tom, you feel as you can't support it because there's not enough meat on it. I'm wondering back to Councillor Phillips' question around the roadmap. Could we perhaps make an additional point on this that we bring in some meat, as you say, to add a link to this and that roadmap with the KPIs to ensure community also that we're not taking our eyes off this funding and we, you know, provided that back to community.

01:06:00 Thank you. You know, with this roadmap to put some new eyes on it due to our limitations when it came before us. Is there appetite from the Councillors around the table to add some further meat, as you say, to support Councillor Lorentson's motion to bring in the roadmap and ensure community that we will remain with our eyes focused firmly on this roadmap to the future? Do I have, is there anyone? Mayor Wilkie: Are you wishing to move an amendment, Councillor Finsal? To that extent? To that? Oh, of course, I'm happy to test that. Councillor Finzel: Yes, of course. Mayor Wilkie: What's your, what's your wording? Councillor Finzel: Do we want to vote, like, vote on this and then start again? Or do you want me to put a, like, a point E on this? Are you happy for that? Or? Mayor Wilkie: Well, I'll ask a question of you. Is, in point B, is this collaboratively developed?

01:07:00 That's right. With Plastic Free Noosa, a simple, scalable plan and program, focusing on education, business support and behaviour change initiatives, which does speak to collaboratively working with Plastic Free Noosa. This could be part of the roadmap, building the roadmap, or KPIs. There is, part B does suggest that there will be more work done to put the meat on the bones. Would you be satisfied, does that satisfy what you're asking for? Councillor Finzel: Well, I don't know. Well, I'm only trying to garner support around the table for the motion. Just trying to, yes, I hear what you say about point B. But adding that extra security that we do have, use the terminology roadmap, which we did, you know, talk about and use around the table in the debate about the TN. So, I would like to see that added as either a point or a word within the sentence to actually give us a focal point

01:08:00 to ensure community that we are not dropping the ball on this and we will be keeping a tight focus on what our relationship is moving forward with TN. Councillor Phillips: I'll just ask a question. I'm not sure if we need to add anything more to it. As the Director's just said that it's pretty clearly, I think there's already enough collaboration. Sure. Like, I think we understand that, and Director Rawlings has just said that it could, I don't know. It's very much been in the roadmap. So, I'm not sure if we need to make it any. To me, it's very clear. It gives us enough to work with. So, I'm happy to just put it as is. Speaker 10: Councillor Woodson. Councillor Wilson: I just want to note that when we get to the grant applications that there was an application for a grant for this project that wasn't supported. And so, I'm just a bit inconsistent here. If we approve a notified motion to... To progress this initiative when it wasn't actually approved for budget.

01:09:00 Just, there's a bit of a mixed message. Mayor Wilkie: The plastic free... Sorry. The plastic free program. Is it the plastic free program regarding coffee cups? Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Can I ask a question to the Director of Community Services? So, in reference to the community grant that wasn't... Councillor Finzel: It's environment. It's environment. Councillor Lorentson: Sorry? It's environment. Oh, environment. Excuse me, Kim. In reference to the grant application, my understanding was that they had made a request for a commercial dishwasher. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Deborah Walsh: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

01:10:00 Councillor Lorentson: No, there was just a question asked by Councillor Phillips in terms of why the grant application, which she understood was a rejection of the program, and I just requested clarity what was actually refused. Speaker 1: Yes, okay. Councillor Wilson, so from memory, and I can confirm, the application was around for a grant within the Climate Change Grants Program was for $15,000, and that was to support a commercial dishwasher to help establish or get started, get the ball rolling with having plastic-free or single-use coffee cup-free events for tourism NUSA. And while the evaluation panel thought that there was merit in that application, the value for money wasn't well demonstrated. It seemed like a high amount for what was trying to be initiated, as well as we had internal conversations with the economic development team, and our own sustainability team, that there are efforts to push towards waste-free events happening already,

01:11:00 and that through the destination management plan, and through the agreement with tourism NUSA, we would be advancing this initiative separately. So that's why it was an advance as a grant project. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Shaun. Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think I'm going to talk to the motion. The difficulty of raising this through a NUSA motion is what we're just seeing. Are we trying to reprioritise the efforts in grants? Are we trying to use this as an opportunity to put one very small piece of the puzzle into the roadmap? It is totally consistent with business as usual, as stated. There is no need. It's a redundant motion from that respect. Yes. The waste strategy has already identified how we're going to support these initiatives.

01:12:00 By putting it in a NUSA motion, it just says, this is the item we want staff to focus on here. With our councillors having the ability to say, well, this might mean this drops off, I think it's important that we don't start putting tiny little bits into a roadmap, or this. We need to say, we've got a strategic step forward, path forward. This is consistent with it. It's business as usual. If more investment was required to heighten it, that was something that we would have been considering in the budget. To ask for a report detailing costs suggests that it's above what is business as usual. And I think it's a roundabout way of trying to say, we're going to choose this as the winner. Whereas I'd like to see waste management, recycling, reuse and avoidance. Exploitedly informed about what's the best use of our dollars to get the maximum impact.

01:13:00 I have no problem with ABC, totally consistent with our strategy. Asking for a further report is just adding an administrative step. It's something we should, if it was such a high priority, we should have considered it in the budget initiatives. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Smith. Councillor Finzel. Yes. Councillor Finzel: A question then through the Chair to the CEO. Can you please, in response to Councillor Stockwell's final comment around capabilities of staff to prioritise in our report to Council, can you please let us know in your opinion. I know that, from my opinion, staff is pressed to capacity. I'm just seeking your input on that. Speaker 10: Thank you, Councillor. And so I think, Director Rawlings answered it as well, there will be some level of oversight from us as staff. I think what this is really doing is just trying to highlight the idea of plastic cuts.

01:14:00 Yes, we are already doing a lot of this, but it's just bringing it to the higher profile and surface. I think we do have a mechanism with Plastic Free Noosa to look at a program that we can utilise, an existing program that we can utilise to highlight this. So that's what this is about, really. In terms of report, it's really any costs associated. That would come back. If it's a cost, then we have to look at how do we fund that in a budget bid going forward, either a VR1, VR2 or future budget cycle. So that's what that's about. So I'm comfortable with the way that it is in terms of just bringing a focus to the plastic free. And we know that that's something that the state and federal governments are working towards. All I think Councillor Amelia is talking about in my conversations with her is just bringing it to the fore a bit better and getting ahead of the game, which Noosa hasn't had to do in any way in terms of environmental and these types of things.

01:15:00 Point of order. Yes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think the CEO has leapt into our debate. Oh, sorry. He was asked a very specific question. No problem. Sorry. Councillor Phillips: Great question, please. Probably back to Director Walsh. Just for clarification, because what I understood when you answered, yes, it sort of sat in that waste strategy, but gave us real clarity on, like it wasn't imposing more. It was actually just sort of expanding on what's there, which is quite beneficial, is what I got from you. But maybe just clarify for me how you'd answered before. Thanks. Thank you. Director Walsh: Thank you, Councillor Phillips, for the question. It provides clarity of the way we would deliver this particular initiative under the waste strategy, you know, to focus on our relationship with tourism Noosa and our plastic free Noosa program. So it requires a bit of collaboration because the Director of Strategy and Environment had the record look after the relationship with tourism Noosa.

01:16:00 But they have provided a valuable leadership in this space. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: I have a question. Yes. We all agree, you know, that this aligns where we're going and what we want to do. We come from a strategic perspective. Question. I have a question. I would like to ask the question, how do we measure this benefit that arises from the collaboration? Mayor Wilkie: Question for Director Rawlings. Director Rawlings: What I can say is, you know, I think that we have a lot of work to do. Plastic free Noosa program is measured, has a raft of measures and they report on them regularly. Councillor Lorentson, I think, may have mentioned a number of the statistics that come from the regular reporting that plastic free Noosa do. They do fabulous reporting and have for a number of years.

01:17:00 So I can't reiterate the stats, but it's significant. Councillor Finzel: Plastic is avoided. Director Rawlings: Yes. So there are, there are established measurement and monitoring programs that already exist and they report and they're publicly available to demonstrate the benefit of these sorts of programs. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: So that leads me to the question then, and I guess that's directed to perhaps to Councillor Lawrenson then. What do you, what is your, what is your goal for raising this today when it fit, it seems from the questions asked around the table and have been clarified and answered, that we already seem to have those things in place. Can you just tell us what your intention here today with the motion? Councillor Lorentson: What's my intention? I think I thought I articulated that really quite well in the opening and in the report. If you've read the report, the, the objective today is to lead.

01:18:00 No one in Queensland is leading this transition. I see it as an opportunity. I started in this space because in 2027, before the David Percivali government came in place, that the Queensland government had set a date. 2027, all coffee cups, single use coffee cups were to be banned. So I started in this space with let's voluntarily transition into that. We don't need a mandate. We need to be a place where people come for solutions. We don't wait for everyone else. This is our opportunity. This is our opportunity to lead. On the ground. And again, I've been very active in the space of microplastics during ex-tropical cyclone, Alfred. I went. Okay. So back to your question. It's, it's about leadership, Karen. It's about leadership. It's about scaling up good stuff that is happening in our community.

01:19:00 And it's not resource intensive. It's already happening. We've got someone who's leading in this space. And we've got waste and economic, our economic development team, our waste strategy, our destination management plan. This aligns with those strategies. It just, it just allows us the opportunity to make big changes with small, with smaller programs and small initiatives. Part of my notice of motion, again, if you've read it, there's also letters of support. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: I take offence that you keep going referencing, have I read it? Yes, I have read my reports. I'd ask you to withdraw that statement. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Thank you. I apologise if you've taken personal offence to that. Yes. Thank you. But part of the reporting, there are letters of support from the Noosa World Surfing Reserve, from Plastic Free Noosa. So there's. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah. There was a specific question that appears to be just talking about processes.

01:20:00 Mayor Wilkie: We'll take the question as being answered. Thank you. Thank you. I have a question of probably the Director of Community Services. In our, in Council's facilities, what is the current approach to single use coffee cups within, say, the Leisure Centre and the Aquatic Centre? Speaker 7: Thank you. Through the Chair. So, since 2018, we've been using coffee cups. We have been progressively moving away from the plastic coffee cups of the time to those that are more sustainable. Certainly, we have had challenges through the time over the quality of cups that can be effectively recycled. But that's getting, those, the quality is improving considerably. So, some of the initiatives that we have in place are, you know, we've done a lot of research in the area of, you know, the customers are being able to bring key cups, etc., as

01:21:00 well as selling key cups so that if people turn up, they can buy key cups so that they can come back and forth and use the same cup. So, we certainly encourage that through all three facilities and are selling coffee. And we progressively continue to look at the market to improve the cups that we're using so that they can be as sustainable as possible in terms of the product that we're using. In terms of the takeaway copycast. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Do the councillors wish to speak to the motion? Or ask any further questions? Councillor Lorentson, do you wish to close? Councillor Lorentson: I will. Yesterday morning, seven o'clock in the morning, I attended the Green Horizons breakfast that was hosted by Tourism Noosa. The attendees, everyone there heard from Professor Ian Lowe of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation.

01:22:00 I sat next to him. He's written me an email as has Fiona Birkin of the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation applauding the motion that's in front of us. Professor Ian Lowe yesterday reminded us that we are not the owners of this planet. That we're tenants. His words, we lease it. It's our moral responsibility not to leave it worse than where we found it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: As much as I love the words of Professor Ian Lowe, the purpose of closing is to respond to the matters raised in the debate. It appears to be a very long new contribution to the debate rather than responding to items. The purpose of closing should not be to introduce new material. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Stockwell, you're quite right because it doesn't give other councillors the right to respond. Councillor Lorentson, if you'd like to close responding to

01:23:00 anything you may have heard around the table and reiterating your initial arguments please. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: Right now we're failing in our responsibility to leave this place better than we found it. I mentioned stats before. Data. 1.8 billion coffee cups that are discarded across Australia. I'm going to just add a little bit of more data. Plastic production has surged from just 2 million tonnes in 1950. Again, 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 460 million tonnes in 2019. If current trends continue by 2050 the plastic in our oceans could outweigh the fish. When you look at those numbers the scale of the problem can feel overwhelming. It's easy to ask how do we stop this? The answer is one action

01:24:00 at a time. Small actions like the action of this notified motion. Small actions when taken together create big change. Supporting a voluntary industry led shift away from single use plastic is a simple yet powerful step. It shows leadership empowers local businesses and helps build a culture of responsibility. The appetite change is clearly growing. As I've mentioned after ex-cyclone Alfred we saw hundreds and hundreds of residents out on our beaches from Teewah, the North Shore, all along our coastal eastern beaches. Kids were picking up plastic. Kids were learning about microplastics. Adults were in droves picking up the microplastics. We had local cafes experimenting with reusable cup systems. This is something really important to this community. That momentum deserves support

01:25:00 and that's why I'm here today. Let's build on the support. Build on that momentum and not through heavy mandates. The ban on coffee cups will be coming. So let's with leadership partnership and encouragement voluntarily transition into single use coffee cups. Solutions exist. Our job is to make them more accessible, more visible and more widely adopted starting here in Noosa. Let's send a clear message today that Noosa will voluntarily lead Queensland's transition away from single use coffee cups not because we're told to but because it's who we are. And because our key is kids. And their kids are counting on it. And because there is no planet bigger. If we can lead on coffee cups, councillors, then maybe we can do the same with plastic bottles,

01:26:00 takeaway packaging and even fast fashion. Voluntary, industry led action supported by council and grounded in community values can become a model for broader change. If we think it's impossible, it will be. Hope is all we have and the actions of good people who refuse to give up. We are different by nature so let's lead with purpose. And I'm going to leave you with a couple of quotes. One's my favourite. The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. And the other quote which I wrote just listening to the conversation around this table today is let's not go finding problems or solutions. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. I'll put the motion notes in favour. Councillor Phillips, Finzel,

01:27:00 Lorentson and Wilkie. Those against? Wilson, Stockwell and Redner. The motion is carried. We now have another notice of motion from councillor, this time from councillor Jessica Phillips. Jessica Phillips, would you like to move your motion please? Deborah Walsh: Thank you. Councillor Phillips: So my notice of motion today is a proposal to waive dog registration fees for approved foster carers. And so my recommendation is that council develop and implement a process to waive dog registration fees for approved foster carers who are affiliated with recognised

10.3 PROPOSAL TO WAIVE DOG REGISTRATION FEES FOR APPROVED FOSTER CARERS ¶

▶ 01:27:24· Carried 7-0 from council's minutes

01:28:00 animal welfare organisations and prepare a detailed implementation plan for one, the establishment of an application and approval process for carers. Two, criteria to ensure carers are affiliated with a recognised animal welfare group. Three, administrative systems to track and manage waived registrations. And four, investigate options to introduce a time limited exception, example up to two years per animal to ensure compliance and regular updates. Mayor Wilkie: Very good. We have a seconder for that please. Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Happy to second for the debate. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you Mr Chair. Thank you. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. I just want to start by saying a house is not a home without a dog. And every time I looked for a quote there were so many although I'm probably here at home the most

01:29:00 because I've rescued dogs my whole life and my youngest whenever she's having a messy day the dog is there to comfort her. So I want to start by saying I have been a counsellor for a year but I've been a local for 39 years and a police officer for 15 years. So my experience has actually taught me the weight of responsibility and the power of practical compassionate governance. I feel I was elected to advocate on community values and this motion does just that. My notified motion for us is quite clear to waive dog registration fees for approved foster carers affiliated with recognised animal welfare organisations. It's a targeted and sensible initiative that supports those who are actually already doing vital work work that benefits

01:30:00 our entire region. These foster carers are not asking for recognition. They're asking for relief. Relief from a system that while well intended can unintentionally penalise those who are helping the most vulnerable animals in our community. Foster care reduces shelter overcrowding, lowers euthanasia rates and improves animal welfare outcomes. The RSPCA estimates that foster programs save councils thousands annually in operational costs. Registration fees whilst modest can also often deter, especially for carers with multiple foster animals or possible fixed living incomes. And now with the closure of the RSPCA of Noosa Shelter, our community has lost, in my opinion, a critical support system. That facility was more than just a shelter. It was a lifeline. Its absence has left a gap that we must

01:31:00 now fill through stronger partnerships with Sunshine Coast Council organisations and by empowering locals to step up. So this motion is not just about waiving a fee. It's actually about recognising the shift in responsibility and responding with leadership. This motion includes a robust application and approval process. It's clear criteria for affiliation with recognised welfare groups. The administrative systems to ensure transparency and compliance and a time limitation exemption to keep records current and accountable. I believe this is actually a smart motion because it's compassionate. It's cost effective and it's exactly the kind of initiative that our community expects from its leaders. Mayor Wilkie: Question from the Director of Regulation and Compliance. Question from the Director of Regulation and Compliance. Could you explain to us the current regime regarding fees charged for foster care dogs

01:32:00 I don't believe there are any. Is that correct? And what would be the cost of implementing this regulatory system which currently there is none? Speaker 3: Correct. Through the Chair thank you for the questions. So at the moment there is no specified fee for foster animals at all and their fees and charges. There are fee waivers in place for support dogs or guide dogs and the like. So there is a no fee for that but nothing specific for foster dogs at this point in time. There is also no fee for pensioners that have D6 dogs as well. So this motion potentially could link to a similar arrangement to a support dog for example. And there would need to be a bit of a process established around evidencing that and the process involved. In terms of cost we've done some initial investigation today

01:33:00 already around the situation with numbers of foster dogs. We believe it would be well within the $10,000 threshold to be able to occur without the need for a further report. We understand speaking with a number of foster care groups that on average the dogs you know some foster dogs are very short term. So some are as little as 14 up to 21 days which you don't need to register if it's less than 14 days under the Act. But there are many that for health issues and for a number of other issues may need to foster those animals for a bit longer and therefore need to be registered as well. So the dollars we estimate and again we haven't done a full investigations date would be well within the $10,000 threshold. Mayor Wilkie: So this idea if it was implemented would it require foster carers to application? I'm sure Councillor Phillips doesn't want it to be an onerous process as well

01:34:00 but could you just explain how it would work and hopefully there would be no penalty. How would you find out who needs to apply? There's currently no fee. We don't want there to be a fine for not applying. Could you just explain how it would work? Speaker 3: Correct. So at the moment there's an obligation for all people with dogs to register within 14 days. So once they have ownership of a dog up to 14 days they require under the law to register that animal. What this would look to do is you know within that 14 day period for them to apply to us with a copy of the foster care documentation confirm that they are fostering for a period of time. That would be processed and they would receive the registration without any fee imposed. So we obviously need to work out the process to do that as part of this proposed motion but we believe it should be relatively streamlined given we have some similar categories already that exist for support dogs.

01:35:00 Thank you. Hopefully that's helpful. Mayor Wilkie: Any questions? Discussion? Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. I'm happy just to quickly speak to this. I really love this notified motion quite a bit. It's a really meaningful gesture and it's a really good message coming out of Council that we recognise the important role that foster carers have and as Councillor Phillips mentioned with Noosa no longer having its own animal shelter. Encouraging and supporting foster care also helps take pressure off the surrounding facilities. It's just a simple low cost way for Council to do our bit and contribute to the broader animal welfare network and also it speaks volumes of who we

01:36:00 are as a community that we care and these are really important issues to us. So thank you Councillor Phillips for bringing this to us. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finzel. Yeah, I'd just like to take this opportunity to firstly thank Councillor Phillips for the time and the effort she has taken to bring that before us here today. I think it truly reflects how she feels about the dogs and our community. So I think it's a great way to show leadership. That's what we're all around the table for and being able to ensure that our beneficiaries do you know get the benefits of our leadership focus on the needs of our community which we're here to serve. The staff have told us that it seems like a pretty easy administrative thing to move forward with. It's cost effective it looks like and the main thing is we can measure the care and the love in our community that people have for their dogs

01:37:00 and the idea that they'd like to rescue them and rehome them. I think it's a beautiful gesture and thank you Councillor Phillips. Mayor Wilkie: Yes, like the last notice of motion, this is something that occurs already. We've heard that it is another level of bureaucracy but it won't be too onerous and will help us get better information about the practice. So happy to support it. Councillor Phillips, please close. Councillor Phillips: Very quickly, thank you. The intention behind it is really just to send a very clear message. This community felt, it hit hard when the RSPCA closed and I know so many residents, it's not just my my rescued dogs, I know so many residents that have put RSPCA in their will they are committed to rescuing and fostering animals. It's loud and clear and I think that

01:38:00 I look at the fact that a PTSD dog or the dogs we see that already meet this criteria, I see a foster animal just the same. We're waiting for them to be rehomed and I want to encourage I want it to be an encouragement to people that if they thought you know that it may be onerous or it's difficult that this is actually makes it really clear. I've included the fact that it has to be recognised in animal welfare groups. I've made sure that I've looked into making sure that it doesn't start opening the doors to people doing looking at it for a different way. I've spoken to many residents around this topic just to make sure that it was loud and clear that they feel that this would be something that they would be able to take ownership from council. Put the motion. Mayor Wilkie: Those in favour? That's unanimous. That brings us to consideration of committee reports. 11.1 planning environment committee report.

01:39:00 11.1.1 planning environment court appeal number D442025 application for material change of use to food and drink outlet short term accommodation at 203207 11.1.2 planning application decided by delegated authority NUSA Inc Zen Inc annual report 11.1.4 is a new item due to the new system which is all the planning and committee recommendations on block. I have a mover and a seconder for the planning and environment committee recommendations. Councillor Stockwell will have a seconder please. Councillor Wegener any discussion? All in favour? That's unanimous. 11.2 services and organisation committee report 11.2.1 sunrise shops shop floor revised lease renewal 11.2.2 was referred to the general committee with the Nusaville 4shore management plan Can I pull that out please? That's that's That's been moved to the general

11.1.4 PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS EN BLOC ¶

▶ 01:39:26· Carried unanimously en bloc 7-0 from council's minutes

01:40:00 11.2.3 was referred to the general committee which was the operational plan quarterly report 11.2.4 services and organisation committee recommendations on block 11.2.4 services and organisation committee recommendations on block 11.2.4 services and organisation committee recommendations on block Signature Community Events 11.3.2 Community Grants Programme, Community Programme Grants Events and Councillor Phillips has a conflict of interest. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest in relation to Item 8.2, 2025-26 Community Grants Programme, Community Project Grants Events on this agenda because in relation to the funding recommendation to the Hastings Street Association,

11.2.4 SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS EN BLOC ¶

▶ 01:40:08· Carried unanimously en bloc 7-0 from council's minutes

01:41:00 as my sister-in-law, Joanne Phillips, is on the committee of the Hastings Street Association, as a result of my conflict of interest, I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered and voted on. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Phillips. Now we have a move and a seconder for the committee to recommend those to move. Seconded, Councillor Stockwell. Seconded, Councillor Wegener. Any discussion? All in favour? That's carried unanimously. May we have Councillor Phillips back in the meeting, please. Speaker 10: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: 11.3.3 is the Community Grants Programme, Community Programme Grants Programme and... ...Projects. 11.3.4, Community Grants Programme, Community Project Grants Infrastructure.

01:42:00 11.3.5, Community Grants Programme, Community Project Grants Equipment. Councillor Wegener, do you have a conflict you'd like to declare? Councillor Wegener: Yes. In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest in relation to Item 8.5-25-26 Community Grants Programme, Community Project Grants Equipment in relation to the funding application to Pomona Arts, the Majestic Theatre, on this agenda as I am a committee member of the Pomona Arts Incorporation. As a result of my conflict of interest, I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered and voted on. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wegener. Right. Can I have a Move and a Seconder for the Committee Recommendation, please? I bid you move. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. I second. Seconder, Councillor Phillips. Any discussion? All in favour? That's unanimous. May we have Councillor Wegener back in the meeting, please.

11.3.5 2025-2026 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM - COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS (EQUIPMENT) ¶

▶ 01:42:09

01:43:00 Next item we have Community Grants Programme, the Three Year Community Alliance Agreements, page 3 of 262, Ordinary Meeting, 19th of June. Councillor Wilson. We're going to have conflicts to declare. Can I have them up, please? First is Councillor Nicola Wilson. Councillor Wilson: In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest in relation to Item 8.6-2025-26 Community Grants Programme, Three Year Community Alliance Agreements, on this agenda in relation to the funding recommendation, to Noosa Arts Theatre, as I am the Senior Vice President. As a result of my conflict of interest, I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered and voted on.

11.3.6 2025-2026 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM - THREE-YEAR COMMUNITY ALLIANCE AGREEMENTS ¶

▶ 01:43:25

01:44:00 Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Thank you. Councillor Wegener: Councillor Wegener. In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest in relation to Item 8.6-25-26 Community Grants Programme, Community Alliance Agreement in reference to the funding application to Pomona Arts Incorporation, the Majestic Theatre. On this agenda, as I am a committee member of the Pomona Arts, as a result of my conflict of interest, I will now leave the meeting room. All that matter is considered and voted on. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wegener. I, Councillor Wilkie, inform the meeting that I no longer have a prescribed conflict of interest in this matter, as I have resigned from my position as committee member of the Noosa Arts Theatre, one of the recommended recipients of an Alliance grant. I'm now a general member, life member and volunteer of the theatre, and that is my undeclared statement. Can I have a move and a seconder for the committee recommendation, please? Happy to move.

01:45:00 Move Councillor Finzel. Second. Seconded, Councillor Stockwell. Any discussion? All in favour? That's unanimous. May we have Councillor Wilson and Councillor Wegener back in the meeting, please. Community Grants Program, three-year Signature Community Events Grants. Councillor Wilson, again. Signature Community Events. Councillor Wilson: In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest for Item 8.7. Community Grants Program, three-year Signature Community Events Grants. On this matter, in relation to the funding recommendation to the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce, as my partner, Roy Vanderberg, is on the Executive Committee, as a result of my conflict of interest, I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered.

11.3.7 2025-2026 Community GRANTS Program - THREE-YEAR Signature Community Event GRANTs ¶

▶ 01:45:34· Carried 5-0 from council's minutes

01:46:00 Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a declarable conflict of interest for Item 8.7, Community Grants Program, three-year Signature Community Events Grants. On this, in relation to the funding recommendation to Noosa Live, according to the Queensland Government's Guide to Conflicts of Interest, dated April 2025, being solely a patron of an organisation does not in itself constitute a declarable conflict of interest. Mr Williamson has contributed to my previous and current election campaigns to the value of more than $2,000, which is considered a prescribed conflict of interest if Mr Williamson or a group he was an executive committee member of were to be the recipient of council funding. As a result of this electoral donation link and potential conflict of interest for full disclosure, to avoid any perceptions of bias regarding my consideration of Noosaville's grant submission, I choose to leave the meeting room in accordance with my legislative obligations.

01:47:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Just before you do, Councillor Wilkie, I think there is a typo up there. The first two words on the second line don't seem to work. Mayor Wilkie: Three years signature of any events grants. In relation to the funding. Is that better, Councillor? Stop it? Over declarable conflict of interest, clearly a three-year signature of any events grants in relation to the funding recommendations in Noosaville. That's fine. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So I'll take over the chair for this council. So, Councillor, just wait. Would someone like to move the recommendation?

01:48:00 Move Councillor Wegener and a seconder. Deborah Walsh: I have a seconder. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Filch, no discussion. I'll put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Can we invite? Councillor Lorentson: Sorry, just a question through the chair. There was no motion that moved that yourself was going to take over the chair. Have we actually followed due process questions in the CEO? Speaker 10: I don't think so. I don't believe we need to because it's, it's an automatic, when the chair leaves, the deputy, the mayor takes over. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: In the mayor's, when the mayor is not available, the deputy, I think the words are in the, that you just take over. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Speaker 10: It's an automatic, otherwise, otherwise, in other meetings, other meetings when we're in the suburbs, things are going to be different because it's not the automatic to the deputy mayor. Thank you. Deborah Walsh: Can I please request a two minute break?

01:49:00 Speaker 10: Yes, I'd like to talk to the chair. Yes, I agree. Thank you. I think it's time. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Mr Chair, can I please ask for a two minute break when we... I think we... Mayor Wilkie: After this. Yes, after we finish the grants. Yes, thank you. Before we get to the infrastructure portion. Thank you. 11.3.8, Environment, Climate Change, Resilience Grants, Environment Project Grants, Round 20, Climate Change Response Grants, Round 5. Now, Councillor Lorentson would like to pull out the Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan. Before we do that, I'd like to propose a five-minute break. We've been going for close to two hours. Everyone in favour? I guess. Okay, thank you. See you in five minutes. Deborah Walsh: I'll see you in five.

11.3.8 ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE GRANTS - ENVIRONMENT PROJECT GRANTS (ROUND 20), CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS (ROUND 5) ¶

▶ 01:49:24

Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.

11.3.9 NOOSAVILLE FORESHORE INFRASTRUCTURE MASTERPLAN (Referred from Services and Organisation Committee Meeting dated 10 June 2025 - Item 7.2) ¶

▶ 01:49:45· Carried 5-2 · 3 divisions from council's minutes

02:02:00 Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: The next item is, are we back here? And your Say Noosa surveys helped shape and refine this plan.

02:03:00 More than 2,000 residents provided a variety of input, with many kindly thanking Council after seeing their ideas reflected in the revised draft. The intention was always to conduct a genuine process to co-create a shared space that everyone could enjoy for years to come. The 20-year plan's key features include retention of existing parking and loading zones, based on feedback from disability advocates and elderly residents, who provided wider shared pathways that are being provided for improved safety. And listening to and acting on the feedback from disability advocates is something dear to the heart of everyone around us. Two swimming areas where boats are restricted, upgrades to parkland facilities and retention of existing recreational facilities. The boat ramp area remains mostly in its original state in response to the feedback received, except for that wider pathway in front of the boat ramp,

02:04:00 necessitated by the feedback from disability advocates, those with mobility problems, and we all understand that that's the area where two shared pathways converge into one. It is a pinch point, and in order for everyone, all users, to safely traverse that area, it's been proposed to increase it from 2.8 to 3.5 metres, and include shade. Now that will include impinging upon roadside car parks, temp spaces there. Car spaces will be translated into 18 motor scooter places. There will be further consultation about that when it comes to individual precinct design, and there may be other solutions that we can find. The tennis court has also been kept as a revered part of the Foreshore's heritage. After discussions with the tennis club, future tennis court upgrades will enable a more diverse range of sports. Council also committed to ensure the existing 404 car parking spaces in the precinct are

02:05:00 clearly recognised in the plan, and any future changes are subject to thoughtful design and community engagement. The master plan also addresses various challenges, including ageing, infrastructure, and the construction, river flooding, and erosion. The master plan allows Council to apply for external grant funding, so we spare rate payers the upgrade costs estimated to be a minimum of $10 million over the next 20 years. Key aspects will undergo detailed design and ongoing community consultation to ensure residents are kept informed, and that what's delivered continues to reflect our community's collective and involving aspirations. Together, Council and our community are committed to ensuring that our communities are kept informed, and that our community helps shape the future of the Noosaville Foreshore, and I thank everyone who have played a role in this milestone project and acted in good faith. Councillor Lorentson: I'd like to try an amendment, please.

02:06:00 That all existing on-street car parking spaces within the Noosaville boat ramp and Eli Park precinct be reduced to a minimum of $10 million over the next 20 years. Mayor Wilkie: Councilor Lawrence, this is similar to an amendment that we've already tried. The current pathway with... We've already approved an amendment that... Sorry, a motion that has the pathways being expanded to 3.5. So we've already tested different pathway widths. I'm sorry. So, for that reason, I'm saying it's something that's already been tested. And what's your response? Councillor Lorentson: Can I argue that this is precinct-specific?

02:07:00 So the original pathway width was for precinct-wide, as was the no-net-loss amendment, which was precinct-wide. This one is precinct-specific. So the original pathway width was for precinct-wide, as was the no-net-loss amendment, which was precinct-wide. And as you just mentioned in your opening statement, that it is still open to community feedback. It is a living document. And it can be, as we get into detailed design, change... Accept it as further feedback. But in terms... Can I... Sorry. Yeah, sure. Mayor Wilkie. Can I also just reiterate what was said on Monday at the general meeting through our director, Shaun Walsh, that a... I think that it's a very important thing that some areas of the pathways don't need to be expanded necessarily to three and a half, that we would look at precinct by precinct. So I... I allow it. Yeah. Thank you.

02:08:00 Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: I just have a question through the chair, and possibly at the CEO. I don't pertain to know everything, unfortunately. I'd like to. Just a question, because from my understanding, the... Councillor Phillips, the other day, tried to bring something to the table, and then she tried to then move another, like amend that. And it was from my memory, and I could have it wrong, was then, you know, couldn't come back to the table, because we said it had already been to debate and tried. So I'm seeking clarification, because I don't think there's equity here, and there seems to be then a discord around how this is moving. So I'm not comfortable with where we're going. Okay. Out of, um, you know, respect to, um, Councillor Phillips, and also to our decision-making table in terms of, you know, our standing orders and what is applicable. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel, very... Okay. ...very good points. The difference is, I've accepted the argument this is about, uh, uh, pathways and specific

02:09:00 precincts only, rather than Councillor Phillips's motion, which was all pathways would be three metres. Speaker 4: So I... Mayor Wilkie: So I do see a difference, and I've ruled that it'll, I wouldn't be allowing that. Yes. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. So for, for clarification, um, when we've got a matter before us, and maybe that was the adjustment Council wished to make, I don't know, but we're arguing, I would consider if it's in the agenda item, that, that is what we're arguing. So can you... Can we allow Councillor Phillips to allow... Can we allow Councillor Finzel to give us her intention on that motion in order to help us seek clarification as to what she was really trying to say in that? Because I'm not comfortable that, I want to make sure that we've got correct process happening. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: So, Councillor Finzel, you can dissent from my ruling if you'd like to move the motion to sending, to sending for my, my ruling, but I'm allowing this, this amendment to be

02:10:00 debated, and it will rise and fall on its own merits. And further to that, Councillor Phillips, Councillor Phillips's amendment that she, that tried, she tried to move and failed, with, on Monday, on Monday's no longer relevant. So we'll... Question? Yes. Councillor Phillips: Um, one of the, um, issues that I'd like clarifying was the, there was a, a question around, um, that Director Walsh put up around if it included TMR, which was thought about on the floor. And, um, the issue I have with Monday was that that actually, we... Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Phillips, that's, we're getting off track. We're talking about this motion in front of us here. Can we just deal with this, this amendment and there's, there's time for questions as part of, as part of the discussion. Right. Yes. Councillor Finzel: Yes. Yes. Question to the Chair.

02:11:00 Um, I, I would like to kindly request that Councillor Phillips raises that to help inform our decision where we're going. Can we please allow her to speak? Mayor Wilkie: Um, not now, because we have a motion before us which needs to be seconded. We have an amendment before us which needs to be seconded. This is the, this is the business we're dealing with at the moment. There are questions that could be asked of, of Councillor Phillips or any staff once we get into, into the debate about the, the motion itself. Okay. Can we have a seconder for the, the motion, please? The amendment. Councillor Wilson: Happy to second. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Ah, okay. So, this amendment is simply to uphold the strong and consistent feedback that we've received from community, the residents, local businesses, the boaties and our recreational fishermen who have made it, um, clear that they don't support the removal of car parking near the Noosaville boat ramp.

02:12:00 The proposed loss of 10 parking spaces currently used for overflow trailer parking will have direct and negative consequences. These include displacement of trailer parking into Mary Street, George Street and surrounding residential areas, potentially creating congestion, access issues and increased safety risks. The justification for footpath widening in this location remains unclear and in my opinion unsupported by any meaningful data or demonstrated needs. Residents and I've been meeting up with lots of residents over the last, since our meeting on Monday, have expressed that this particular part is not a place for people to linger, linger. There's been no pedestrian congestion study, there's been no usage audit and there's been no accessibility assessment. Presented to suggest that the current 2.8 metre path is inadequate.

02:13:00 In fact, the existing path already meets national and state accessibility standards at 2.5 metres. It's accessible, it's safe and it's also appropriate for the low speed, mixed use we see here, mainly walkers, families and recreational cyclists. Again, residents and boaties and fisher people that I've met over the last few days have also claimed that this is a bottle, that this is a bottle, this is not a bottleneck and doesn't reflect their feedback or on ground reality. It's well used and it's functional and it doesn't need to be interfered with. Moreover bike parking facilities to the east and west of the boat ramp are often as observed again by the, our residents. They've observed that those bike parking facilities are underutilised, which to me further challenges

02:14:00 the narrative that we require more space for personal, for motorbikes. Again, the question that's been asked through community is where is the data that support these changes. Again, the residents in particular, our boaties and fishermen have clearly expressed that they want this area left alone. As locals have stated, the proposed pathway expansion provides in their opinion no real benefit to those who live and work there. On the contrary, introduces new challenges and removes scarce and essential car parks and potentially undermines the very character and functionality of the foreshore. People I've been speaking to again, a lot of boaties and a lot of fishermen and local business people. They're not incidental users of this precinct. They are core to the identity, culture and daily activity of the Noosaville foreshore. Removing their access in favour of a marginally wider footpath signals to me a disconnect

02:15:00 between policy and real world use. This is not just a design question, it's also a question of values. Noosa is not an inner city precinct. It's a community. Deeply held connection. Connections to place, to river and rhythm. Planning decisions should enhance access, not restricted. And they should be evidence-based. If we can't show clear, transparent justification for removing essential parking, then in my opinion we shouldn't proceed. We should maintain the status quo. If we have no data, no demand for increased two-wheeled vehicle parking at this location or modelling to show the impact of such a shift, again, then we must maintain the status quo. We should not proceed. Until that information comes to us. We owe our residents, our visitors and our future generations a commitment to practicality over aesthetics and access over obstruction.

02:16:00 I hope you support this amendment and give opportunity for the people that have been quite vocal and have expressed their concerns in this precinct. This is an opportunity for us to let them know that we're listening. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Can I just have a question? Councillor Finzel: Yes, Councillor Fincel. Just a question to the staff around when we talk about data and data-informed decision making. Just a comment please regarding the process around the walking and cycling meetings that we had where we engaged with broader community around where we wanted to go. Just to show evidence that this has been broadly put out to community through other processes, not just what's before us here today. Mayor Wilkie: Director Walsh, are you able to assist with that, an answer to that question?

02:17:00 Director Walsh: In terms of that previous work about the walking and cycling strategy, I think that would be very significant. And then I can provide some views about, you know, some of the things that we've done and some of the different views we've had about the pathways of this location from the more recent. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Speaker 9: So, as part of the walking and cycling strategy, there was workshops with the project reference group and there was also a Your Say consultation done with the wider community. The walking and cycling strategy identified a hierarchy for our pathways for walking and for cycling. The Wurrungipi Terrace, it's identified as a principal recreational route for people cycling and also a principal recreational walking route as well. So, within the walking and cycling strategy, there is defined minimum and desirable width

02:18:00 for pathways for different hierarchies and that also is guided by other guidelines as well. So, we also have TMR guidelines, Austrode guidelines, our NUSA plan, the desirable level of service and the LGIP as well. So, it all comes together and the, I suppose, the recommendation for this was 3.5 metres. Does that answer your question? Councillor Finzel: Yeah, thank you. Just one more question through the chair. That was, oh, sorry. From memory, it was a project control group. How many groups were identified around the table, if you can remember? Like, I'm just trying to illustrate that this is not just, that we have engaged our broader community and I'm just trying to give voice to that. But also, given conversations. Speaker 9: So, your question is how many groups were identified? Councillor Finzel: Yes, how broad was that? Speaker 9: So, there was more than ten groups on the walking and cycling and HPR project reference

02:19:00 group and that included members from community associations, from walking and cycling advocacy groups, from businesses and also from tourism providers. Thank you. And just one more question. Yes. Yes. Councillor Finzel: And was there opportunity for business people along the river and their families to be part of the boating and fishing community or have a voice in that space? Speaker 9: I believe the reference group was voted on and nominated by the councillors at the time. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Quick question, please. Just, thank you. Around, in relation to the principal recreation hierarchy, when that was considered, was there also consideration to, that there will be on-road upgrade to the existing cycle path along the foreshore when that was considered? Speaker 9: That's correct. So, there was both off-road and on-road recommendations as part of that and that was also investigated with the high priority corridor study, which extends from Tewantin to Noosa

02:20:00 Heads and Noosa Heads to Bridgin. We looked at both on-road and off-road facilities as part of that. Councillor Phillips: Okay. So, sorry to clarify then, that is how the principal, that hierarchy then gave us the recommendation to put the on-road cycle lane consistently the whole way along? Is that what came from that? Speaker 9: I think our desirable service level or desirable guidelines for principal recreational route will be to have on-road cycle lanes for sports cycling and, you know, fearless sort of bike and crowd cyclists and then an off-road facility as well, which in that case, I think, was either a separate, as part of the HPR, it was a separated cycle track. Okay. In addition to a pathway, which I think was in the original draft master plan, then we went back to a shared facility. So, it did include an on-road cycle lane as well.

02:21:00 Yeah. Consideration for that. Thanks. Deborah Walsh: Another quick question. Councillor Wilson: Councillor Lorentson. Were there any disability advocates in those reference groups to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for, say, wheelchair users or mobility scooter users? No. Speaker 9: I believe it's part of the walking and cycling strategy there was. I know for the Busyville foreshore infrastructure master plan, sunshine butterflies were included in the workshops. Deborah Walsh: Thank you. Okay. Speaker 9: Councillor Stockwell. Deborah Walsh: Oh, sorry. Councillor Finzel: Oh, Councillor Fitzgerald. Excuse me. We were just waiting for the staff member here to also bring further information in relation to my question. Thank you. Director Walsh: So, in relation to the question, we've gone through the feedback from the walking and cycling strategy. The feedback, you know, from the municipal control infrastructure master plan was that it was equally as many people interested in supporting the wider pathways as there was against it in the location of the programme. And I recall that in the workshops that we had a consultation with, what that's really

02:22:00 articulated. So, it's... And I'll just also note that the submissions are specifically from sunshine butterflies. Director Walsh: So, I've actually just gone over their feedback to the dedicated stakeholder meetings. They particularly supported wider pathways and also a reconstruction of the pathways that actually made it easier for them to, you know, use their various equipment to actually increase their mobility and function. So, the issue gets back to, you know, staff recommendation in terms of that looking at the best interest, you know, of the foreshore and taking on board, on balance, the feedback. But the 3.5 metre pathways and the desire we're seeing to achieve the municipal foreshore, I think this issue really gets back to... I think we're providing more than able information for councillors to make a decision on this issue. And it really comes back to councillor debate over what you think is appropriate or not on the basis of our information that you've learned from all your different sources and what technical information you've gained from us. So, I don't know whether we can sit there and debate.

02:23:00 Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Director Walsh. Thank you. Councillor Stockwell. Yes. Thanks, sir. Thank you, Eileen. Thanks. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The basis of this amendment was founded in a range of statements which I have really serious concerns about. And I will be asking the CEO to review the recording to make sure that it wasn't a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. We've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on design and as councils have numerous times, very extensive consideration of the issues being dealt with and expert advice on the need for wider footpaths for safety reasons. It is very clear, it is very transparent. There is a demonstrated need and it's been prosecuted over and over again to suggest that the decision and the recommendation put forward by staff and eminent staff should be taken seriously.

02:24:00 It is a complete furphy. It is a complete furphy. Councillor, this should be a 6-1 vote against. Mayor Wilkie: Mr Stockwell, the councillors wish to speak to the amendment. Councillor Lorentson: Can I just ask a couple of questions? Yes. So, in terms of data usage, speed usage, pedestrian safety, safety of the roads, data, where can I, just a question maybe to Councillor Stockwell, where can I access that information? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor, you can listen at workshops. Councillor Lorentson: Point of order. Point of order. Through the Chair, can I ask whether that comment was necessary, it was personal and attacked the person? Being me, I take offence to the comment made by Councillor Stockwell and the way that

02:25:00 it was said. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Morrison. Any other councillors wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: I will. I won't support the amendment. We've just had a long discussion about accessibility and inclusivity and making sure that those people with, who are less mobile and need assistance need to have better access to parks, parking and I would assume also better access to flat wide pathways. So, yeah, I won't support it. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, can I just say, I think we've been through it all. I think we've had every voice in the community heard that, you know, for fair and equity moving forward we have had all the data, we have had the information over a long period of time. I think the best interest, from my opinion, for our beneficiaries at this time is not to have this so prescribed that future decisions around the track might be minimised.

02:26:00 I much support and prefer the idea that the document remains fluid and that along the way we can engage with our community, as we heard the other day, that they will be further engaged as the recipients and the beneficiaries of our disability. So, I won't support it because I feel that we need to keep the document fluid to maintain that our community that we love and value and listen to will have their opportunity to have their say as this progresses over the next 20 years. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillors, I won't be supporting the amendment because it does prescribe what an outcome is. I don't know what the outcome might be with this further consultation. We don't want to lock ourselves into any highly restrictive widths of footpaths or shared

02:27:00 pathways. Given the information, the wealth of information we've already received about the reasons for the wider pathways which responds directly to feedback from our community, including disability support workers and Sunshine Butterflies, I ask for some information about that feedback and their comments generally in regards to accessibility. As we've heard over and over again, very much in support of wider footpaths to allow for wheelchairs passing during peak times and improved accessibility. This is all about accessibility. For those, as we've heard, who are less fortunate than us, less mobile than us. They believe the footpaths require upgrades as they are currently not suitable for all abilities. They believe a smooth and even material is required. So, I don't support that. They are actually disheartened to see the lack of support in the community for accessible

02:28:00 outcomes. We've heard earlier today how important it is that we advocate for the disabled in our community. All abilities access and take every opportunity to listen to and reflect their feedback in what they see on the ground. We've got a lot to do to improve our community to make it more accessible and sustainable. That's why the wider pathway was proposed on the foreshore generally, but in particular at this pinch point in front of the boat ramp where two paths converge into one. The impingement on the on-road car parking was not done for any ideological reason, but to accommodate a wider footpath in direct response to community feedback, especially by disability advocates. Who we all respect and work to ensure that their feedback is reflected on the ground.

02:29:00 To suggest that anyone around this table is not listening to community feedback, we're trying to balance competing objectives and not in the best long-term interest of the community in a fair and equitable way, is misleading this council and the community. I'm sure that's not the intention. So for those reasons, I won't be supporting this amendment, but I'd like to commend the councillors for their work on Monday, which came up with a well-rounded motion that acknowledges that further consultation to refine the plan will be undertaken, because we do want to get it right in the long-term. Thank you. Any councillors wish to speak to the amendment? No. Councillor Rice and Mr Clark. Councillor Lorentson: I won't say much, I just want to just reference a couple of things. Firstly, the current 2.8 metre path meets, in fact it exceeds national and state accessibility

02:30:00 standards, number one. Secondly, once we introduce a three and a half metre wide path, what we also introduce is 30 kilometres, cyclists going at 30 kilometres an hour. At the moment, and this again, conversations and emails received by residents, is that at the moment, there's like a courtesy system happening, that residents don't have a speed limit. So once you've got three and a half k's in, there's a speed limit. You can go up to 30 k's an hour. So in terms of safety and hazards, we've got to, again, think about what is three and a half metres actually, you know, what are the unintended consequences of it. So, to say that existing 2.8 metres doesn't meet accessibility standards, I don't, well,

02:31:00 it's simply not correct. And that, you know, speed usage for three and a half k, 30 kilometres, makes me a little bit anxious. Everything else was said on Monday, like I said, I owe it to the voices of the people that aren't around this table to keep fighting. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Put the amendment those in favour. Councillor Phillips, Councillor Lorentson and those against. Councillor Finzel, Wilson, Stockwell, Wegener and Wilkie. The amendment is lost. It goes back to the original motion. Question. Councillor Phillips. Question, Mr Chair, please. Councillor Phillips: Questions, yes. I would like to propose another amendment in relation to what fell on Monday. Which I felt was, I've seen around the room in the last year where we make sort of, everyone agrees, we can make small changes. And I felt very much like I couldn't, didn't get the opportunity to make those small changes.

02:32:00 In saying that, I'm listening to not only the conversation at the table, but the community. And I'd like to propose just one more amendment, please. Yeah. It's ready to go with Vicky. Thanks. Thanks. And hopefully this can find, if everyone can listen to my intention, maybe we can find some agreement. Deborah Walsh: In your previous . Councillor Phillips: Just a. Item under. Please. A shared pathway width is established once we have the monitoring data showing the number of pedestrians and cyclists per hour that are currently using the path. And the. And that future recommendations are used with TMR, or I might just have to have a think on that as it comes up on the screen. If I'm allowed just the ability to thrash around a couple of wording, please, once I see it.

02:33:00 A shared. Thanks, Vicky. Shared. Pathway width is established once we have the monitoring data showing the number of pedestrians and bicycle, bicycles per hour that are currently using the path. Just stop it and establish one. And the recommendation. Yes, I can. I can. I can. Councillor Phillips: I can. I can. I can. I can. Councillor Phillips: I can.

02:36:00 I can. I can. I can. I can. Councillor Finzel: Can I just make a comment? Just before we do, just to maybe help Councillor Phillips with her wording. When we're looking at your asking monitoring data, the other day we've got Shaun in the room, I could have the figures wrong from memory, but it was raised, I think it was about $150,000 for...

02:37:00 Something to do with the data, to capture the data through some analysis, and a staff member to capture that data. Can you please refresh our memory, because I think you're going to have to include something around budget to get support. Councillor Phillips: Well, just to be eligible for grant funding for cycle pathways anyway, you can't apply for a grant until you have the data? Yeah, but I think from memory, can... Shaun, through the chair please, can you clarify? Director Walsh: That response is in regard to car parking monitoring, not bicycles or shared parking. So that question I raised was about the budget required for significant car parking monitoring. Councillor Finzel: Okay, thank you for the clarification. Through the chair then, one more question.

02:38:00 Yes. So then, what do we need to actually capture the data for bikeways then? Do we have that data, or we've got to have further budget or capability and staff to capture that? Director Walsh: We have some capacity. We can take that data to the traffic counters and so on. So I do note that the Department of Transport and Mainways have already accepted, you know, the cycle, the working strategy of this principle cycle group, and our understanding is that . They have numerous criteria that they assess lots of things on, and they don't always tick every box to actually find the grant. I do want to note in that discussion, though, which I have raised in community, is that we also see the rates from the Australian government, not just from the Queensland government. And as an example, Sunrise Beach with Tanny Wall, the adjacent parkway, that's federal funded. The upgrades to this trial network . So they have programs as well. So that's been part of the council staff's thought process about making sure that we're consistent across the board with the Australian government.

02:39:00 Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Just a quick question through the chair. Yeah. Councillor Stockwell just a couple of minutes ago mentioned that there is data. Yes. In terms of pedestrian numbers and usage, et cetera. He said that that information was made available at a committee, a workshop. Can I ask once again the same question? Where can we access that data, Councillor Stockwell? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: You misheard me because I never mentioned data. You were the only one who was mentioning data. I said we had a lot of expert advice. Okay. Councillor Phillips: So councillors. So I hope that helps with your work. I'm nearly done. Yeah. I have two minutes. Mayor Wilkie: I'm keen to have a fine five minute adjournment. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Just before we do, I have a question if we're fine tuning the wording. I noticed the words up there are shared pathway. I just want to check with staff that that is the correct terminology because I've just gone

02:40:00 on to the Queensland government road rules and it suggests the maximum speed on shared pathways is 12 kilometres an hour. Yet Councillor Lorentson had informed us we'd be going to 30 kilometres an hour. I just want to make sure it is a shared pathway and that's the right term. Mayor Wilkie: It's a shared pathway is the correct term? Speaker 9: That's correct. In Queensland all pathways are shared and they sign otherwise. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: We'll take five minutes councillors. Five minute adjournment please. Until Councillor Phillips gets the wording right. Ross Ward: Thank you.

02:50:00 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Phillips has put together the final form of her amendment. Would you care to read it please, Councillor Phillips? Councillor Phillips: Yes, thank you, Chair. The future shared pathway width for each precinct along the foreshore is established once Council staff have the monitoring data showing the number of pedestrians and cyclists per hour that are currently using the path. The future shared pathway width be guided by the appropriate governing authority. Deborah Walsh: Thank you, do I have a seconder? I think you're second, thank you. Councillor Phillips: Can I just have a question? Oh yes, I'll speak to it, thank you. Can I ask a question first before I speak or do I have to speak to it first? No, you need to speak first and then you can ask as many questions as you want.

02:51:00 Alright, so I have, thank you for the time to try and get some wording together. First of all, I'm listening to everyone around me. I'm listening to everyone around the table. I'm listening to community and I think this probably meets somewhere in the middle to guide us in the shared pathway conversation. The monitoring data will actually inform our decision. So when we go to community and we say this is the final precinct plan for shared pathway, we actually have the evidence that supports. It could end up being that this pathway needs to be wider, I don't know. But all I know is from my previous police experience, I can't stand here and say, yep, I vote for this without some real evidence that supports why we are doing it. So this aims to achieve not only some real data about how many are down there, how many pedestrians, how many cyclists,

02:52:00 who's using the path, not just based on someone that has said it's busy at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning. So hopefully this achieves the ability for us to sit here and say, yep, we decided based on facts. I would like to also point out that I've included the appropriate governing body authority because of the comments that I made on Monday around the TMR and AusRoad guidelines that seem to conflict and hopefully this gives confidence in the councillors that this, that we will be using the governing authority to guide the recommendation for each precinct. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Question to staff. The wording that we have here, it wouldn't, it doesn't prevent the council from choosing,

02:53:00 choosing to adopt standards presented by either authority, regardless of what's considered the appropriate authority. It says guided, not locked in. Yeah. Director Walsh: Thank you, the Chair. I concur with that. I think this sets up a good practice for us to design in accordance with the needs of the moment and give us an opportunity to gather more data. And it would also, by gathering that data, would also optimise our career success as well. So, and I like the word guided because it would still allow the council to make a decision, but we can reference all the appropriate standards. So, and I've conferred with Adam Fennelly, so we can confer some of our approaches as well. Yeah. Mayor Wilkie: Could you expand on what you mean by maximise our grants opportunities? Director Walsh: Well, just before we talked about the ticking the box and all the criteria. So, and one of the criteria is it's already recognised as a principle in our movement route for pedestrians and cyclists.

02:54:00 But if we're able to supply more data to substantiate that, particularly in the road, in movement, it sort of optimises our success of grant funding and meeting applications. And we have technology, you know, in terms of rolling out pedestrian and cyclist counters. The type of movement might need, you know, something to monitor for a particular period of time to take a snapshot. But it's fairly straightforward to actually get at that type of data. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah. Great. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: I do appreciate Councillor Phillips' intention here to reach a compromise and also to be much clearer guided by data and the appropriate authority. The guidelines and data would relate to the volume of users, not necessarily, well, it may also capture the types of users that are using that area. In the staff recommendation to make the pathway in excess of the guidelines. Yeah.

02:55:00 I don't think that was necessarily intended to accommodate more volume of people. And certainly, we don't know what that volume will be in the next 20 years to be able to have data to predict that. But I think the purpose of that wider path was more to allow for less conflict, slower walkers for people with disability and mobility issues. Yep. Young kids on bikes and trikes and scooters and dogs. Dogs. Dogs. Dogs stopping to sniff and get their leads tangled up. And that's the kind of conflicts that we have in that part of the moment. So I understand why the staff recommendation was heading with that. And I think this process would already happen in the design phase for each precinct. But I appreciate that it's now coming from data and with regard to the governing authority as well. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finzel? Yeah. Just on the back of that, I'm just curious? We have said a lot. I'll be really brief. I thank Councillor Phillips for her tenacity and diligence and her flexibility to be able to apply herself to this wording today, which I think hopefully brings us all to the same resolution.

02:56:00 I'm not influencing any decisions, of course. I'm supporting it because I think it is fair. I think it gives representation to all the voices at the table and in our community and beyond. I'm supporting it also because it supports the idea of a living document over the next 20 years to guide and inform us and I do love the idea that it will be data informed for any future decision making into the next phase where we're heading. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all to our community that have engaged, their enthusiasm, their commitment to the cause. And I'd also like... I'd also like to thank our staff and those around the table for everyone has given 100% and beyond to this very complex, layered and colourful engagement with our community.

02:57:00 So thank you, everyone. Mayor Wilkie: Further discussion? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I want to support the thinking of Councillor Wilson. The amendment, as worded, restricts us to looking at volumes. Whereas we know the existing context is about different modes. It's the old people with two dogs coming into conflict with a bicycle rider. It's people on wheelchairs with others. It is, in the end, a decision or the existing design is based on an understanding of what's there currently. I have no problem with ongoing monitoring as Councillor. It's possible, if not likely, that we did appropriate monitoring with full mobile transport surveys with someone looking there during peak times, several times a day, etc.

02:58:00 It would come up with... It's currently over capacity at 2.8 and it still would be at 3.5. That you need a separate path to get bikes, etc. off it. Maybe we don't. But to me, a motion that just suggests that we need a separate path to get bikes, etc. off it, maybe we don't. But to me, a motion that suggests we're going to base it on volume is not reflecting the significant concerns raised by those who use the path currently, so I can't support it. Mayor Wilkie: Question, Councillor Stockwell. If the amendment read, Council staff had the monitoring data showing the number and types of pedestrians and cyclists per hour that are currently using the path, would that be more in line with the information you're seeking? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. Thank you. It probably could be something to that word, to that effect, yes.

02:59:00 Councillor Finzel: So I have a question then to Councillor Phillips, if you're prepared to add some additional information to try and aim for consensus around the table to add volume to this conversation. Councillor Phillips: I am. I just want to point out that the reason why I used that wording is because it's exactly what it asks for in a grant application. So I used the wording from the legislation that says monitoring data showing the number of pedestrians, because the definition of pedestrian includes every single person that walks. It includes PMD, it actually encompasses everything, so I just didn't want to complicate it because I used the exact wording from legislation. Good job. I'm happy to add it if it helps Councillor Stockwell. I'm just saying that I didn't just pull that wording from nowhere. Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Is the meeting happy to include the words number and types of pedestrians in Cyprus per hour?

03:00:00 Councillor Wegener: No. Okay. Deborah Walsh: Believe it as it would. Dogs. Animals. Councillor Phillips: Do you want to put dogs in it? No. Deborah Walsh: I want to keep it exactly. Councillor Phillips: Believe it as it is. I want to keep it exactly how I had it. Okay. Thank you. Which is from the wording of the legislation. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Could I ask a question to Councillor Phillips whether she would consider adding the words and informed by community feedback to the end of that. So the notion as it reads, the future shared pathway would be guided by the appropriate governing authority and community feedback. Councillor Phillips: Well, I was hoping, Councillor Lorentson, I totally see what you're saying. I was hoping that would be encompassed in C around that the precinct would already have that. But I understand your intention. I just wanted to keep it really simple. No worries. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: All right. Any other questions? Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: I'll speak to it.

03:01:00 I appreciate that Councillor Phillips wants to help staff write funding proposals and grant applications. I would suspect and I would hope that our staff would know that in order to get a grant, that this is a key thing that they would go ahead and do this sort of monitoring. So I'm always very cautious of micromanaging and telling staff, you know, this is what you have to do. And they already know that. And if it's absolutely fundamental that they have this information in order to get a grant, I would suspect that they would already be doing it. Also, this is micromanaging a 20 year project. This is we're going a long ways down the line. And this would doesn't it just it just gets a little bit of the data that you need overall to figure out how wide a path should be going forward for the next 20 years. As we've said, there's a lot of people with disabled.

03:02:00 A wider path will just common sensibly help the disabled people in wheelchairs and myself on crutches for a long time. I was very concerned about people. Knock me over. It has to do with with. We don't really know what's going to happen in 20 years. So let's we want to keep it fluid and open. And so I can't support this because it's just micromanaging without actually doing much. That's not already being done. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: I just have a question to Councillor Tom. Thank you for your insight there. And your. Thank you. I'm just wondering if you could throw your eyes across it and just maybe have another consideration around Councillor Jess Phillips intent, I think, which was to try to order Deputy Mayor Stockwell: the question there. Councillor Finzel: Oh, excuse me. Yes. Through the chair. I have a question.

03:03:00 Would you reconsider it from the intent of giving greater voice to community? Our beneficiaries? Mayor Wilkie: My point of order. Yes. Yeah. I think. I think Councillor Whith has made his. I'll withdraw that. Thank you. His position clear. And councillors are entitled to have their own positions. Okay. Any body else wish to speak to the amendment? Councillor Flith, you were supposed to close. Councillor Phillips: Yes. Thank you. The pathway with isn't just about the pedestrians and cyclists. It's actually about the visual amenity of the foreshore so if I'm gonna say yep I'm happy with an increase of the width I want to know that there's data that backs that decision so it's not about micromanaging it's actually just about really good management of one of the most iconic places in Noosa if we put a six meter pathway down the foreshore it will change the entire

03:04:00 look and feel of the what we love about it I can't help but think where is some common sense you know if I'm riding walking with my kids and they're on a bike and there's someone coming towards me that's on crutches I teach them to move off the path I'm like I can't I can't believe that we are going to not show some common sense which is exactly what this amendment is trying to achieve it's going to the data that people want to see it gives us evidence-based decision-making and it also says hey this is a place we heard loud and clear the foreshore is loved it doesn't want urban design we don't want masses of concrete unless the data says hey there's a conflict down here here is the data that supports it otherwise you are changing what is loved so dearly about the foreshore and I'm sorry but let's apply some common sense to this people

03:05:00 love stopping and having a chat to the friends and family and people that they bump into it will change the entire look and feel if we start micromanaging and saying yep we've made a decision on this pathway with based on what based on what I'm saying let's base it on data thank you the amendment goes in favour councillor Phillips Finzel Lawrence and Wilkie against Wilson Stockwell and Wegener the Mayor Wilkie: amendment is carried yeah now we go back to the original motion which has this added anybody wish to speak to the motion question stuff we just heard that castle flip say if we put a six meter part wide path down there without data it's not a good move is there any suggestion

03:06:00 in any document any discussion that we're looking at a six meter park anywhere on the four six meter wide park anywhere on the foreshore okay thank you just thank you for clarification any other councils wish to speak to the motion I'll close thank you councillors it's been a long process and and in endorsing this today is is part is part if sorry Deborah Walsh: it is but I don't know I'll drag this one across so what we're endorsing today

03:07:00 Mayor Wilkie: councillors is a summation and shows that we have the conviction the courage of our convictions for every element of this there have been some amendments moved and vehemently argued from a point of passion but these are beliefs that councillors hold dear regarding the final shape of the motion we had a good debate around reverting the design approach from the Massoud's slipway and Jenny and Eli Park for that shown on the consultation version endorsed by a council at its meeting on the 6th of November 2024 and we included that because it respects the feedback from the commercial operators the people have this great sense of ownership down there we heard that there is a conflict down there with vehicles potentially reversing over the pedestrian pathway into the pathway of cyclists and pedestrians people walking dogs but we

03:08:00 accepted that we wanted to respect the views of the commercial operators by endorsing this motion we're showing that we were fair dinkum in making that change to our approach to the Noosaville Fortuner Master Plan in adding F that we're by endorsing this motion we're showing that we really believe that the future of the shared pathway with for each of these precincts ought to be based on data when we put our hands up here this afternoon will be showing that we believe in that and that we were fair dinkum when we voted for it or against it or that if you voted against it you have you're acknowledging that we're taking every element upon its merits and it's the summation this the motion as a whole that we're endorsing and we're wanting to move forward

03:09:00 when we vote to endorse this we're showing that we really believe that Noosaville foreshore infrastructure master plan ought to include a clear publicly accessible statement showing the total number of car parks currently available and outline the intended approach to designating vehicle parks across the precinct in the future very valuable information it helps give give anyone who's interested in feels dearly about that precinct that they ought to have that information that they might want to be available for them and that's what we're going to do in the future. we're endorsing the community feedback from disability advocates that the pathways ought to be more accessible and safer we're endorsing the feedback from the boating and fishing Alliance that their boat ramp ought not to be touched and left intact we're endorsing the feedback from the tennis club that their club ought not to be removed just to provide more green space.

03:10:00 but it ought to be kept and that we're respecting their heritage and that any new plans could also incorporate a greater range of sports to make it more publicly accessible this has been a great collective effort so by endorsing this plan and its amendments that have now passed into motion we're showing that we have the courage of our convictions that the amendments that we moved we really believe in because today when we put our hands up today this is when it counts this is when it shows that we believe in what we've argued for and this is when this motion becomes a ratified decision of the local government and this community can move forward so I recommend this motion to the councillors has been a great collective effort and thank you for your input I'll put the motion those in favour. Council Finzel, Wilson, Stockwell, Wegener and Wilkie. Those against? Councillor Phillips and Councillor

03:11:00 Lorentzen. Now come up to the operation 11.3.10 operational plan 2024-25 quarterly reporting and the last one in the section 11.3.11 general committee recommendations on block. I have a mover and a seconder for the general committee recommendations to be adopted except we're dealt with separately. Thank You Councillor Wilson. Seconded Councillor Wegener. All in favour? That's unanimous. We now come up to ordinary meeting reports. We deferred six reports from the general committee meeting to the ordinary meeting. We'll start with item 12.1 contract number RP00440 register of pre-qualified suppliers for provision of environmental services which was deferred from the general committee meeting. We have Brian Whitehart Ben Derrick, here to speak to this report. Ben, can you give us a summary, please?

03:12:00 Speaker 11: Thank you there. Good afternoon, councillors and CEO. This is a quick report for the tender evaluation and summary and recommendations toward the contract of the list of suppliers for inclusion in the register of pre-qualified suppliers, or ROPs, for the provision of environmental services. The ROPs is a register of suppliers that are pre-qualified and capable of responding to council's requirements in a timely manner, where the council can either engage them directly from the ROPs or request a quote from one or more of the ROPs as required on a fixed-term basis. The ROPs is being established in the following four categories. Ecological restoration works, weed management, wildlife management and vegetated stormwater asset management. Which is also known as bioretention basins or biobasins. The ROPs is to be awarded to the suppliers listed for an initial two-term period,

11.3.11 GENERAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS EN BLOC ¶

▶ 03:12:53· Carried unanimously en bloc 7-0 from council's minutes

03:13:00 plus two further term extensions of up to 24 months each, subject to satisfactory performance. In terms of getting to the stage of making a recommendation for our ROPs suppliers, a strategic procurement plan and probity plan was developed, and in accordance with council's procurement policy, and procedure, an invitation to tender was initiated and attracted 24 responses, with the compliant responses considered for further assessment. The tender evaluation panel completed the evaluation process, and considered the suppliers listed in the recommendation below to the most advantageous to council. These tender submissions were assessed against technical understanding and methodology, WHS documentation and procedures, commitment to sustainability, and value for money. Each tender panel member assessed the submissions separately,

12.1 CONTRACT No. RP00440 – REGISTER OF PRE-QUALIFIED SUPPLIERS FOR PROVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (Deferred from the General Committee Meeting Dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.9) ¶

▶ 03:13:24

03:14:00 and then met as a group to collectively agree to offering 16 suppliers for inclusion in the ROPs. Of the 16 recommended suppliers, 13 are based in Noosa or the Sunshine Coast Local Government Area, and four of those 13 are based in Noosa. Inclusion into the ROPs does not provide a guarantee of the sustainability of the ROPs, so it is not possible to have direct or indirect work during the term of the contract. The contract provides us with a mechanism to quickly select contractors to be able to fill long-term roles or short-term immediate roles. From a user point of view in our environmental operations, we rely heavily on our ROPs suppliers to be able to undertake the works we do when we establish relationships with our preferred suppliers through this mechanism over the course of a tender. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you Mr Derick, any questions of that kind? Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. Hi Ben, just a quick question. It appears that, I was just going through the evaluation process, and we've got environment sustainability as being an important criteria. I couldn't find anywhere in terms of weed management practices whether we require supplies to avoid chemicals like glyphosate.

03:15:00 Are our weed management practices scrutinised in relation to chemical use and should they be? Speaker 11: Thank you for the chair. The use of non-chemical weed technology isn't assessed as part of the ROPS specifically for weed management. They may be able to pick it up in a sustainability element as one of the components. We don't require it as a mandate. And when we're selecting ROPS to be able to undertake the works, to my knowledge it hasn't been considered to pre-select a supplier for a particular contract.

03:16:00 I'll say just for example, and I completely understand the caution around using... Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Point of order again. The question was very close to being ahead of time. Point of order. I think it's okay to ask if it was a criteria for assessment. Talking about the broader practices that may be involved in ecosystem rehabilitation is not relevant to the matter in front of us. Mayor Wilkie: We'll limit our questions to the suppliers that have been recommended for approval. Any other questions of staff? Does someone care to move the recommendation? I'm going to move it. Can I have a seconder? Councillor Wegener: Tom. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Wegener. Councillor Stockwell, you wish to speak to the motion? No. And the councillors wish to speak to the motion? If the motion goes in favour?

03:17:00 That's unanimous. Deborah Walsh: Can we have a minute? Mayor Wilkie: Thanks, Ben. Thank you. Thanks, Ben. Deborah Walsh: Can we just have a two minute break? Mayor Wilkie: We've got a request for another break. Councillors, are you agreeable? No, we just had one that I think is inappropriate. Councillor Phillips missed out on that one. She was working on it. Councillor Phillips: Oh, yeah, I did. Yeah. Okay, I'll hold it. Councillor Lorentson: Point of order. Can I just say that we may need a comfort break? Yes. And to not allow it, I think, is totally, totally inappropriate. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: I was making the point that we have had two and councillors chose to take advantage of them or not. I'm happy to ask that we allow councillor Phillips work through the last one. So, out of respect for councillor Phillips, we'll have a five minute break. Thank you, Mr Chair. Thank you. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any time you like. Thank you.

03:18:00 Can we put this button off for the next? No. Pat Spicer: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker 7: Thank you.

03:25:00 Speaker 6: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Speaker 11: Thank you. Thank you very good afternoon again, councillors. This agenda item deals with a proposed change to the partnership agreement between Noosa Council and the Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation.

03:26:00 The current agreement expires on 32nd this year. Council has supported the NBRF since its inception in 2015. This has enabled it to deliver a core of objectives. To deliver a core of objectives, Council has provided an annual financial support. The range of financial support has been between approximately $700,000 and $140,000, where it has sat for the previous two years. The annual partnership agreement contribution to NBRF is allocated through Council's annual budget process from the Environment Levy. The success of the Noosa Biosphere is intrinsically linked to a successful partnership between the NBRF, Council, and a broad spectrum of community groups working together towards common goals. NBRF has played an important role in driving research, creating awareness, and supporting initiatives and projects that are aligned with improving the Noosa Biosphere credentials. These projects and initiatives fill a vital role in the biosphere community and are beyond the internal resource capacity of Council staff to deliver.

03:27:00 NBRF has been able to achieve this through drawing on significant in-kind contributions from the NBRF, Council, and the Noosa Biosphere Reserve. This is a source of information from current and past board directors, as well as a large cohort of willing members of the community. The leveraged expertise this has delivered for the NBRF programs has provided genuine value to Noosa and the Noosa brand. NBRF has consistently met the requirements and obligations of the existing agreement and have spent considerable time in the last two years to review and refine their strategy and annual implementation plans, both of which are presented to Council each year. Both of which are presented to Council each year. It is our desire from the NBRF board to ensure the organisation remains contemporary and at the cutting edge of innovation for life within a biosphere for all of our community. The proposed partnership agreement has been worked through by Council officers and NBRF exec. It is felt to be a balanced supporting agreement that also states a clear expectation that NBRF will endeavour to expand resources for their programs outside of Council resources.

03:28:00 The proposed changes clean up some referencing and duplicated wording, provide a revised scope and provide a revised scope of operational expenses. Including operational expenses in the agreement will enable NBRF to focus on what they were established to achieve and not have to worry about existing from month to month. I'll leave with putting forward that the success of the biosphere is intrinsically linked to the success of the NBRF and Council operations. The proposed partnership agreement has been worked through by Council officers, Bwavys and Interparker agreement to go forward. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Mr Derrick. Councillor Wigan. I'll move. Thank you, Councillor Wigan. Move Councillor Wigan. We have a seconder. Councillor Stockwell. Councillor Wigan used to speak to the motion. Councillor Wegener: You've all heard me speak extensively on the success of the NBRF in the last few years. And I think Ben's coverage there just sums it up.

03:29:00 Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: We need to get the piece back. Anybody else wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: I will support the motion and I am very supportive of a funding arrangement for MBRF. But I do have some concerns with some of the wording in this agreement despite the revisions made so far. With many years of experience in writing and reviewing financial agreements and contracts, I do tend to be a pedant on definitions and clarity. I'd like to see a clearer, simplified agreement that not only protects both parties but is commercially practical in supporting the Foundation's activities. That's not just clear wording of funding provided in exchange for agreed activities, but managing timing of cash flows and budget decisions to give assurance over future operations. Any KPIs need to be relevant to the funding and be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

03:30:00 After meeting with the CEO to discuss further improvements, I'm comfortable that some clarity can be dealt with as minor changes under Part B, so as not to delay this process. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Williamson. Councillor Lorentson: Are the KPIs relevant? I'm just dissecting a little bit of what Councillor Phillips said. Can I just get some clarity? Willis. Willis. Willis. Excuse me. Willis. Director Lorentson. Director Rawlings: Councillor Lorentson may want to ask Councillor Wilson specifically what KPIs she considers aren't relevant that might be more appropriate. Councillor Lorentson: Yes, through Councillor Wilson, if you can just sort of elaborate. Councillor Wilson: Yes. There aren't really currently KPIs as per the definition of KPIs. There are a couple of items in Part 7.2 that talk about things like project funding which

03:31:00 isn't actually relevant to operating expenses and there's a couple of other things. One of them was about styles of communication or forms of communication that I don't think are relevant to funding. There was also some unclear definitions around things like financial statements, audited financial statements and the type of information that wouldn't actually be reported in financial statements generally. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Phillips: I'm just going to speak to it. Yes. For most of the people around the room know that I have returned to just fill in from time to time policing outside of the Shire but on weekends which isn't impacting council work. But what it's done is it's reaffirmed what I see in that role as just absolute grass

03:32:00 roots issues that communities see. And so the reason why I want to speak today on this is it's actually not for me, my vote isn't whether I support Noosa Biosphere because I actually do and I think they do an incredible amount of work. But I'm going to go out on a limb because I hear so often lately for the greater good, for future generations, forward focused, really powerful ideas and while I respect the intent behind them, I just have to be really honest today because a year ago before I ran for council, those phrases used to frustrate me, not because I don't care about the future but because I've spent my whole life around working class people, people who absolutely

12.2 NOOSA BIOSPHERE RESERVE FOUNDATION LTD. PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (Deferred from General Committee Meeting dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.10) ¶

▶ 03:32:33· Carried 6-1 · 1 division from council's minutes

03:33:00 care about what lies ahead but they're also just trying to get through today. So when you're running a small business, working as a local tradie, juggling kids, sports, your focus isn't so much around forward focus but what I see today is families struggling to put food on the table. People make ends meet or just surviving the week and these people make up the backbone of our community. So again, I want to reiterate that my vote for this is not whether I support the Noosa Biosphere because they do incredible work and I support them in principle but today I'm just going to stand and vote for the working class. We're talking about budget coming. We're talking about a funding agreement that comes through the environmental levy which also comes from rate payers and so today I'm just going to vote on my principles and those principles are telling me that it's time to pause.

03:34:00 It's time to pause and listen to the everyday worker that's been asking when is someone going to just stand up for me today. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Any other councillors wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I will. I always consider myself an ordinary bloke for all my life as well. I have a plan rather than a police officer so I've always looked at the systemic issues that drive future. And it would be really unreasonable to assume that the work that we've done over 50 years in Noosa to make what it is today wasn't guided by strategic foresight. It wasn't guided by strategic foresight. It really isn't fair to say that the vast majority of the population don't benefit from it. I was just looking at the results when we had a large sample from our Shire do the community wellbeing index. It was really clear that the wellbeing of this community is far above that of the national

03:35:00 or regional average because of nature. Yes, I can understand being at the forefront, you want to look at all the small incidental issues. But be aware that our level of wellbeing is a result of the investment of this community in a range of sustainable initiatives that were kicked off in the 50s. It would be unwise to suggest that moving money out of a body that's aiming to continue to investigate how we can do simple things. For example, the shark program. It doesn't matter what class you are, if you're in the water, a shark's not going to differentiate your different class. Your different socio-economic type. These are issues that are real to our community. And this is a council that has always invested wisely across both the on-ground service delivery and the strategic foresight. To lose sight of that will be going the same way as other communities and reducing the

03:36:00 long-term wellbeing. Just, um, financing, um, the immediate response to symptoms will in the long-term cost this community. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Councillor Stockwell. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Um, I'll speak to this. Um, I'm speaking to support the agreement in front of us. Um, the money that we're allocating is, um, essentially administrative, uh, funding, um, to allow really good people who give so much of their time and serious expertise the overall ability to do great things for this community. Um, yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to Professor Ian Lowe and I'm a big fan. And, um, and I think this just helps enable great ambassadors for Noosa the opportunity

03:37:00 to become great ambassadors for Noosa. Um, when I, when we talk about, you know, marketing Noosa, there is no better marketing agency. I think than our, than our Biosphere. If, um, you know, a little while ago we just supported by majority, um, a voluntary led transition into single use marketing. Just imagine if we could get all our coffee shops and this was supported by the Biosphere. I was speaking to them about it. They've sent me emails. But that's the sort of marketing and that's, that's the sort of marketing that I would love. You know, to be on the front page of every newspaper in Queensland saying Noosa's the first Queensland state to transition to single use, um, coffee cups. Um, so again, I've had a lot to do with the Noosa Biosphere. So I think I know firsthand some of the really great stuff volunteers do. So, um, really respect Councillor Phillips and so acknowledge what you're saying.

03:38:00 So acknowledge that. Um, and I respect that you have the courage, and we all do, to be the voices of those people that, um, need to be represented around the table. Diversity in opinion is critical to proper decision making. Um, so, so much respect for your courage as you know. Um, you know, sometimes I stand up when I know that I won't be supported. Yeah. But that's the job we signed up for. To have the courage to lead. And leadership means not necessarily winning. It's the ability to rise when we fall. So thank you for your courage. Um, but I will be supporting this, which I think is, um, important. Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Um, I do support this today.

03:39:00 Um, for all the reasons that have been raised. Um, and I think that limiting our visions for the future should not always come down to the bottom line. What I am seeking, though, is that we do some type of review or put, uh, another lens across our step administration around how we arrive at our goals. How we do these funding agreements. I've invited everyone to come along the journey, as people well know, to explore the notion of change within the theme of excellence. With the view of strengthening our ongoing commitment to collaboration, caring for our people, and honouring the story of Noosa now and into the future. I think we need to explore who sits at the centre of our decision making.

03:40:00 Our governance is here to make, ensure future sustainability, not only of our people, but our environment and our economy. To elevate council beneficiaries celebrating and respecting our connection to each other within our Noosa ecosystem. As the central catalyst as to why. As leaders around the table. We are rigorous in seeking continuous improvement and how we serve our community better now and into the future. I'd like to initiate a review of our current models in the hope of creating a future that is fully celebrated. With a commitment to addressing the challenges and concerns that sit before us. Identify gaps and risks to best inform any future frameworks, to provide clear accountability

03:41:00 structures, robust governance models. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel, you strained a bit from the motion before us. Councillor Finzel: Okay, I come back to the motion. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Councillor Finzel: We're all here for the same reasons, but I do think around the table, for strong governance and leadership into the future, that it's never too early to commit ourselves to continuing improvement. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Thank you. Councillor Whitney, do you wish to close? Yeah, please. Councillor Wegener: Thank you very much, Councillors and Councillor Finzel. We spoke before. I completely agree with you. It is something we need to look at going forward. Deborah Walsh: Thank you. Councillor Wegener: Our economy, back when the founders of Noosa that made Noosa what it is today through their advocacy, which is the large national park. Instead of a road being around with houses, it's a national park out there. The North Shore not being sand mined, but rather it has, it's a beautiful national park

03:42:00 over there. All the incredible things that we've done here. And back then, the concept was the economy is leveraged on our environment. It really is. Of course, the tourism economy, but a lot of other things. Now, I spent 21 years in a shed making surfboards with my hands. I am working class through and through, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms how important being in the Noosa biosphere was to my business, how important having a wonderful environment, how my brand was significantly leveraged off of simply being in Noosa. It's incredibly valuable. So working class people benefit from living in Noosa. Just by the fact of being in Noosa and the brand. And by the way, they get to live in paradise to boot. So thank you very much. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor Wegener. Put the motioners in favour.

03:43:00 It's Councillor Finzel, Wilson, Councillor Stockwell, Councillor Wegener, Councillor Lawrence and Councillor Wilkie against. Councillor Phillips. The motion is carried. Thank you, Ben. Deborah Walsh: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Next item, we have Planning and Environment Court Appeal Number 1391 of 2025, Application for a Material Change of Use for a Function Facility at 658 Lurie-Bazzo Drive, Ringtail Creek Creek. And we have Patrick Murphy, Manager of Development Assessment, here to speak to this report. Welcome, Patrick. Can you give us a quick summary of this? Speaker 8: Thank you, Chair. Councillors, you may recall in December last year we had a matter come to Council for a Function Facility at 658 Lurie-Bazzo Drive. There was a lot of discussion at that time regarding the potential impacts of that operation. It was subsequently approved. Again, a lot of discussion around amenity and conditions were applied accordingly around the hours of operation, noise management plans, and having the application and the associated

03:44:00 material being vetted by relevant experts, including an acoustic expert. In January of this year, representations were made to the conditions of approval. They were quite broad ranging. At that time, some minor changes were supported by the officer assessing the representations. There were some grammatical errors. There were some changes to align numbers of the approval with details that were on the plan. But those substantive matters that were impacting amenity were refused. Since that time, we have received an application, an appeal, to the conditions that were not supported by the officers. These relate to the hours of operation. It was conditioned to operate until 10pm at night with guests to leave by 10.30pm. With the representations and through the appeal, the appellant is seeking that that can go

03:45:00 until 10.30pm with guests off site by 11pm. There's also requirements around... If there are complaints that there may be a need to go back and review noise management plans. They've also appealed that condition and other conditions around the extent of a road that needs to be sealed and also extent of covenant areas for vegetation protection and rehabilitation. So the report recommends that it's in order to defend the appeal. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Questions of staff? Anyone care to move the motion? No. Council members? Councillor Wegener? Is that seconded? No. Councillor Finzel: I was going to just ask a question. Mayor Wilkie: Okay. We're moved by Councillor Wegener. Councillor Finzel, you were quick with your hand. You can ask the question before it's seconded. Sure. Thank you. Councillor Finzel? Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr Chair. Just seeking clarification for just my own understanding.

03:46:00 This is going to go to the registry. Oh, sorry. It's going to be put on the registry, on the Queensland Land Title Registry. Can you just explain why that happens? Speaker 8: I'm sorry, Councillor Finzel. I don't quite understand the nature of the question. Councillor Finzel: I'm just trying to understand the process as to why council becomes the coventy. Speaker 8: I'm sorry. Oh, are you talking about specific conditions? Councillor Finzel: Yes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: It's a point of order then. Oh, sorry. That's a matter of appeal. It can't be discussed. Oh, okay. Councillor Finzel: My apologies. Mayor Wilkie: May I have a seconder, please? Councillor Finzel: Oh, happy to second. Mayor Wilkie: Happy to second, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Wegener, do you wish to speak? Councillor Finzel: I have some questions. Mayor Wilkie: Well, it's been seconded now. Councillor Wegener, do you wish to speak? Councillor Wegener: We're a bit limited in what we can talk about, so I will waive my right.

12.3 PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COURT APPEAL NO. 1391 OF 2025 - APPLICATION FOR A MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE FOR A FUNCTION FACILITY AT 658 LOUIS BAZZO DRIVE, RINGTAIL CREEK (Deferred from General Committee Meeting dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.11) ¶

▶ 03:46:46· Carried 7-0 from council's minutes

03:47:00 Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Councillor Lorentson, do you have some questions? Councillor Lorentson: Just in terms of the affected residents, have they been contacted and can they join the appeal process as submitters? Speaker 8: Through the Chair, as you're aware, there were quite a number of submitters to the application. As part of the process, when the appeal has been lodged, the appellant has given notice to Council and to those that may have properly made submissions. They have the opportunity to join the appeal. There was a timeframe. I think it was 10 business days. The timeframe would have ended by now. So if those individuals did seek to become a party to the appeal, they had that ability to join the appeal. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Finzel? Councillor Finzel: Yes. Just a question then. Is there a cost related to that? Mayor Wilkie: For them becoming co-responders? Councillor Finzel: Yes.

03:48:00 Speaker 8: I'm unsure whether there's a fee that they need to pay to the court. I have been part of representing council at appeals where there have been co-respondents, being members of our community who have joined the appeal. I don't believe that they've incurred any cost other than their time and travelled to Brisbane, and they've been able to be part of mediation. I would suggest that if they was to move forward into a trial and they wished their position to be considered as part of the trial, that there would be expenses that they would incur in pursuing their position in the court through the use of relevant experts and also legal representatives. Councillor Lorentson: Just one further question. Will the impact of residents be updated during this process? Speaker 8: Through the Chair? Yes. It's not normal practice that we would provide ongoing communication with residents or council through, there is a monthly, six-weekly session around the case management working with the

03:49:00 council. Some of the challenges with appeals is when we go into mediation, and then the mediation might be ongoing. The session might finish on that day, but the matters of the mediation are ongoing in terms of further evidence and material being provided. That is, that's, that's casual. If it's kept in house, it's not for public disclosure, those mediations, so it can be a bit difficult to advise the community of what's going on in that regard. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Do you wish to close, Councillor? Councillor Finzel: Can I speak to that? Mayor Wilkie: Yes, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yes. Yeah. Look, from the very beginning, as a long-term resident of the Noosa hinterland, I did not support this application. So, I fully support this defend the appeal, because the only voice given to our people in the hinterland was through that process. To see that fall down now, and their voice lost in the minutiae of the process, I firmly

03:50:00 support this. I think that, you know, as we see our Shire grow, we definitely have to take on board and protect at any cost. Thank you. The voice of our people, our environment. So, yeah, I really wish every success to the staff as you head down this road to defend the rights of our people in this process. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: I just want to add, again, for the effective residents who may be listening today, just give them assurance that Council have excellent legal counsel and representation. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Wegener: I would just like to say we have a good track record, and we're in good hands with Richard and Patrick. So, thank you very much. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. We'll put the motion those in favour. That is unanimous.

03:51:00 Thank you, Patrick. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we have the Item 12.4, Orders and Risk Committee Membership. We have John C. Wolfe, Executive Officer, here to speak to this report. Nancy, can you give us a quick summary, please? Welcome. Speaker 2: Yeah. Good afternoon, Councillors. The report seeks the extension of current appointment for Mr. Ian Mushworth, who serves as an independent member on the Orders and Risk Committee. As you are aware, Council has established an Orders and Risk Committee. The Committee's purpose is to strengthen good corporate governance through facilitating independent advice and guidance on orders and risk matters across Council projects and operations. The Committee, thereby, advises on risk management, risk reduction, and, obviously, where possible, mitigation. The Committee consists of four members, two Councillors, Councillor Wilson and Wegener, and two independent external members, Mr. Timothy Cronin, who is the Chair of the Committee,

03:52:00 and Mr. Ian Mushworth. Criteria that are considered for the appointment of independent members are expertise in governance, risk management, auditing processes, and the implementation of the Orders and Risk Principles, strong financial literacy, understanding of public sector operations. Ian Mushworth has extensive experience as an auditor. He is currently Chief Auditor at the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and he has previously served as Head of Internal Audit at the Department of Children, Youth, Justice, and Multicultural Affairs. He's also been appointed initially for his experience and interest in cybersecurity. Independent members are initially appointed for a minimum of two years, with a maximum tenure of six years, and this report basically seeks, so his initial appointment comes to an end on 26 June, so in ten days, and this report seeks the appointment of Mr. Ian Rushworth

03:53:00 for a further three years. Councillor Wilson: As a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, I've been working with Ian Rushworth over the last year or so. Yancey's just explained his expertise and experience, which is also detailed in the report. It's very relevant to our Council and to the Committee in general, so I fully support his exception. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Further comments? Put the motion those in favour. Second. That is unanimous. That's carried. Thank you. Thank you. Next item is 12.5, Financial Performance Report for May. And we have our Finance Manager, Ms Pauline Coles, here to speak to the report. Welcome, Pauline. And we have Acting Director, Margaret Gatt.

03:54:00 Speaker 6: Afternoon, councillors. Welcome. . Monthly Finance Report. Yeah. Speaker 5: Afternoon, councillors. So, year-to-date May reporting shows operating revenues continuing to outperform forecast, and operating expenditures are under forecast year-to-date. Operating revenue is $2.2 million worth of budget, which is being driven by interest income of $2.5 million, sales of goods and services of $531,000, other revenue of $422,000, and $171,000 from grant programs. This has been offset by lower-than-forecast revenue from rates and fees and charges of $916,000. The below-budget fees and charges relate predominantly to development assessment, which is about $696,000. You should note that development assessments may fluctuate depending on the volume and timing of applications, so that can explain why there's such a large variance at different

12.4 AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP (Deferred from General Committee Meeting dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.12) ¶

▶ 03:54:34· Carried 7-0 from council's minutes

03:55:00 times. We also have local losses down on $2.5 million. We're looking at $230,000. And building and plumbing compliance fees are down $184,000. Some of that relates to some of the protected action, and we look to try and regain some of that revenue through to the end of the financial year as those staff come back online. Operating expenditure is $1 million underspent, with employee costs $1.2 million under budget, due to staff vacancies, savings and work cover premiums, and forecast salary increases that were to commence in March not taking effect due to the ongoing negotiations of Council's certified agreement. Once the agreement is finalised, back pay will occur, and that saving will be used to fund those back payments. Materials and services expenditure is $436,000 over budget, with the largest amount relating to civil operations, which is $725,000. Noting that $120,000 of that relates to disasters and spend.

03:56:00 Finance costs are under budget due to the referral of waste capital program of $240,000. Overall Council's year-to-date operating position at May is $3.2 million above budget, which will be used to fund emergent expenditure through to June 2025, and operations. Council should note that we have not yet received advice from the Federal Government relating to our financial assistance grant for 2025-2026, which is usually paid in advance. I'm only noting this as it will have an impact on our financial statements if we are to receive that prepayment early, yet again, as we did actually receive the 2024-2025 payment late, which could compound our financial position in a positive way this financial year, but potentially have a negative impact next financial year, but just noting it's a timing issue only. Capital revenue is $12.1 million above budget. This is due to the timing of receiving SEQ CSP grant funds, bridge renewal program funds,

03:57:00 SEQ livability grant and QRA funding. Capital expenditure is behind budget $48.1 million year-to-date, with $16.6 million relating to Council's base capital program, and the remainder relating to disaster projects. The variance year-to-date is driven by budget profiling and the timing of project delivery. Any projects that remain outstanding at the end of financial year will be carried over into the next financial year for them to be completed. Council's cash holdings at the end of May were $111 million, with $25 million of these funds invested in high yielding term deposits. Cash holdings continue to be higher than forecast, with a delay in the delivery of Council's capital program making up a large component of that. Cash balances will continue to be higher than forecast, with a delay in the delivery of And as the capital works program is delivered.

12.5 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPORT – MAY 2025 (Deferred from General Committee Meeting dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.13) ¶

▶ 03:57:20· Carried 7-0 from council's minutes

03:58:00 Overall Council's financial performance continues to be favourable with 11 months of the year complete. We are forecasting that Council will end the year with a net operating surplus pending any end of the year adjustment. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Questions for this cause? Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. I've got a couple, Pauline, and thank you for the report. Just in light of what's been happening in our neighbouring councils regarding financial reporting errors, how does New South Wales Council ensure accurate depreciation and accordance? Speaker 5: So Council undertakes a series of asset management plans that inform our renewal and maintenance program. That is currently being renewed at the moment with works being undertaken by the asset management team. That information helps to inform our capital program that we put forward for Council to adopt every year and for the next 10 years.

03:59:00 We also do a revaluation program every year for a particular asset class. So every asset class is reviewed and revalued every three to five years. As part of that program of works, the assessment of the condition of those assets is determined as well as the remaining use for life. That informs our depreciation expense which we also use then to fund our renewal program for capital. So there's a whole lot of work that goes into that side of things in terms of how we report that through to you. Does that answer your question? Councillor Lorentson: Thank you very much. It really does. Thanks Pauline. And my other question is just again, just acknowledging just current geopolitical situations around the world in the United States and Iran and Iraq, basically what risk do these current events pose to Council operations, investments or supply chains? How are the risks being monitored and assessed?

04:00:00 And specifically, my question or my thought was, for curiosity, who actually holds responsibility for this oversight? Is it the audit and risk committee that does this, the CEO or is it external matters such as LGAQ? Speaker 6: Through the Chair, thank you for your question, Council Laurenston. There's a number of bodies that look after Council operations. There's a number of bodies that look after Council's interest in this regard in terms of geopolitical instability. So that would be organisations such as Queensland Treasury Corporation, Department of Local Government, I've forgotten the machinery of government change. That's okay. Voluntary and water safety. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Department of Local Government and also the QAO. So they regularly conduct surveillances and provide advice to local government and, as Councillor Finzel: a matter of fact, the Department of Local Government. Yeah, just following on from the, I just have a question.

04:01:00 That conversion from, you know, the asset being built and the expenditure expended through the grants, whatever, converting it to our asset register, how, what is the volume and where are we at with that? Is it like on track, that conversion, or are we, where are we sitting with that? Speaker 5: I can answer it. Through the Chair, just to clarify, you're referring to Queensland Treasury Corporation, grant funded projects only or all projects? Councillor Finzel: Well, both would be good, if that's okay. Sure. Speaker 5: So we are behind in capitalisation, probably two or three years in terms of our program, but we also have programs that are multiple years of that. So we do have historical work, what we call work in progress, which is the cost of delivering those construction projects. In terms of our capitalisation or when we recognise those assets on our books and start depreciating them, there's a whole lot of work in terms of working with finance and the asset management team, and also the project management area. So once a project's completed, we get, the asset management team, get the information

04:02:00 from the project managers and the contractors around the actual asset components, so we record all of our assets based on the componentised thing, so not just this is a building, it's all the components that make that building up, because that informs how much of a useful life they have, how much it is to replace those things. So in conjunction with asset management, the finance team will then also review all of the transactions that have gone through on those construction projects to determine the value of those assets that we capitalise, and that's how they go onto our books. Again, touching on the revalves, when we do our revaluations, that assesses what we've capitalised on the books versus what the actual replacement cost is, and you may or may not see through the annual financial report an increase in our revaluation reserves as a result of that. So over time, assets will go up in value in terms of replacement costs, maybe not the actual costs that we spend on them. Deborah Walsh: Does that make sense? Councillor Finzel: Yeah. So just one more question and then probably move on from that.

04:03:00 When we're looking then at risk mitigation, do you think it's reasonable we've got that two to three year lag? Speaker 5: I think in context, a lot of people think it's reasonable. A lot of councils actually have the same issue that Noosa Council experiences in terms of keeping up with the progress of capitalisation of assets. We have spent the last several years in trying to get a lot of the backlog cleared and updated. However, finding asset accountants across the board, not just Noosa, is a big problem. So there is a lag, and there probably will continue to be a lag for the next few years. We have additional resources that have come on to help us, but there is obviously a large volume of information that has to be worked through. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Yes? Yes. Just a question through the Chair to the CEO, then. Are you satisfied with that level of the lag? Speaker 10: It's a question of what he says. How you might be satisfied. Look, that's the situation we're in.

04:04:00 It's a situation that many councils, as Paul even said, that's just a consequence of the current climate. But, you know, I'm comfortable with it. I think we've got a very good understanding of what our assets are and what our new assets coming on are. Excuse me. And if they're going to be of any high risk, then we would certainly know that and deal with it accordingly. So I'm comfortable with the position we're in right now. Yes? Yes. Thank you. Speaker 6: Through the Chair, I just wanted to make a couple of comments in addition to give councils confidence around depreciation methodology, et cetera. All councils are governed and all public sector entities are governed by international accounting standards. And when we have our audit through the QAO or their contract auditors, they look at all of those financial risks and they look at the methodology that we apply. They will do sample testing of anything that's in our asset register and even may conduct physical audits to ensure that all things are done in accordance with those accounting

04:05:00 standards. So in my understanding of looking at the last couple of years of closing reports from the QAO for this organisation or for council, there have not been any materiality issues raised through those audit processes. They will pick those up definitely through interim or end of financial year audits. So that hopefully will give you some level of confidence that the way how we apply the depreciation methodology is compliant. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Thank you, Director. Director Gann? Yes? Speaker 5: Through the Chair, just to follow on from that. In terms of how we record our depreciation through the monthly reporting, it is actually based on a forecast which actually includes any work in progress that we had in place at the start of the year. So we're taking up depreciation that we may not have otherwise reported because assets haven't been capitalised. So it is reflected in the financial statements that you do see. We also do as part of the end of financial year assessment and preparation of those financial statements, a full review of that and a calculation of whether there's a misstatement of depreciation.

04:06:00 Where it's material, and materiality for us is 5%, we will make an adjustment in the financial statements to take up any shortfall if there is one. To date, we haven't had to take up a shortfall. So that would indicate that we're not tracking too badly based on our estimate. Deborah Walsh: Okay. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Pat Spicer: Thank you. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. I wish to move to the report. Councillor Wilson. Have a second please. Seconder Phillips. Councillor Phillips and Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Just thank you for the report, always thorough and detailed. Just noting as well that this is a historical report that's to the actual performance up to May 2025. And we're throwing forecasting questions out at Pauline here, so maybe to be mindful of that. This is an upward looking historical report.

04:07:00 And obviously we're now almost at the end of the financial year, so next month's reports will be the ones that we're all going to focus on about how we end up at the end of the year. But yeah, thank you for your report. Thank you Councillor Wilson. Mayor Wilkie: Any others wish to speak? Put them in motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Thanks. Thank you Pauline. Up to the next item, which is item 12.6 Fees and Charges, which was also deferred from the General Committee meeting. We also have Pauline Coles here to speak to give us a quick summary of the report. Speaker 5: Thank you Councillor. So the Local Government Act 2009 empowers Council to generate revenue from Fees and Charges by fixing a fee by way of a local law or resolution. Fees and Charges can be set to recover the cost of delivering regulatory activities, such as planning fees and permits, as well as those based on commercial full cost principles, including a return on assets employed for business activities such as waste and holiday parks.

04:08:00 The proposed 25-26 schedule comprises over 1,000 fees and charges, which generates approximately $29 million in revenue, both from fees and sales of goods and services, to fund the delivery of Council's services across the Shire. Some key notes to point out. Some fees may not increase due to regulatory or market demand or rounding variances. Operating margins for each business area have been reviewed to ensure they are maintained, and the reliance on general rates to fund operations is managed appropriately. Twice yearly, Council also reviews and amends its holiday park fees to allow for forward booking at its sites, and this review will extend those fees and charges to 26 January 2027. Pricing to recover the true cost of service provision is necessary to ensure that Council generates sufficient revenues from its activities in line with its financial sustainability policy.

04:09:00 It also provides a diversified revenue base and ensures that the cost of services provided are equitably borne by those who benefit from them. Fees and charges were reviewed during the development of the 2025-26 budget, and increases above standard thresholds were presented to Councillors at budget workshops per day. You should note though how several errors and omissions have been identified in the 2025-26 Fees and Charges Registered Document that was noted as Attachment 1. A revised Attachment 1 correcting those errors and omissions is tabled for today's meeting. These corrections include the following. So page 5 of the Attachment 1. So the entire dog, excluding a dog about 6 months old, if paid after the due date, currently shows a fee of $325.50.

04:10:00 Due to a transposition error, this fee should actually be $235.50. Deborah Walsh: Sorry, which one? The one on the page. Yep, page 5, $325.50. Oh, this is the new one. Speaker 5: Oh, is that the new updated one? Sorry, yes. So on the one attached to the General Committee minutes is actually $325.50. You should read $235.50. Deborah Walsh: Yeah, that one there. This is the correct one. This is the correct one, sorry, yes. So that's the correct version. Speaker 5: Okay, the next one. The next one was page 8 of the Attachment 1 to the General Committee meeting, which was Annual Lease License Permit to Occupy or Management Agreement Fee. Non-profit organisations with the amount of $400. That's the one just down towards the bottom there. It was missing the words vacant land or land with limited infrastructure, such as storage shed or community garden with no exit electricity.

04:11:00 So it was missing that last sentence. So that's just been updated. Next one. Page 9. So some fees relating to, just down the bottom there. So relating to the J, Event Centre, the ticket exchange fee for $6 was omitted as well as ticket collection fee of $3. And the SMS ticket delivery notification charge by SMS is also there at $0.95 per SMS that they've been incorporated. And finally, one last one. On page 29. The red hot read overdue fee, just down the bottom there, $1. So on the document attached to the General Committee minutes, it actually had, it was missing the per day fee. So we've added per day. Okay, there's the amendments that are correcting those errors.

12.6 2025-2026 FEES AND CHARGES (Deferred from General Committee Meeting dated 16 June 2025 Item 8.14) ¶

▶ 04:11:03· Carried 6-1 · 2 divisions from council's minutes

04:12:00 The proposed 25, 26 fees and charges once adopted by Council will come into account. July 20, 2021. Deborah Walsh: So. Speaker 5: Yes, we're replacing the attachment to the report with attachment one to the ordering meeting. Mayor Wilkie: Questions, Councillors? Does somebody care to move the motion? Councillor Phillips: Yes. Question, please. Yes. Just in relation to, on page 8, application for owner's consent non-for-profit for when organisations. Just wanting to get some more understanding about that, please. Speaker 3: I'm happy to answer that through the Chair. So this fee is essentially a very small portion of cost recovery fee for applications where groups that are wanting to either propose to undertake an activity on Council controlled land or looking to amend a facility or a building.

04:13:00 On Council controlled land, there's a process where they lodge currently a consent for landowner's consent. And that may assist them to lodge a development application or something of the like. That has a series of processes. We will do a term of engagement consultation review, whether or not that request will be supported or not. So the fee is essentially a very modest fee. That does a partial cost recovery for the work undertaken by Council staff to assess and evaluate whether that consent will be given. It is also consistent with other local governments where they do charge fees. For example, Morgan Bay charged $222 and Ipswich Council charges around $200 for that same fee

04:14:00 request. Councillor Phillips: A couple more questions on this, so I don't go anywhere. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Could the fee, even though it's not getting full cost recovery for us, is there any possibility that it could deter non-for-profit organisations from even going through that process? Has that been assessed or that? Speaker 3: Through the Chair. Look, in terms of the ability to pay the fee, if there are groups that are unable and don't have sufficient funds to pay the $50 fee, they can request consideration for that. If there is a fee request reduction, that exists under the current fees and charges arrangements. I guess given there is a cost of undertaking this work, whether it's borne by the general rate or whether it's borne by the group applying for the request, it's a matter for Council to decide. But from our perspective, given there is considerable effort involved with evaluating these requests, we're seeking a very modest fee to assist to cover the minimum amount of those costs

04:15:00 through that process. If there are groups that are really struggling to afford the $50, we can absolutely evaluate through an email or request for a fee reduction and we can evaluate that on the merits based on the financial capability or the nature of the request from that individual group. Can I start off with a point of clarification? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Landowners' consent, is this only in relation to development applications people are putting in? Or does it also cover when, say, these groups are applying for Council grants? There's also a requirement to get Landowners' consent there. Is it meant to affect that as well? Speaker 3: Look, through the Chair, yeah, potentially it does involve a range of elements. So if there is, say, a grant to do an alteration to a building, it would potentially relate to that as well. Councillor Phillips: Question, to clarify, they could potentially be asking for a grant to upgrade a Council

04:16:00 facility? Yes. Okay. And have these groups been engaged and notified that this fee is coming? Speaker 3: I'm not aware if all groups have been notified of this fee. No, I'm not sure of that. Councillor Phillips: I might just stay standing because I've got a few questions about it. And has there been a cost at what it looks like for Council? Yes. If it doesn't cover full costs recovery, is it imposing another fee reduction? Is it invoicing, receding, chasing up if they don't pay? Is it just adding another layer to not only what's already done, but on Council staff? Speaker 3: Through the Chair, well, we already undertake the work at the moment for no fee. So we actually are undertaking a very comprehensive process at the moment. This is essentially seeking a partial recovery of the cost to Council of ratepayers.

04:17:00 And I think it's important to note that this is a very comprehensive process. And I think there's a lot of interest to undertake that work. Councillor Phillips: Last question, I promise. What potentially will that look like for revenue? Speaker 3: Through the Chair, look, we don't get huge numbers of these requests every year. I would say no more than around 20 per year, so around about $1,000 of revenue over the year related to that. Mayor Wilkie: Just a question. As an example, when Noosa Head Surf Club wants to do their $1 million redevelopment, they I would need to go through this process and pay the $50? Correct. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: Questions? Questions, yeah. We've had quite a few deputations by a resident suggesting that adult registration be paid every three years instead of annually. Has Council seriously considered this proposal? Speaker 3: Are you referring to this particular ...

04:18:00 This is a shifting topic. Are you changing ... Okay. Sorry. Sorry. We're shifting subject. We're shifting subject. We're shifting subject. Sorry. Are you referring to three year from dog registration? Dog registration instead of annual. Sorry. I was stuck on the previous item there. Through the Chair, at this stage we're only looking at annual, but there'll be an opportunity potentially in the future to look at a multi-year. Okay. There's just a fair bit of work that needs to be explored, particularly around our systems, to enable that to be considered. Thank you, Stephanie. Councillor Wegener: Question? Councillor Phillips? Yeah. Oh, sorry. Look, I'm with you. I want to go back to the previous ... Thank you. Oh, sorry. That's okay. Councillor Phillips: Go ahead. Just on Mayor Wilkie's comment about the Serv Club, can you tell me another example of the 10 applications? Because if the Serv Club is obviously, in my mind, one, but all I think of is all the other little guys. So just tell me, are we putting a cost on the little community sports that are upgrading

04:19:00 our council facility to do a consent form, which we already do, but it isn't going to recoup costs anyway? So I just can't quite work out why it's here. Speaker 3: Through the Chair, and you probably recall when we had some workshops on land tenure, we have a range of community groups that have tenure with council, ranging from smaller groups that have limited financial capacity through to a range of very financially sustainable entities. I guess what we're seeking to achieve is a balanced outcome with a moderate amount of fee that outlines that there is substantial effort involved with these requests. Some of them do vary in terms of scale of complexity, and that's taken. Again, there is the ability for council to work with the groups to understand if the

04:20:00 $50 fee is not financially viable for them to entertain that. We'll consider that and the merits of it, but overall, we're seeking to, I guess, ensure that there's a user pays element. I think that's the biggest element to our fees and charges, and that the work that we undertake has an appropriate fee. Otherwise, that ends up being borne by the general rate payer as a cost. Thanks. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Wood. Councillor Wegener: Yeah. So I was with Permaculture News Centre. We did four grants a year, applied for four grants, and we regularly were going to get this. And they were small grants. And this would really cut into that. And if we had to pay that even- Question. Yes, it's a question. Councillor Wood. It's putting in a new garden bed and applying for a grant, and they say, do you have permission? Are we going to be charged $50 by council for applying for a grant for a garden bed where

04:21:00 an element of the grant process is permission? Speaker 3: Sorry, the Chair. Currently, as it stands, there is a fee to undertake that request. However, as I mentioned earlier, there's the ability for a group to apply for a fee request reduction to be considered based on the financial viability of undertaking that request or not. So there is the ability to evaluate that on the merits, but technically there is a cost of council undertaking that evaluation through the current process. Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: So how do you evaluate? Mm-hmm. Whether a group is, can be waived the $50 fee? Is there a minimum bank balance or something like that? Speaker 3: No, there isn't any specific criteria. It comes down to the merits and the facts and circumstances of the request, whether the fee proposed is unreasonable and not able to be achieved, noting what effort is involved

04:22:00 as well. So there's a relevancy to the effort of making that determination. If it's a relatively straightforward request, then it's a relatively straightforward request. If it's a request that doesn't require any internal consultation with other departments or parts of the organisation, doesn't require any legal review or evaluation with our governance or legal team, then potentially it's a fairly straightforward request and we can either reduce or even potentially waive the fee as well. So we do have flexibility there to evaluate the fees in terms of are they relevant to the effort and work involved in an officer's perspective. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Stockwell? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: It's probably a... No, it's probably not. The question I have is, I just looked through our community grant infrastructure and there's probably four or five there that have got this fee. Will it be a fee that they can claim in their grant and Council ends up paying it anyway? Speaker 3: Through the Chair, look, potentially they might absorb some of that cost through those

04:23:00 grants. Councillor Phillips: Councillor... Can I make an amendment now, or would you prefer to make an amendment now, or would you prefer to keep going with questions? Mayor Wilkie: You can move a motion which includes what's on the screen plus your change. Okay. You can move a motion that includes your amendment and that becomes a motion. Councillor Lorentson: Can I just also add, it also prohibits you moving any additional amendments if that's being intended. That's right. I'll pause and leave. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Just to proceed, I'll move the recommendation. Okay. Thank you, Councillor Stockwell. Deborah Walsh: Staff recommendation? Yes. Yes. Yes, with the revised attachment. This one here with the change. Okay. Mayor Wilkie: Do we have a seconder for the motion, please? Okay. I'll second. Thank you, Councillor Wilson. Councillor Phillips: And can I now make an amendment? Mayor Wilkie: Well, Councillor Stockwell needs to speak to it. Councillor Phillips: Good point. Thank you. Okay. Yep. I knew that. I was just looking for you. Councillor Stockwell. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: We have 1,000 of them and we'll probably be discussing two or three, I believe, but

04:24:00 I'll wait. Other than that, to say that the increases that we have considered and being shown are well within what I think is a reasonable expectation of the community. That was all I had. Basically, just moved. So, Councillor Phillips can forward her notions on an amendment. Okay. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Your amendment, Councillor. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. My amendment is just to remove that fee. Thanks for moving that along for me. Deborah Walsh: It's all right. We'll get that up here.

04:25:00 I'm just going to display the modules so I can get you to be transparent. So this will go underneath the existing recommendation that was just made. Yes. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. With a further change to the fees and charges attachment 1 under the heading of community leasings page 8, delete the following. Application for owner's consent, not-for-profit organisations of $50. Logo. 2009-97 to a licence fee. I'm not sure if I had to read all of that. Deborah Walsh: Yeah. I'm trying to expand it.

04:26:00 It's better on my screen than it is there. Is that better? Mayor Wilkie: I've read it anyway. Councillor Phillips, would you like to speak to the amendment? Councillor Phillips: Thank you. I think my questions have pretty much alluded to why I'm seeking to take this out of the fees and charges. I think that the reason why I'm seeking to take these out of the fees is because those are private assets. These organisations are not private developers. They're volunteers using their own time and external funding to improve facilities that Council owns. Imposing a fee risks sending a message that Council views these efforts as burdens, not contributions. Often these consent applications are prerequisite for other approvals or grant applications. Community groups may need to apply twice for the same project. For grant eligibility and then again for approval.

04:27:00 I think we've, I want to finish by, I just don't want to create more red tape for volunteers that are already probably saying we're stretched. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Just a question of clarification. The community groups already have to go through this application process, don't they? It's not creating a new application. Speaker 3: Through the, yeah, through the Chair, absolutely. They already need to apply for landowner consent. Mayor Wilkie: Did I hear you say you maybe get 10 applications a year? Speaker 3: Potentially 20. Mayor Wilkie: Potentially 20? Yeah. Okay, thank you. Sorry, councillors? Just questioning my notes. Who seconded that amendment? Councillor Finzel: I don't think any councillors. Mayor Wilkie: Do we have a seconder? Councillor Wilson. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wilson. It can't be Councillor Wilson. Oh, who seconded the amendments? I spoke to them. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

04:28:00 Mayor Wilkie: Okay. Anyone else wish to speak to the amendment? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah, I will. I think Councillor Phillips has identified one of the elements of it. It is just a form you fill in, and historically before you do grant applications, and as time goes on you have to do it a bit earlier, depending on the scale of development. It is, as I said, if I was doing a grant application and I had to pay $50, I'd include that in the grant application. So it would be a circular thing. If it was coming out of council, but as Councillor Phillips mentioned, quite often a community group will go for the same thing in three different times, and if there's a bit of a gap between the grant funds being available, you might have to go back and get renewed landowner's consent. I've got no real problems if it was related to actual development applications, like the bigger ones you're talking about. If they're of sizeable scale, there may be more, but in essence it is just saying a landowner's consent is, do we agree that this is a development that should be on the land, so it shouldn't be that complex?

04:29:00 Mayor Wilkie: I'm going to speak in favour of it. We haven't had it before. It's a process that the applicants have to go through already. We get 20, maybe up to 20 a year. That is about $1,000. So it's not a huge amount. And, you know, it's not a huge amount of money. It sends a good message that the not-for-profit community groups, we do understand that they are, when they're seeking to improve their premises, they are making a contribution. They are community assets. And so I could go either way with this, but I don't think the bottom line of Council will be affected by doing this, but there's a strong community message that we send by not-for-profit community groups. And it's just staying with the not-for-profit community groups. Councillor Wegener: Council, will you go ahead?

04:30:00 Sorry, Tom. Go ahead. Yeah, no, I found this when applying for grants to be a headache. It set me back. And it wasn't an overnight thing. And imagine right now during the industrial action how long people might be waiting for this. This is just an extra stumbling block to stop or to hinder the community from making the community better. Because I think it's a double-dipping process because we're supported by the community already to provide a service. And all of a sudden you're charging the community a further service for benefiting this service. It's a double up. It's a double charge, I think. So I totally support it. Thank you, Jess. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. Without repeating what everyone said, firstly, thanks, Jess, for picking it up. I think it's really important. And we talked a lot about the amount, $50 not being that onerous.

04:31:00 I think it's really got nothing to do with the amount. And it's more about enabling good people to do good things. And our not-for-profit, our volunteers, they're critical to enabling good things to happen in this community and stuff that we can't do internally given, again, the impost, $20 by $50, $1,000. It's negligible in the scheme of things. I totally support this amendment. Really good act of goodwill. And thank you for the pick-up, Councillor Phillips. Mayor Wilkie: Anybody else wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Phillips, you wish to speak? I'll waive my right to close because I can't. I'll put the amendment. Those in favour? That is unanimous. That is carried. We now go back to the original motion to which only Councillor Stockwell has spoken. Anybody else wish to speak to the motion?

04:32:00 Speaker 8: Do you wish to close, Councillor Stockwell? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: That's it? Yeah. Councillor Phillips: Have we gone back to the... Deputy Mayor Stockwell: If you want to move to another amendment, then now's the time to do it. Councillor Phillips: I do. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Very close. Councillor Phillips: I got Ria, no. Thank you. Just in relation to the meeting rooms on page 29 of 80, please. I've got Ria. Deborah Walsh: Okay, so we're going to get page 80 up. Sorry, what page? Councillor Wilson: 8 of 80? Councillor Phillips: 8 of 80. 8 of 80. 29 of 80. We were on 8 of 80. Thank you. Okay.

04:33:00 Here are these. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Just in relation to the meeting room hire charges for the libraries and so my amendment is. That item B added to read B with a further change to the fees and charges attachment 1 under the heading of libraries page 29 delete the following meeting room hire charges small meeting room. Do I need to read every little bit of that?

04:34:00 None for profit. council, per day $37.50. Meeting room hire charges, small meeting room non-for-profit council per hour $7.50. Meeting room hire charges, large meeting room, non-for-profit council per day $100. Meeting room hirer charges, large meeting room, non-for-profit council per hour $20. Deborah Walsh: I didn't know whether you wanted to see the whole Fees and Charges, the table that it was sitting in.

04:35:00 Mayor Wilkie: Just the amendments, please. Can you enlarge those a bit, please? Deborah Walsh: They're actually separated in the Fees and Charges. Mayor Wilkie: Can everyone see those? Yeah. Councillor Finzel: Just before we go into this, just around the process, I support community and love them and anything to help them, but just for the process, we have a financial sustainability policy. And we also have, we've heard today that we have a process by which a community group can apply to have these fees withdrawn.

04:36:00 I'm just thinking, are we inside of, I don't know, the process, are we, I don't know, what's the risk if we're sitting here now just pulling these out and making these decisions around the table, which I know we can do. But for my own mind, I just want to understand. In terms of process and policy, what's the risk? Councillor Phillips: Could I help by asking a question? Mayor Wilkie: Well, we'll just see if there's an answer to Councillor Finzel's question. If I can hazard, I guess where Councillor Finzel was going, is this in breach of the Council's financial sustainability policy, in breach of any principles of that? And what's the risk to the bottom line with us withdrawing these fees? Is that accurate? Speaker 5: Did you want to talk to that, Kerri, or do you want me to? Speaker 10: I can talk to you about that. Kerri, you go. Speaker 7: Thank you, Chair. I can let you know that this will be a reduction of approximately $10,000 to $12,000 per year in revenue.

04:37:00 Those meeting rooms are booked to about 90% capacity, and so it's a, from a lobbyist's perspective, a revenue stream, because they incur charges around things like cleaning costs, staff, for example, if it's after hours, staff have to stay to open the meeting rooms up, et cetera. So it's a good thing. It will be a loss of revenue between $10,000 and $12,000 a year. Deborah Walsh: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: We have a seconder to allow, Councillor Wegener, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: Oh, thank you. I think this was pretty good that the fees and charges came after the most recent financial report, when we hear that it's only $10,000 to $12,000.

04:38:00 I want to talk about, probably similar to the last amendment. These are our non-for-profit, these fees are separate to commercial, having, hiring the facilities. These are our non-for-profit organisations that either have their, I'm sure everyone around the room has gone to a committee meeting once a month with a sporting group, or I met with the Rotary at the Reef recently, because they no longer take up the hire of a council meeting. And I sat at the room with a group of incredible people that are advocating for domestic violence and community advocacy, and they are just doing some incredible work. And I said, you know, they said to me, what, we can't, we don't want to come and pay a fee to hire a room at our own facility, and they're all rate payers and residents, and it hit home to me.

04:39:00 I thought, oh, I, it doesn't feel good to, on, to charge community residents. Our own facilities when they're already paying through a different means and again I've probably harped enough about principal today for me it's just saying hey we see you we hear in workshops every day that volunteers are our the most struggling in our community when it comes to just finding extra volunteers and the extra layers and layers that they have because it's not just council layers of red tape that that are put imposed on them it's just so many other things that are imposed on them and so to me I'm just saying hey let's just give them a foot a leg up let's just help them out when and if it requires that one day they need to be reimposed you know reinvestigated or whatever to me hearing 10 to 12 000 is just it's nothing in our in our budget

04:40:00 for an act of goodwill so. Mayor Wilkie: Question, question staff um is this the second year we've charged for the hire of the room or how long has this practice been in place? Speaker 7: So this practice has been in place for a number of years we had a practice where some of the smaller spaces we enabled some community organizations to use for free one of the difficulties that we have when the space is free is that we have groups look at it and then they don't turn up and then we'll have a waiting list of people who want to be able to use it I would suggest if we go ahead with this there will be a change to the policy about because there's a lot of staff work that goes into booking and managing these facilities these rooms so I would be thinking um at the moment they people paid so that they can guarantee a particular date and time

04:41:00 and I would imagine also that one of the changes will be that library staff who at the moment prioritize community groups will probably then see that they'll need to take up some of that space themselves to run fee paid programs given that there's you know constant questions around community facilities and making sure they raise revenue and try to achieve that balance so we'll have to look at how this will actually be able to be implemented. So yes it's been in it's been charged for several years pre-COVID what happened is that during COVID the when we gave relief to a range of fees this was one of the fees that we gave relief to a number of organizations on so it's been around for would be legal since pre-demo pre-amalgamation

04:42:00 Mayor Wilkie: pre-amalgamation yes so um so the the meeting rooms have been had a fee since Speaker 7: prior to amalgamation we had just the Noosaville library and we had one room there which we used to charge when Corroy library was built it was built specifically with the community rooms there to be able to provide access and the fees went in place there when we expanded Noosaville library and brought on the two new meeting rooms to that the fees were applied to that as well so it's been uh in place um for you know probably a decade and a half okay we don't have uh we have significant demand for these rooms so even with the fees um we have significant demand for the rooms Mayor Wilkie: i have another question for council or jess jess how many of these amendments do you have is the accumulative amount that i'm considering yeah this is mr chair this is the last amendment

04:43:00 Councillor Phillips: that i'll be moving today unless something comes out of the next uh Mayor Wilkie: council's any questions Councillor Wegener: castle waiting so this is primarily libraries or just libraries uh well no we have these particular Speaker 7: figures to libraries but um the majority of our venues have um you know a lot of our venues have rooms for hire for um community organizations and for commercial organizations so that's the leisure center for jay has multiple rooms available for hire and then we've got small facilities as well and then obviously you've got things like the halls which are being run by community organizations and they charge fees for that as well certainly one of the reasons that we post covered um introduced a consistent approach to paying fees is because our our halls um you know i can

04:44:00 understand there you're saying we're trying to maintain a facility um and we want people to use our facility we need to charge fees um shouldn't the library also be charging some fee so um we're trying to have an equitable approach Deputy Mayor Stockwell: yeah just stop and uh that was the point i was going to make um paying for a meeting room is standard practice for community groups i don't think 50 years i've been involved in or i've never had to pay uh you either pay when you're hiring one or you pay because you've got access to it and you you're doing the upkeep you're paying for the electricity i think it makes sense for all the reasons outlined that you know you do want to make sure there's a trigger that has a value so therefore to put it on and if you're a community group in the local area and you're losing you know one of your regular hires

04:45:00 because all of a sudden the library's free you'll be a bit upset so i think we just have to make it fair and it's fair that there's a reasonable cost of using council facilities and taking Mayor Wilkie: council staff time to book it the council staff still have the capacity to waive the fee for any groups that would like to use the room for free for valid reasons uh we will always work Speaker 7: with the community organization um around what their capacity is if it and for example if it's that the room isn't booked and it's available then and if it's an of the day thing then we will allow people to use that space without a charge so the charge is generally applied when it is booked in advance particularly for those regular things that say i wanted you know every second monday of the month from now into the future and that guarantees them a space and the services that go to that but we will always work with the community

04:46:00 organization around its capacity and would provide some option for them how often is staff required to stay after hours to facilitate this hire a weekly yes because they are booked to pretty much capacity so in our noosa library for example it's more weekend bookings but there's generally staff there corroy library it's running its meeting rooms after hours now for some organizations they've got their trusted ability to be able to access it remotely some require staffing because they want technology access or catering etc thank you Councillor Lorentson: castle lorison um i am going to support the amendment in front of us uh probably sort of sit i understand all the argument it's a really great argument but i come back to one

04:47:00 fundamental um which is our rates go to pay for core council services and functions which include libraries and our volunteers pay rates so i feel again back to the previous argument that we need to be enabling community groups to do great things in the community given great things in the community I feel, I don't know, I just feel again an excellent opportunity to show really great goodwill and acknowledge the excellent work that our not-for-profits are doing. Councillor Wegener: This is a great a great debate I'm really torn but I understand that the whole cancellation fee kind of thing like it's very easy to not show up to

04:48:00 something and make an appointment if your doc can actually pay for it and the second thing is there's a lot of the halls and things actually have places where you can meet as well but they have to charge like the Croy Hall has to charge well most of the other places have to charge so this this warps their ability to actually fund themselves by it by it by not charging for the library hall usage so I'm just I'll always support the staff recommendation. Well I won't support that I won't support the amendment. Speaker 10: Staff recommendation of the fees and charges as I understand. Mayor Wilkie: It's a wonderful gesture, wonderful gesture but we do also have a lot of not-for-profit groups working very hard to run community owned halls and run them as

04:49:00 venues and they do charge and I would also be concerned if by you would be council undercutting those community groups by offering free venue hire at the libraries for example where the community groups do charge other not-for-profit groups to hire their rooms and I wouldn't like to see them deprived of a revenue strength because we're in effect subsidizing or undercutting the other community groups. I think next year I'd like to see we have a broader discussion around our approach to community venues and fees and charges. We had a comprehensive workshop on this there are over a thousand line items in this document and we were presented in the workshop

04:50:00 details on the ones where there's been major changes. I don't believe there were major changes proposed here but it is a topic raised from time to time as a matter of principle should council be charging for these venues. It's a it's a big discussion and it's a very worthy principle that you've raised here and I'd like to delve into it further because the probably broader fees and challenges broader discussion about fees and charges that we have that affect not-for-profit groups. Remember the workshop there was a proposed fee for OH&S environmental health audits of markets and we certainly weren't going to charge

04:51:00 markets for that. I know it's a lens through which councillors view fees and charges and that is respectful not-for-profits and I think it's going to be the start of a broader conversation leading up to the next year's fees and charges. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you councillor Phillips the principal behind this I do support I do have concerns around unintended consequences I'm I'm satisfied there is a process for community groups to reach out. I understand we have, you know, a policy in place. And again, I've talked about it on more than one occasion

04:52:00 that we explore the notion of change within the theme of excellence with the view of strengthening our ongoing commitments to collaboration, caring for our people and honouring the story of Noosa now and into the future. I think this is really great Councillor Phillips because what you've done again is identified where there's current gaps, what could be the risks. And I think it's an opportunity for us to inform any future frameworks or policies to provide clear accountability structures, robust governance models, et cetera, into the future. So this is nothing new that I'm raising around this idea of continuous improvement. I think this is a higher order that we need to then look at policy review or further conversations. I feel right now, I can't support this today because of those recent unintended consequences that may ripple out to community. But certainly sitting at the centre of my heart around this

04:53:00 is to ensure best practice for our community groups. So I look forward to those further conversations as how we can continually bring benefits and our focus for governance back to our community. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Finzel. Mayor Wilkie: The Councillor should speak to the amendment. Councillor Phyllis, you're supposed to close. Councillor Phillips: Yes, thank you. In February I actually asked for, at the Councillor discussion forum, if you will remember, that I raised this as a topic to get some data to assist in the fees and charges. So I wasn't aware of that because I didn't get the information about how much revenue it brings in, but I'll just bring it back to intent. I want to tell you a story. When I was in the role of the crime prevention officer, I had the university reach out to see the increase of fees to $1,000 for a mobile phone ticket. Mayor Wilkie: It's the point of order being raised, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: I brought a new... You need to sit down if it's the point of order being raised.

04:54:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. Yes, Councillor Stockwell. Councillor Phillips was right. She is introducing new content into her close. Councillor Phillips: Yes, I am. You're right, I'll withdraw that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you, Councillor. Councillor Phillips: I'll tell you the story later and it'll tell you why. Sorry. About how I got here because we should be backing our local groups in every single way by saying, here is your facility, use them, grow your impact and know that your community stands by you. If there is a concern of misuse of facilities, then let's address that directly. That's my point. If there's people that are applying to hire the room and they're... not showing up, let's address that. Let's not impose a cost on the people that are probably doing the right thing. So... I don't... Because I don't agree with blanket charges that do then end up punishing everyone. And I'll tell you my police story later, so that will tie into that.

04:55:00 Nothing else to say. Mayor Wilkie: Well done, Councillor Phillips. We'll put the amendment in those in favour. Councillor Phillips, Councillor Lorentson and those against. Councillor Finzel, Wilson. Stockwell, Wegener and Wilkie. The amendment is lost. It goes back to the original motion with the amendment included as part of the motion, to which only Councillor Stockwell has spoken. Just get that up on the screen. Councillor Morrison. Councillor Lorentson: Yeah. Just speak just again about, you know, ongoing discussions and conversations. I think it's a very important issue. Lots of really good stuff have been raised around this table today. And further to just acknowledging and elevating the status of our not-for-profits, part of the discussions for continuous improvement, as Councillor Finzel raised, we need to also acknowledge impacts of cost of living on our residents and also small businesses.

04:56:00 I'd love to have further discussions about how our fees and charges align with our commitment to working with small businesses. To reduce red tape and, again, in terms of what initiatives or what opportunities are provided in terms of our fees and charges to, again, reflect our commitment or acknowledging the pressures of cost of living. And I say that because there are some councils around Australia that are wavering fees and charges for, for example, going to their aquatic centres. So I'd love some further discussion in that space. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Councillor Thompson. Councillor Stockwell, do you wish to close? No. Okay. I put the motion. Those in favour? That's Councillor Finzel, Councillor Wilson, Councillor Stockwell, Councillor Wegener,

04:57:00 Councillor Lorentson and Councillor Wilkie. Those against? Councillor Phillips. And that brings us to Item 13, which is confidential session. There are no confidential sessions. Item 14, the next ordinary meeting. Our meeting will be at Council Chambers on Thursday 7th July 2025 at 10am. I declare the meeting closed at 3.01pm. And thank you, Councillors, for your focus and contributions. Thank you, staff, for your advice. Thank you, our visitors in the gallery. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr Mayor, Mr... .