Before the first item ¶
00:00:00 Councillor Finzel: I would like to note that all councillors are in the room, present and accounted for, and I do believe we will have Councillor Wegener coming on line. Maybe he's not there yet. Welcome to the CEO and all the staff. Noosa Council proudly acknowledges and respects the Australian First Nations people and their deep and abiding connection to the country. We recognise the Kabi Kabi people as traditional owners of the lands and the waters of Noosa area and offer our gratitude to their careful custodianship of this unique environment over thousands of years. There are no attendances and apologies. Do we have a confirmation of the minutes? Councillor Wilson: Noosa Council is happy to move. Councillor Finzel: Happy to move. I second. And second by Councillor Wilson.
1 DECLARATION OF OPENING ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
3 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES ¶
00:01:00 All in favour? Oh. Yes. Thank you. That's unanimous. There are no presentations, no deputations. We're heading into agenda item seven, reports for consideration of the committee, and we will start with the Go Noosa report. So we'll welcome staff to the table. Director Walsh: Our Sustainable Transport Coordinator, Dr Stephanie Boulogne, will be presenting the summary of the report. Councillor Finzel: You're welcome. Thank you. Thank you. I will note that this has been requested due to the significance of the matter to be moved to our general meeting. So I just want to note that before we start, but happy to hear your report and your overview. Thank you. Speaker 2: No problem. Thank you very much. So in 2024 and 2025, the Go Noosa project has continued to deliver. We have a package of different initiatives to help us manage traffic flow, improve safety, and encourage more sustainable travel.
2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
4.1 CONFIRMATION OF SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MINUTES DATED 8 JULY 2025 ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
5 PRESENTATIONS ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
6 DEPUTATIONS ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
7 REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
7.1 GO NOOSA REPORT ¶
00:02:00 Key actions included the school behaviour change programmes, community transport services, free holiday and weekend buses, the main beach drop-off zone, target traffic control, parking rights facilities, and trial street care changes in Hastings and Noosa Drive. The main beach drop-off zone has met the operational objectives, which was improved. We have seen a strong increase in traffic flow at Hastings Street roundabout, enhancing pedestrian accessibility and movement, and providing better access for emergency vehicles. We have seen strong results from the 065 shuttle bus, the Go Noosa bus loop, which had patronage and satisfaction from residents. A notable pedestrian safety improvement from the Hastings Street and Noosa Drive trials. It is also important to note that the free weekend bus services are no longer operating. This change came after the Queensland Injury Act. We introduced the $0.50 public fare transport fares, making it travel-affordable, and there is no need for us to continue subsidising this specific public transport.
00:03:00 The cancellation was also part of an effort to bring the Go Noosa programme back within the sustainable transport budget, the transport levy budget. In recent years, the cost of delivering the programme exceeded the levy revenue. So for this programme of the 2025-2026, we have withdrawn some of those initiatives, and we have revisited the whole Go Noosa project, including the free weekend buses, so that the initiatives that are currently funded by the levy are within and are matching the revenue that we get from the transport levy. Challenges still remain with this Go Noosa project. Parking rights were highly underused, although we tried to promote as much as possible. Temporary paid parking rights were also underused, although we tried to promote as much as possible. The Go Noosa Parking Rights Act has brought revenue, but has added some congestion, especially at the roundabout next to it, the Noosa Parade roundabout.
00:04:00 We also have realised that we need to improve our communication plans to residents and visitors, so they can clearly understand the changes and the modifications we are planning throughout these periods during Noosa and Easter, so they can make better informed travel decisions. What we are proposing looking ahead is to continue the programme within the sustainable transport levy. Maintain and improve the route for the 065 shuttle bus, and investigate new shuttle services and priority bus lanes. We are going to review and refresh the school programme. We are planning on delivering an active transport access improvement for five schools, and to create a traffic and parking education hub. We want to continue community transport services with a focus on more flexible, cost-effective delivery. We are going to reinstate... We are proposing to reinstate... We are going to reinstate the main beach drop-off zone, with some design improvements from the lessons we learned from the previous year, with a stronger way-finding and visitor information focus.
00:05:00 We want to target traffic control to high-impacted areas, using more passive safety infrastructure, and start exploring some smart traffic management control tools. We also want to improve awareness and incentives for the parking right, because we haven't seen an increase in the use of these. And we also want to identify new sites in Peregian, Tewantin and Noosaville, where we can identify locations where we can do the parking right. So we can, to some extent, manage to have all these trippers that come into Noosa a little bit away from the key areas. We are going to investigate the design of deployable parklets to enhance pedestrian experience during the peak hours and the peak periods. And we are proposing to continue with the Lions Park overflow parklets. We are also proposing to renegotiate parking for Christmas only, and defer the Easter decision until the destination management plan has finalised consultation.
00:06:00 We also propose to renegotiate the Lions Club agreement and require a formal traffic management plan. We are also looking at introducing new KPIs to measure moral shift, congestion safety and community satisfaction, access and cost effectiveness of the Go Noosa program. These key considerations are to be endorsed as a continuation of this program. In inclusion of the Go Noosa program. In addition of the approval and reinstate the main beach drop-off zone. Confirm Christmas only, confirm the use of the Lions Club Park only for Christmas. And propose the review of the parking right in the strategy and the KPA framework. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. There's a lot in that, isn't there? It's a quite extensive program. It's very extensive and thank you for the time put into the report. It had a lot of detail and a lot of reading, so thank you. Look, as the Chair, and given the significance of the matter, and I feel that it's going to be going on to the next meeting for all councillors to have a say,
00:07:00 do we want to ask any burning questions today or collectively say we're happy to just move that forward and deal with that at the next meeting? Mayor Wilkie: Just a clarifying question. Did I read correctly that after the free weekend bus service was discontinued because 50 cent fares were coming in, that there was a 9.2% jump in the use of the weekend service? Speaker 2: That's across Queensland. There was an increase across Queensland. Across Queensland. Correct. Not just Noosaville. Thanks for clarifying that. Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Councillor Phillips: So you're suggesting move it and ask questions at... Councillor Finzel: Well, I just feel that, like, given it's being put forward to move it, like, we'll just re-prosecute. But if anyone has a burning question, more than happy for you to bring it to the table. Councillor Wilson: It's more efficient just to have all the questions on the same page. Good idea. Councillor Finzel: Okay. Fantastic. Okay. Thank you for the report. And are we happy to move it to the next general meeting? We'll put it to the vote.
00:08:00 Councillor Wilson: Who's moving it? Oh, second. Sorry. Councillor Finzel: It was moved by Councillor Wilson, seconded by Councillor Phillips. We'll take it to the vote. All in favour, show of hands. Thank you. That's unanimous. Thank you, Catherine. Thank you to staff. Mayor Wilkie: Thank you, Dr Stephanie. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Right. So we're up to... So we're moving on to agenda item seven, number two. The Mayor's attendance to the 2025 Asia-Pacific City Summit and Mayor's Forum via Council of Mayors SEQ International Travel. Speaker 5: Mr CEO, thank you. Yes. So this is my report. So I'm bringing this because, as we know, we are a member of the Council of Mayors, ComSec, as it's colloquially known. The Council of Mayors is funding a member of each member council, the mayors, to travel to Dubai for the 2025 Asia-Pacific City Summit and Mayor's Forum, along with site visits
7.2 MAYOR'S ATTENDANCE - 2025 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum via COUNCIL OF MAYORS SEQ (INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL) ¶
00:09:00 organised by the Council of Mayors. The dates proposed are the 23rd to the 31st of October in 2025. And this report seeks approval because we are having one of our elected members and the mayor travel overseas. So I'm bringing it to Council for resolution or for approval as opposed to just for noting. I would also make the point that the trip is covered by the Council of Mayors in terms of finances. There may be some small costs that the mayors or the council has to do. But in general, it's covered by the Council of Mayors. And it is in Dubai for the Asia-Pacific City Summit, which is heavily supported by the Brisbane City Council. So it's one that
00:10:00 ComSec attends with the mayors. And I think it's a really good opportunity for us to continue our association with ComSec and to be part of that whole mix. So I put it to the group and to the committee for endorsement for this report. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr. CEO. Any questions? Councillor Phillips: I have one question. Do we, does the Council pay to be part of the Council of Mayors? Speaker 5: Yes, we do. Councillor Phillips: Am I, is that a public figure that I've taken on notice? It's about $10,000. Speaker 5: It's about $10,000. It's in the $48,000. Councillor Phillips: And that gives us, like we get the presentation from the CEO, don't we? And there's a lot of- Speaker 5: Well, we, yeah. We've already benefited enormously from it through various grants and opportunities and being part of the whole mix. So yeah, so it's- City deals. So the city deals-
00:11:00 That's right. Providing millions of dollars back to us. Councillor Phillips: And there's only one out of the 77 LGAs. Is that right? That is in part of- Speaker 5: No, no, no. It's only for the South East Queensland. Oh. So there's only 11 councils. Okay. And Gold Coast is not part of that. Councillor Phillips: Yeah. Speaker 5: So they've opted to sit out. They were, and they now sit out of ComSec. Councillor Phillips: And Gympie? Speaker 5: Gympie is an associate member of sorts. It's a very loose arrangement, I believe. I don't know for sure. But we were the last ones in as well. So, and now, you know, Gympie have looked to join because there's so many opportunities, particularly within the waste management side of things, that would be very useful for Gympie to be part of. So that's why they're looking to be part of this. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Given we've got the Mayor at the table, is there anything you'd like to add? Like, what are you hoping to bring back from the trip, given you've got the privilege to head over? Mayor Wilkie: Apart from strengthening the relationships with the other South East Queensland councils
00:12:00 and understanding their challenges and how we can work collaboratively rather than competitively for, in terms of, tenders for waste projects, how we position ourselves ahead of the 2032 Olympics, that understanding of how we can work collaboratively rather than competitively is critical to working collaboratively as a region and making sure that the best can be. Also, the, you've got cities from all around the world and the best speakers from all around the world talking about topics of interest for, that face all of us, such as climate resilience, building in resilience in the face of increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, how they're, how other cities are handling that. Transition, transition away from coal-fired houses, renewable energies, development of sustainable tourism,
00:13:00 green infrastructure and biodiversity, building, building green infrastructure and biodiversity into urban planning, how we manage our waste sustainably, how cities around the world are handling affordable housing in innovative ways, and the list goes on. One thing that I have learned in, through government, and through the government, is that we need to have a council of mayors, is that we do have many challenges in, in Poland, and that some cities in, some cities and communities are doing things really well and a lot are still struggling, and even those that are still doing it well, like handling traffic congestion and transport, it's a constant, it's constant work, and the work's never done. And it's, it's good to have access to this, this knowledge base and the opportunity to learn and strengthen relationships. We're working with other communities around the world, but also, specifically, South East Queensland communities and how we can support each other with our challenges facing South
00:14:00 East Queensland and strengthen those working relationships. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, that just sounds like a great opportunity, and can we also look forward to you giving us a report back to council as you return? Mayor Wilkie: Yes, Madam Chair, I'll do that. Councillor Finzel: Fantastic, thank you. And I'd like to acknowledge Councillor Lorentson is in the gallery, thank you for joining us today. Any further questions? Councillor Phillips: I am happy for this to be taken on notice, but what I'd love to see at some stage is, because I've sat in, I understand the benefits to us, so that wasn't my question, but maybe the public, to see a cost benefit that we see for those city deals. Is there any way that we could maybe see that at some stage through? Speaker 5: As a consolidated report? Yeah, because it does come through in various parts, so we can bring it together. Councillor Phillips: I think it'd be good for the community to see that a small amount, if it's $40,000, gives us this. Mayor Wilkie: No, no. Is it $40,000? Councillor Phillips: That's okay. I'd love to see what it gives us in return, because they're not privy to the great meetings that we sit in, that we see what's happening.
00:15:00 But maybe the general public would just love to see, this is what it costs us, and this is what we've been given. And you wouldn't be eligible. We wouldn't be eligible for it if we weren't in the Council of Mayors. Speaker 5: Yeah, that's right. So one of the, I'm happy to do that. I think that's, just for the sake of people watching, whatever it is, we've, you know, we just received $400,000 for Abergart as part of this, as part of the city deal. So, I mean, for the, in terms of return on investment, we're willing to do that. And were there any conditions attached to all of the spending, the $4 million that we've received as far as the city deals, you know? There was, but we've been able to meet all of those, as well. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, that's great. Well, I'm happy to move the motion. Second? Thank you. That's moved by Councillor Finzel, seconded by Councillor Wilson.
00:16:00 We'll take it to the vote. That's unanimous. All in favour? Thank you. Thank you, Mr CEO. Now we're up to Agenda Item 8, Reports for Noting by the Committee 8.1, the Capital Program 2425 Delivery Status. Thank you, and we'll welcome the staff to the table. Director Walsh: Through the Chair, I just wanted to introduce Catherine, because Catherine actually is the author of this report. Previously it must have been Mel Sheppard, so we always like to get the officers prepared. Yes. Thank you. Speaker 3: Thank you. You're welcome, Catherine. Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. Afternoon. Afternoon. So, if you'd like to give us a brief overview of your report. Yes, sure. Thank you. This report provides a status update of the Capital Works Program as at the 30th of June, 2025, and excludes disaster recovery projects. The approved capital budget provision for the 2425 financial year following Budget Review
8 REPORTS FOR NOTING BY THE COMMITTEE ¶
Nothing was transcribed under this heading — a stretch of the recording with no speech the model could make out.
8.1 Capital Program 2024/2025 Delivery Status ¶
00:17:00 2 was $46 million, inclusive carryover of $22.4 million. Actual expenditure achieved for the 2425 financial year was $28.8 million, which is 62.5% of the budget, with an expected carryover to address the multi-year projects and commitments. The 2425 financial year actual spend reflects solid project delivery, despite the challenges, including resourcing and adverse weather, and is consistent with previous years. In the 2425 financial year, the Capital Works Program consisted of 140 projects at various stages of planning, design and delivery. The grant funding revenue for the 2425 financial year was $11.7 million, with Council's contribution to these projects being $8.4 million. The planning and design teams managed 25 capital projects and provided planning and design
00:18:00 services to over 60 projects during quarter four of the 2425 financial year. Recruitment is underway to fill key positions in the delivery and design teams, with new initiatives for additional resourcing approved through the 2526 budget approval process. The planning, design and delivery teams are working closely to build on the project management work and processes. And Capital Works planning for the 2526 financial year is complete, with programming now commenced. So the recommendation is that Council note the report by the Director of Infrastructure Services to the Services and Organisation Committee meeting today, 12 August 2025, providing an update on the delivery of the 2425 Capital Works Program as at 30 June 2025. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Thank you for that. And thank you for the report. It was some good reading. It was... I loved it. I'd like to see it was, like, sort of evenly spread across the Shire where we're trying to work. And I can see everyone's working really hard for that equity and trying to stick to budgets
00:19:00 and deliver and meet the expectations of our community. So thank you. Thank you. Do we have any questions from the councillors at the table or online? Mayor Wilkie: You mentioned some of the challenges with resourcing. How are we going in terms of addressing the resourcing issues? Speaker 6: That's a good question. We've done that very well, actually. We've seen some good recruitment in some of our locations. We've got some really good experienced persons coming on board, some new project managers, project officers. I think Catherine here is a testimony to that as well. So we're really excited about the future of infrastructure planning, design and delivery as a whole, as you're seeing from the transport and traffic team, the planning team, design team, and our delivery team as well. We've got some really, really good people on board. We're really excited about pushing our capital delivery forwards in all aspects.
00:20:00 So yeah, we're really looking forward to the projects that are coming up, working with TMR and other stakeholders externally as well to firm up ideas like Beckmans Road, Active Street, those kind of innovative different ways of looking at transport and things as well. So I'm excited. Mayor Wilkie: Can you tell us about the progress of Beckmans Road? Speaker 6: Beckmans Road? Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Speaker 6: So currently it's quite early stages at the moment. We've got three concept designs, if you like, that TMR are putting forward. So the team's working closely on those at the moment to work out what best suits council's, Noosa Council's future with our active transport and looking at the area itself, et cetera, and what suits best for us. So it's early days at the moment, but it's, yeah, quite exciting to see this quite large piece of infrastructure. Yeah. So that's the future in the forefront. Director Walsh: Chris, what, through the- Yes. Just through the chair, I just want to advise that the council officers have made a request
00:21:00 for a councilor briefing about the status of Beckmans Road, including the three options and ideally joint presentation with officers from TMR. Sorry, I'm talking about the next steps. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Mayor Wilkie: Very good. Councillor Finzel: Fantastic, looking forward to that then. Mayor Wilkie: I understand you're looking at further improving the reporting by making it clear which projects are intended to be multi-year projects and not necessarily starting on July 1 and finishing on June 3. Speaker 6: I think you've pretty much covered it for me, I think I answered the question, but it's definitely part of it, looking at the multi-year projects, like you say, the revised estimates for the course of the project.
00:22:00 So if it's over two, three years, we're looking at our spend over the course of the project, so there's a greater understanding of exactly what you're approving when we look at each of our projects. In terms of financial use, for example, you look at 12 months, but then this project will go on from design to delivery, and it's understanding that, so it'll better support us to resource for that as well. And then with the carryover side of things, that's quite a bit of a subject, so really pulling out that data to understand that it's not actually really a carryover necessarily, we're better aligning the funds for that particular project, and we might see some savings along the way and things like this. So trying to make it more of a positive news story. Mayor Wilkie: So for example, if it's a three-year project, normally we report on 12 months, so if we spend a third of the funds dedicated to that by the end of the first year, it looks like it's only 33% complete, whereas if it was new reporting, it would actually be 100% on track.
00:23:00 Speaker 6: 100% on track, as far as that financial year is concerned. And I think we've had conversations around our renewal side of things with capital as well, and just putting that data out so we can see we're achieving the goals along the way. Really help us understand where we're at and how we can move forwards. Speaker 5: Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. I think it's good. It gives us all confidence moving forward that as we do adhere to continuous improvement and always looking at better ways to give back. I think it's really clear at communication reporting, I think it engenders trust between all key stakeholders. So yeah, thank you for that, and you're welcome. Thank you for the work. So do we have any further questions with regards to the report? I think it's pretty straightforward.
00:24:00 It was comprehensive. We had a meeting yesterday that, what was that, from the budgeting? BR1. BR1, that's right. Thank you. That was really comprehensive. Thank you. That was really comprehensive as well. So I think everyone coming together and having these transparent and open conversations around how we're moving forward and being reflected in the report is satisfying for everyone. So thank you. I'm happy to move the motion. I'm happy to second. I'm happy to second by Councillor Phillips. Moved by Councillor Finzel. We'll take it to the vote. Councillor Wilson: Can we speak to the motion? Yes, of course. Yes, you can speak to the motion. I just want to thank you for the report. I would like to look at the photos of the work and celebrate some good news. So we've got some great pictures here, and as Councillor Finzel said, it's all around the Shire, so good to see things happening everywhere. But we've got some good success stories here with the Sunrise Beach, David Lowe Way retaining wall constructs looking great, Noosaville Seawall Park pathways, the Shire-wide pathway
00:25:00 renewal, part of that is at Gympie Terrace. We've got a great result in Woodchap Street, Tewantin, with the stormwater works there that's been an outstanding issue. Kin Kin Shelters, Edweb Park, which is looking amazing now, and spectacularly, the toilets at Noosa Head Spa and Visitor Centre. So some great work there to celebrate. So thank you for all of that. And we've done the challenges with a lot of people. The weather and everything else that impacts delivery, but good to see some work's getting done. Thank you. Speaker 6: And I'd just like to say about our support teams as well, because we operate with procurement, for example, and building the facilities and civil operations, and there's a lot of stakeholders within Council that get involved with our delivery aspects. Mayor Wilkie: So yeah. Speaker 6: It's good to see the other players in the finance.
00:26:00 Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Yeah. Everyone plays a significant role. Everyone plays a part. Yeah. Councillor Wilson: It's great. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Oh, yes. Speaker 4: Councillor Laurickston from the Gallery. I'll speak on a bit. Sorry. I'd just like to take the opportunity, Councillor Wilson, myself, and the Mayor, we sit on the Cabinet Works Executive, and it's been really insightful and great knowing that, you know, possibly the most important role in Council is being at the heart of the work that we do, and good people, and I really would like to acknowledge you at this live meeting. It's given me an insight on how you deal with blowouts, and how, you know, this happens, and the importance of having delegations of power, where the CEO has the power to legally approve and authorise in a committee setting, to make sure that, you know, that if there
00:27:00 is an emergency or an emergent issue, that we can address that. Without having to go through bureaucratic obstacles. Thank you, Councillor Laurickston. So, thank you. And with the thoroughness of the reporting, I also want to really note, you know, encourage all the councillors to get involved as we have done in this incident. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll take that to the vote. That's unanimous. Councillor Wilson: Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, staff. Thank you. Thank you. Now we move to Agenda 8.2, Noosa Holiday Parks update. And we welcome Robin Mercer to the table. Thank you, Robin.
8.2 NOOSA HOLIDAY PARKS UPDATE ¶
00:28:00 As always, a very comprehensive and detailed report. If you'd like to give us an overview, it would be most appreciated. Speaker 1: Thank you very much, and excuse me if I cough. I've got the cold that's going around. No, there's a lot going around. Yeah, it sure is. Good afternoon, all. I'm pleased to report that the Noosa Holiday Parks program has performed strongly over financial year 24-25, both financially and operationally. In total, the program generated $4.62 million in revenue with an operational surplus of $1.14 million. And we welcomed almost 60,000 guests through the portfolio. Forward bookings for the coming year, so for the current financial year, sorry, already exceed $3 million, and we're only six weeks into the year, which is a great show of the ongoing demand and market confidence. While camping and caravanning as a whole saw some softening in occupancy
00:29:00 during the last financial year, which we put down to economic conditions and some tricky weather in March and April of this year, the portfolio remained resilient, delivering reliable revenue to Council, supporting local economic activity and providing affordable nature-based holiday experiences for visitors and for our residents. This year's report also notes the commencement of a long-term strategic plan for the program. Thank you. That's very kind. Thanks. The strategic plan will guide future management, renewal, growth and investment. I consider this a timely point to put something more longer-term in place following a couple of strong years of growing the program in terms of its operational maturity, its management maturity. It's timely now to define a clear vision and roadmap for the future.
00:30:00 The plan will also embed regenerative tourism principles in line with Council's emerging destination management plan and focus on financial sustainability, reinvestment, environmental innovation and enhanced visitor experiences. Importantly, these Council-owned assets exist really predominantly to give both our community and visitors the opportunity to connect with and enjoy our natural amenity. Across the three parks, visitors rate their experience higher than four stars consistently across platforms such as Google Reviews and TripAdvisor, with many visitors highlighting the quality of the facilities and the beauty of the natural settings. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Robyn. It's a good news story, isn't it? I just love the reports that we're doing with our parks and I think everyone benefits from those experiences. Visitors and residents alike.
00:31:00 I think it's strong reporting in the financials and keep up the good work that's going on there. I know that's a whole team. Very much, yeah. I'd like to express my thanks to the team and those out of the parks that are actually on the ground providing the maintenance and all the services. Correct. A big thank you to them. Speaker 3: Do we have any questions from the... Councillor Finzel: Yes, Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: There's a slight reduction, weather related. When you benchmark, was that just a Shire thing that we know was weather or did the rest of the industry see that? Speaker 1: What we saw... We get access to data through our membership with the Queensland Caravanning Association Industry Group and through that we get access to the Australian Industry Association. The data that we get is Queensland Caravanning Association and broken down into regions like Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Bundaberg, Capricorn, Far North Queensland
00:32:00 and we get the occupancy per month. So over two years of data for the financial year that we just had and the one previously, we saw that there was a drop across all the regions as a whole year average. In March, it went right down and April 2 was a little tricky in some regions as well. So... The nights sold, you saw in the report which is what we use to measure our occupancy was down as a whole year which was seen across the industry and that's put down to economic conditions. People tightening their purse strings waiting to see what the RBA does and the like and it was compounded a little by March and April. Councillor Phillips: Okay. Yeah. So given that, I always think like this is more cost effective for holidaymakers. What's the long term for Council to ensure that costs always, I guess, remain?
00:33:00 When we talk about regenerative tourism and DMP, I want to know that how this industry, which has always given people an opportunity to come away with their families, an affordable holiday, that those prices won't increase year by year more than that makes it unachievable for families to get there. If they've got a caravan or fuel prices, I imagine that all that. I'm not a camper, but I assume that is taken into consideration. How do we as Council ensure that in five years it's almost not possible for a family to come away, you know, to do so because of costs? Speaker 1: Yeah. So what I'd like to scoop into that strategic plan is how we do our pricing. So pricing is really quite a tricky thing to master. When we look at our pricing increases, which happen every six months for 12 months in advance, we look at our cost of doing business or cost of, you know, our operational cost base and what increases we're experiencing there.
00:34:00 We benchmark against a range of other parks up and down the coast. And we also, as a Council, have to consider our competitive neutrality as well. We need to be pricing fairly in contrast to private operators so that we're not, you know, leveraging the benefits of having a big organisation behind us. So that's pricing, I guess, in an academic way. Pricing to meet the market, what we try and do is make sure that there is a spread of pricing. So, for example, at Boring Point, you can access a powered or unpowered site there in the range of $45 to $50, which is at the lower end. Noosa River, you're looking at $68, $70, $75 upwards. So that's, I guess, kind of what we try and do is distribute the opportunities in pricing across the region. I'm very keen to make sure that we protect that. That's, yeah, there's no... I guess we've always tried to honour that those sites were designated for camping and caravanning recreation.
00:35:00 So we need to make sure that we allow for that to be accessible. Yeah. So the pricing part of the strategic plan would recognise that we need to do that. Councillor Phillips: What's the biggest contributor to operational costs? Speaker 1: So across the cost base, which is about $3.2 million, for example, electricity, wastewater management, water and gas contributes about three quarters of a million dollars. We have road maintenance. So in a traditional way, in a tricky wet weather year, we might move in $20,000 to $25,000 worth of road-based material to keep the grounds and the roads operational. What I'd like the strategic plan to do is identify areas where we can do some of those things better. And that's looking at that investment piece. Where can we invest into the business
00:36:00 in a way that will benefit the cost base and then benefit how we price? Because it's all linked. It's an ecosystem. Yeah. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Anything further? Mayor Wilkie: No, I think I had my questions answered by listening. It was along the lines of Jess's question about what percentage of the 7.7% drop in visitation could be attributed to tropical cyclone Alfred and the depression that followed that, as opposed to cost of living pressures. Is there any way of ascertaining the impact of weather alone? Speaker 1: Yeah, because we can put that down to the months, largely. So we can look at our year-on-year difference in March and April. I'd need to jump back into the figures and I can report back to you afterwards on that. Mayor Wilkie: Yeah, just in March. Yeah. Speaker 1: But numbers are picking up. So from my perspective of being involved with the program for five years now,
00:37:00 I don't expect that trend to continue. And ultimately it's about delivering the bottom line as well. So we run it as a business unit. So every week I'm looking at the figures going, okay, let's pull back on that expense for now and let's just hold off. So yes, whilst the revenue might dip a little from nights sold, we can use our pricing increases, which have been set in line with inflation, to offset some of that. And then we can also, be smart with how we spend as well. Yeah. Mayor Wilkie: And it's been several years since I've received a letter of concern about anything to do with the holiday part. So we just have to assume that everyone's very happy with the level of service there. What sort of avenues are there for people to leave reviews and what sort of feedback do you get? Speaker 1: So I guess like any hotel or other accommodation provider,
00:38:00 Google reviews is where most people go. We'll drop in a review. A little bit to Trip Advisor. You know, the most recent one there was from May, I think, this year. So even though you can't book through Trip Advisor, people still use that to communicate to others. So yeah, that's the main way. Anecdotally, information is passed on and that's always collected by our management operators across the ground. And if we start to see a pattern, then we raise it in one of our regular catch-ups because we try and operate under continuous improvement. Mayor Wilkie: Are there any trends of areas where we need to improve? Speaker 1: Not that I've seen. Mayor Wilkie: Or any one of the things. Speaker 1: Yeah. Not that I've seen. You know, you look at the portfolio that's available to people that want a camp or caravan and you've got everything from your big four, which has got a jumping pillow and a playground and a pool through to Boring Point, which you drive in there
00:39:00 and I always immediately feel the solitude of being in a place like that. Most of the comments we get are that people enjoy that. So it hasn't prompted us to think about what more we can add in built infrastructure. It's more around keeping the kayaks all operational and the subs operational and the fire pits there so that people can have that type of experience. Councillor Phillips: Last question. It's around our comms with our holiday parks. Do you... Just tell me, like, operationally, how do you liaise with our comms team to make sure that there's consistent comms coming out of councils, socials and things like that around the parks and continuous, I guess, advertising and, you know, the good news stories and...? Speaker 1: Yeah. So part of... So the Facebook and Instagram and social media side of it is outsourced as part of a revenue generation scope
00:40:00 of work in our management contractors. So they have specialised people that are running Facebook campaigns and algorithms and things in the background that we're not aware of. So that's the marketing side of it, I guess. Usually around this time of year, when a report comes up to council, I liaise with the comms team and we might put something out. I think six months ago, something went out on LinkedIn, you know, as a post, a media release, I guess, of how the holiday parks are performing and some of the numbers. OK. Yeah. Is that what you... Councillor Phillips: Yeah. ..meaning? It was, yeah. I thought... So we... You have a budget for this that's outside of our comms team, because we... That's what I get from that. And we have outsourced comms. Speaker 1: Is that...? Yeah, so the marketing is run through the... ..like, the business unit. OK. Yeah. And the budget for doing that.
00:41:00 Councillor Phillips: All right. Yeah. And, yeah, that answers... So we don't do a lot of in-house from our comms team around the marketing side of... Speaker 1: No. Just because it's quite a specialised space. Yeah. Yeah. No, that answers it. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. I think maybe, like, if... That would come... That would come through, like, your strategic plan and, like, how we... How you market that. Is that correct? And I notice that council is waiting for the destination management plan to inform the strategic plan moving forward. Speaker 1: I think what we've... Not necessarily one dependent on the other, just that we've seen... So the way that we've looked at the holiday parks over the past couple of years is where can we incorporate circularity? When we do asset renewals, we look at materials that have a better whole-of-life cost or have come from a recycled material. So that kind of ethos we've already been incorporating in. Tree planting is something that we're looking at.
00:42:00 We've got data now of five years of what tree species are working, what's not working. So a regenerative example is people can come and stay and plant a tree. Yeah. And it's funded within, like, the business model in a way. So what the strategic plan wants to do is just scoop up some of that and we saw the opportunity to... That there is alignment with destination management planning and destination management planning for the portfolio that we have. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Yeah. That's great. Yes. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Speaker 4: Hi, Robyn. I have a question and you probably know what I'm going to ask. Probably the only issue that I get about the parks are disposal of rainwater. And I first want to acknowledge and thank you for all the work you're doing in this space. You're referencing probably the boring campground. I note there's now a rainwater park rule
00:43:00 that's been moulded in a booking confirmation, distributed to the guests, signed, installed. So thank you for all the work you've done. My question is how do we enforce that that actually gets done? And can Council... Does Council have any power to request at a minimum that guests put a deposit at the booking that's refundable once the rainwater is disposed at the proper dump point? Speaker 1: Yeah. So in terms of just going one step back, and looking at how we approach greywater at Boring Point and North Shore. So there is a central dump point where people are meant to dispose of their greywater into that particular facility. And then we dispose of that through our contract with Suttons over time.
00:44:00 The Boring Point example, I think there has been some feedback about concerns that the greywater is being disposed onto the ground. So a couple of things there. What have we seen on the ground and what are our observations? So the data that we've collected over time has not shown a lot of observations of that happening. So twice a day, the operations require a park walk. And similarly, we have grounds and maintenance staff through their management contractor that are on the ground. So we do see quite a number of observations that limited instances of that occurring. That's not to say that it's not, that it hasn't been something that's come up to a level that we've had heightened concerns about it. In response to the community, what we have done is, there's always been a rule, because it comes out of the EPA,
00:45:00 the Environmental Protection Act, about disposal of greywater. So there's always been a rule that you can't dispose of it on the ground. It's illegal. There's always been a requirement of guests that they need to use the disposal point. So that rule has always been there. What we've done is put, sorry, it's cold. What we've done when people book is when they receive their booking confirmation email, it's right there, bold at the top, what the expectation is of their decision making when they need to do something with their greywater. And we've also put more signage up on the ground. Within the campground. In terms of monitoring what everyone does, it's a tricky one. Because, you know, at a peak period of 72 guests in house, monitoring all of them that are going to be distributing or managing their greywater at different times of day is tricky. For that reason,
00:46:00 probably a deposit doesn't work. There's no way, unless you're standing, watching each and every campsite to validate whether they're doing the right thing. So what I'm comfortable with is that we're not seeing a lot of instances of people doing the wrong thing. If we did, we would be addressing it in a much more stringent way. What I have done is reach out and talk with our environmental health team. We'll probably do a few spot checks. At the moment, I think we're in a good steady state there. Councillor Finzel: Thank you very much. Thank you. And just on that note, noting that we've got in the report escape parts. They play that integral role in delivering high quality guest experiences. And you've listed there, they manage booking and guest maintenance, cleaning and hygiene, property services and integrated facility maintenance. So I'm pretty confident, you know, that they'll have their eyes over this and be working.
00:47:00 Yeah, they're on site and present at all times. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Speaker 1: Last question. Councillor Phillips: How often does the management contract come around for renewal? Speaker 1: Sure. So they're in different cycles. So there's three separate contracts. They're typically five years plus a two year option. So the Noosa River contract was awarded in 2022. The Boring Point contract was awarded early last year. And the Noosa North Shore contract was awarded 2000, it was 2021. So we're coming up to the option period next year. Okay. For them to opt for another two years or for us? I think it's a mutual. Okay. Yeah. Councillor Phillips: Does that go through our normal curriculum? Speaker 1: Not the options because the options are approved as part of the contract award. But the tender process, yes, follows the strict tendering process that we go through and then comes to Council
00:48:00 for recommendation of award following evaluation and underpropriety. Councillor Finzel: Great. Thank you. Thank you. That's very comprehensive. Any further questions? Sorry. Is that a no? Was that a yes or a no? No, thank you. Oh, right. Okay. Save her voice. Yeah. That's all right. Thank you. You've done a great job. I have kids, Speaker 1: so it's like it's a requirement. Councillor Finzel: So I'm happy to move it. I have a motion. Thank you. So that was moved by Councillor Finzel, seconded by Councillor Phillips. Yep. Would anyone like to have their say before we go to the vote? Mayor Wilkie: Thank you for your word of order. Councillor Finzel: No problem. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Parks and Handles, very professional. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Thanks. Thank you. We'll take it to the vote. That's unanimous.
00:49:00 We'll move to item 8.3, Council Remuneration Update. Welcome to the table, Margaret. Speaker 7: Thank you. Good afternoon, Councillors. Good afternoon. In December last year, the Local Government Remuneration Commission, an independent entity established under the Local Government Act, concluded its review of council remuneration categories of Queensland councils. This review included consultation with Queensland councils and other stakeholders and considered the size, geographical and environmental terrain of local government areas, population of the local government area, including the area's demographics, the spread of population serviced by the local government, and the extent of the services the local government provides, and any other matter relevant to the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of local government. As a result, the Commission has determined a new set of council remuneration categories and new maximum remuneration levels for mayors, deputy mayors and councillors, effective 1 July 2025.
8.3 COUNCILLOR REMUNERATION UPDATE ¶
00:50:00 As a category of remuneration, category B3 council, the remuneration to be paid to the mayor, deputy mayor and councillors will increase from 1 July 2025 as follows. The mayor, an increase of 3,935 per annum. The deputy mayor, an increase of 2,291 per annum. And councillors, an increase of 1,947 per annum. In addition to the remuneration determined by the Commission, councillors will also receive payment, for any reasonable expenses incurred in discharging their official duties and responsibilities in accordance with our council councillors' expenses, reimbursement and provisions of facilities policy established under section 250 of the local government regulation. I'll just draw your attention to councillors within the executive summary of the report. There is a statement that's factually incorrect. It's not within the recommendation,
00:51:00 just to give you some confidence that it's okay. I've referred to the fact that we've only just newly been categorised as a category B3 council. That was incorrect. That happened in 2023. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: Just to clarify, these reviews happen once every four-year term? Speaker 7: Yes. Mayor Wilkie: And did I read somewhere that the proposed increase for the use of councillors is 2.5%? Speaker 7: I haven't got the percent in front of me. It probably is contained within the attached report. I've just got the actual dollar values per annum. Mayor Wilkie: Yes. Speaker 7: And the increase. I'm sorry. I should have. That's incorrect. Yes. Councillor Wilson: Sorry. Just to follow up on that question, I think the four-year review is the remuneration category, but the remuneration level is . That's right. Yes. Speaker 7: Sorry.
00:52:00 That is correct. You're correct. That is correct. Speaker 5: It is 2.5. 2.5. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Would you like to continue? Speaker 7: No. Councillor Finzel: The report is finished. Speaker 7: Sorry. Apologies. Councillor Finzel: Thank you very much. Sorry. I thought there was a question in between. Welcome. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for the report. Is there any further questions regarding the report? Mayor Wilkie: So next year it could be, is the 2.5% base, have any relation to CPI? Speaker 7: Yes, they do consider that. But it's similar to our federal assistance grant, where it's very complex methodology, which is why I read that out in the report, where they consider a whole lot of factors along with CPI, and then they would have a smoothing effect or a moderation effect. If you ask me today, right here, Mayor Wilkie, for me to be able to explain that methodology to you, I wouldn't be able to do that. I'd have to take that on notice and come back to you with the detail of that. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, there are a lot of things.
00:53:00 I noticed what I found interesting was also the commission gives opportunity for the, through the LGAQ, for other councillors to put in, you know, submissions around what they think, you know, is valued or important information. Yes. And that does get considered by the commission. All local governments will, were provided opportunity to engage with the commission at the annual LGAQ in Brisbane. So I think, you know, that's really important that, you know, all councillors across the board have that opportunity to, to raise anything that's connected to the commission. Yes, correct. Yeah. Speaker 7: And that's what's contained within the attachment. Yes. And that's what's contained within the local government remuneration commission annual report, 2024. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Yeah. So, yes, even councillors can have their say in the matter. So there's democracy at work, which is good. Would anyone else like to add anything to the conversation, or?
00:54:00 Mayor Wilkie: I'm happy to move it, Madam Chair. Councillor Finzel: Happy to second. Would you like to make a comment? Mayor Wilkie: Look, thank you for the report. It's always very difficult and awkward for councillors to be voting on matters like this. But it's often said that it's a thankless job. It's a hard job. It's 24-7. And from what I see, the councillors deserve to be able to keep pace with the cost of living. And they will. Every cent of this increases. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Well, on that note. Mayor Wilkie: Someone can make a comment. I don't think you disagree with me. Councillor Finzel: You could say more. You could say more. Mayor Wilkie: From what I see, the councillors, the Noosa councillors work very hard. And they earn their money for the community. They're very... Each and every one of them is incredibly dedicated. And, again, I say they're truly deserving of this increase of 2.5 per cent.
00:55:00 Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr Mayor. Thank you for your report. We'll take it to the vote. That's unanimous. All in favour? Thank you. Thank you. Enjoy your afternoon. Speaker 7: Thank you. Councillor Finzel: There is no confidential session. And I note that the meeting closed at 2.25pm. Thank you. Thank you.
9 CONFIDENTIAL SESSION ¶
Council's recording ends before this item. Where a meeting resolved to close its doors, that is what the end of the recording means — see what council discussed in private.
10 MEETING CLOSURE ¶
Council's recording ends before this item. Where a meeting resolved to close its doors, that is what the end of the recording means — see what council discussed in private.