General Committee Meeting - 9 June 2026 Transcript

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY ¶

▶ 00:00:17

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3 ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES ¶

▶ 00:00:21

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4 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES ¶

▶ 00:00:41

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4.1 GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES DATED 12 MAY 2026 ¶

▶ 00:00:44· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

00:01:00 We have no presentations nor do we have deputations so we move on to section 7 and item 1 in that section is the Pridgen Beach Active Street Stage 1 Progress Update and Next Step which was deferred from the ordinary meeting dated 19th March 2026. Thank you. Item 12.2 if we can invite the relevant staff to the table. Director Walsh: Good morning, Councillors. Good morning. Procedure, I just want to firstly table three items to be attached to the minutes of the meeting. These have been distributed in advance to the meeting to the Councillors. Attachment 1 is an update on background information. This is an update to the actual March report including updates from the Livability Survey as well as updates on the program to inform Councillors' decision. Attachment 2 which was requested by Councillors is a rundown of Councillors' involvement in the Pridgen Beach Active Street from the original Project Inception that goes in some detail.

7.1 PEREGIAN BEACH ACTIVE STREET - STAGE 1 PROGRESS UPDATE AND NEXT STEPS (Deferred from the Ordinary Meeting dated 19 March 2026 - Item 12.2) ¶

▶ 00:01:14· Carried 4-2 · 3 divisions from council's minutes

00:02:00 And then Attachment 3 is a confidential attachment which just further documents community submissions and requests that were received since the meeting. And then Attachment 4 is an update to the March report so Councillors have a full rundown of all submissions received from the community about the project. I'll table that at the meeting but then I'll hand over to Lizzie to give the overview of the project obviously. Speaker 3: Thank you, Shaun. Good morning, Councillors. This report provides a project status update and recommendation for the Pridgen Beach Active Street Stage 1 project including background to the project and outline of findings from recent community engagement and current project development. The project is 100% funded through the South East Queensland Livability Fund and the Active Transport Fund. To date, the project has undergone extensive planning and consultation which started in 2020 with the Coastal Pathway Corridor Study.

00:03:00 The study reviewed existing paths, identified safety gaps and assessed possible routes while ensuring community alignment through a project reference group. It was further analysed in the 2021 Noosa Cycling and Walking Strategy and Implementation Plan, whereby the community was invited to have their say and similar engagement with a project reference group was carried out. The 2022 Noosa Livability Survey further highlighted the community's desire for improved active transport across the Shire. Project-specific activities included three public pop-up information sessions in April and May of 2025, multiple councillor briefing workshops in 2025, a pop-up at the Boring Point Ordinary Meeting in November 2025, two further pop-up information sessions in January of this year, a public workshop in February, and numerous one-on-one meetings with representative groups and impacted residents. Feedback on the Pridgen Beach Active Street project was mixed.

00:04:00 While the majority of questions and points raised by residents in group discussions were harshly negative towards the project, many residents and stakeholders supported the underlying core objectives such as slower traffic, safer pedestrian movements, and improved walking and cycling connections. The report includes extensive attachments in the form of community feedback on the proposal, and as a result of the extensive consultation and ensuing feedback, a number of changes have been proposed to the initial design in response. The report also seeks in principle support for continuing to invest in Stage 2 subject to future budget allocation to achieve connectivity to the Pridgen Beach Village and an investment in a broader education and awareness program on the benefits of active transport to support delivery of the Shire-wide coastal pathway corridor, a key component of Council's cycling and walking strategy. The Pridgen Beach Active Street project addresses long-standing issues with existing South Pridgen Beach infrastructure.

00:05:00 It resolves the current parking congestion caused by vehicles landing both sides of the road, which has effectively created a one-way traffic situation. The project delivers a safe and dedicated pedestrian pathway, ensuring residents and visitors no longer need to walk on the roadway to reach their destination. The design incorporates traffic calming measures and reduced vehicle speeds, improvements previously requested by the community, and improved stormwater infrastructure, curb and channel for better stormwater management. We acknowledge that not all residents share the same view on the project. However, we respectfully ask Councillors to consider the full range of safety, accessibility, and infrastructure benefits when making their decision today, and the long-term value this project represents for the wider community. Thank you. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thanks. We have questions. Councillor Lawrington. Councillor Lorentson: The report states that there's approximately $150,000 been spent to date.

00:06:00 Can staff confirm that? And the exact amount of expenditure date across both the South East Queensland Livability Fund and Active Transport Fund, and whether any of that expenditure would need to be repaid to the funding bodies if the project does not proceed? Speaker 3: So the Active Transport Fund only funds the construction side of things, so most of the expenditure to date would be towards the livability. And, yeah, it's my understanding. And if this project doesn't go ahead, then we would have to be up for that cost. No. Speaker 2: Yeah, so we'd probably have to get back to you on the exact expenditure to date as it's sort of moving on each week. And we could be required to pay back that grant funding. If the project didn't go ahead, we would be seeking, I guess,

00:07:00 a change of scope from the grant body to fund the design works to date. But we'd have to come back to you on that. Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Lawrington. Councillor Lorentson: So Council resolves not to proceed with the Active Street Design as presented. Can you just explain what alternative projects or works would be eligible for funding under the South East Queensland Livability Fund criteria, and you sort of mention in the report, is it streetscape, footpath and infrastructure improvements? Director Walsh: The grant criteria for the South East Queensland Livability Fund was about collaboration with our neighbours to create regional benefits. And the pitch for this one is it connected in with the Sunshine Coast coastal pathway. So it showed direct regional benefits of people moving between our Shire and to Sunshine Coast area, and vice versa. So that's the key criteria.

00:08:00 It has a fairly broad criteria because the other project funded under that is also the Cooroy Sports Complex upgrade, which is actually operating as a regional facility, providing gymnastics for a broader region than just Cooroy. So it's a fairly broad criteria. To say whether it could be transferred to other projects or not, I don't know the answer to that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any other questions? Okay, I'm happy to move. Councillor Lorentson: Sorry, I do have quite a few questions, but the last one I'll ask today is that recommendation be asked Council to delegate authority to the CEO to finalise and award the construction contract, including all variations within the approved budget. Given that the budget reconciliation is not complete, so what safeguards are in place to ensure that Council,

00:09:00 that we're not exposing ourselves to any financial risk beyond the grant funding? Do you want me to answer that, David? Yes. Director Walsh: So our Council operates in support of the Capital Works Program, the Capital Works Executive, which is made up of delegates from the councillors and the CEO, where final project costs and scope are presented to delegates to the CWE. Those council delegates and the CEO can always refer matters to the General Council. So our governance terms around the Capital Works Executive fundamentally support what you've asked for to actually ensure that they're safeguarded in terms of scope and expenditure. Councillor Lorentson: So does that, probably the question I'm really asking is in terms of governance oversight. Are we satisfied that there will be enough council oversight, given we're unsure how much over budget this project may potentially cost?

00:10:00 Director Walsh: So I think that the Capital Works Executive is actually a really good exemplar of corporate governance. So it's made up of the executive of council and three elected members. So the Capital Works Executive can also defer things to the full council if they're uncomfortable making a recommendation or proceeding with expenditure within the delegation of the CEO. Thank you. Councillor Phillips: Question please. Sure. Thanks. Just in relation to the community engagement and the broader Shire-wide awareness campaign, can you explain to me, is there a budget for that? Who will pay for that sort of campaign? I know that it says there's collaboration with QPX and TMR, but just wanting to know at what stage that's at. Director Walsh: Yeah. So remember that this report was prepared back in March. Ideally, because the matter's being deferred and we didn't presume to actually proceed with a budget initiative. But on the event that this is decided to council to proceed, we'd be looking to actually fund it out of the Sustainable Transport Levy,

00:11:00 which is geared up towards actually actively encouraging people for active transport and movement. And there's a report scheduled for the next round of meetings for council about the Go Noosa program and also the movement and connection plan. So we have a funding mechanism, but council would still need to decide that they wanted to use that funding mechanism for that program. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lampton. When I read the report, there seemed to be a lot of uncertainty, lots of use of investigate, explore, in principle support. My questions, what parts of the project are actually clear and confirmed? What's still unknown? And what safeguards are in place? So that if there is a decision today to support the recommendation, that it's not interpreted later as full approval of the project in its current, of the current concept.

00:12:00 Speaker 2: Yeah, so I suppose through the PCG and the CWE governance process, the project team has been working within the approved scope. As part of the community consultation, it became evident that additional works were required for this to be supported by the community and to fulfil the community's requests. That work is outside of the approved scope. And so in this report, we proposed to investigate doing that additional work, noting that we would take any of the additional scope through the CWE for approval. So, and I suppose that's probably where we've investigated, rather than include in the scope straight away, so subject to budget approval. We'll also be seeking, we've received an extension of time from the funding bodies since this report was prepared in March.

00:13:00 If this recommendations are approved, we would seek a change of scope through the grant funding bodies as well, in the hope that they would fund the additional work. So we're also leaving the door open there, I suppose, to other channels of funding for that additional scope. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Councillor Finzel: This is a really complex matter and I'm glad that it's been clearly articulated today that we need to widen the scope of this study, especially in terms of addressing, you know, whether the community have had conflicting ideas around this and there's been a lot of conflict and conversation around that process. In terms of the change of scope to this study that you talk about, what does that require today? Do we need an amendment or a motion to this to seek that through the Chair to the CEO, or is that just going to automatically roll over

00:14:00 and move into that scope without us making a decision around that today? Director Walsh: Under the, as we discussed, under the terms of reference for the Capital Works Executive, which consists of three councillors and the executive, every time there's a change of project scope, we actually have to report it through to the Capital Works Executive to ensure that there's that control. So the Resolution B, Delegating the Authority to the CEO, allows the CEO to present, you know, all the matters to the Capital Works Executive for their personal consideration. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: If I can just clarify, there's some of the, from recollection, the scope change included doing more works in adjacent streets to avoid the concerns about rat running. Was there other scope changes of any significance? Speaker 2: Yeah, so, for example, the local area traffic management in neighbouring streets, design work is required to understand

00:15:00 the total cost for construction. We haven't undertaken that additional design work as yet, noting that that would come out of councils, council's costs, if this project didn't go ahead. So we put that on pause. We've got quotes to do that work, and that's the sort of further investigation. The other scope is looking at car parking, additional car parking, realignment of car parks through Victory Park. What else is in there? I think it's... Director Walsh: It's covered on page two of the report. Speaker 2: Page two. Director Walsh: Yeah, the Socktacalla Pallet. Speaker 2: So increased formalised car parking, investigating softer colour pallets, widening of the existing ball through Loroquete Park, inclusion of additional street tree planting, additional signage, U-turn movements at Loroquete Drive and Peter Street,

00:16:00 so intersection design investigations. Yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Did you say there was a supplementary? Councillor Finzel: Oh, yeah, there was. Just following up for that. Thank you for that in terms of what the scope would address with further investigation. Where in that does it address the process of community engagement, further community engagement around that? Where does it go back to community after you've done that scope? Because that's about infrastructure and expenditure. How do we address the community? Director Walsh: So all our programs have ongoing community engagement, so we've set up a significant database of digital door knocks and community updates, so we'll continue to ratify that. We'll continue to operate that program. Some of the design interventions will require some discussion Speaker 4: with specific residents and the like. Director Walsh: We've been very attuned to one-on-one meetings,

00:17:00 as documented in the attachments to the report that outline how many on-site meetings we've had with various people, and we'll continue with that program. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Can our Councillor Phillips, who's next? Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Just in relation to... OK, so Coast Capital Works grant funded, I'd love to be able to understand, transferring it into OPEC's budget, what the cost of maintenance and ongoing, if that was done as part of any scope so the residents can understand the ongoing cost, to Council of the project. Director Walsh: Probably can answer that is that we have a number of failed assets in that streetscape, including some of the pavements as well as the curb and channelling, so which is already costing us in terms of maintenance quite significantly to try and maintain that in a reasonable order. Some residents would say that the actual assets have failed in terms of curb and channelling. So when you renew an asset, like replacing asphalt and curb and channelling,

00:18:00 the initial access rate is actually fairly low. So we actually anticipate that the asset maintenance costs will actually reduce over the initial years of the asset. We have an asset renewal budget for asphalt and curb and channelling and footpaths, which is applied to our budget every year, and that renewal budget is prioritised. So I actually think that this is a bit of an interesting case because, you know, we don't have a footpath. We don't have curb and channelling, which is probably fit for purpose anymore. We've got failed pavement. So there will be asset maintenance costs which should have already been there, and these are fairly standard asset classes. The only one that might be a bit different is probably the street pavement colouration and applying a specific cost for that. But that's a technique we use elsewhere in the Shire and have a specific line mark in the budget. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Lorentson, please. Councillor Lorentson: In terms of active street projects, I understand the project down in Caloundra has been paused,

00:19:00 and I received information on active street projects overseas in Cambridge and the UK. Can you give us an example where it has worked successfully? Speaker 2: Yeah, sure. So the active street that we've designed or worked with the consultants to design is based off feedback that's come out of WA. They rolled out a program of 10 to 15 active streets and then put together some guidelines based on their learnings of what went well and what didn't. And partway through design, one of the changes we made was the additional speed bumps or local area traffic management chicanes and that sort of thing, which was based off the feedback we got from WA. So I think they're probably happy to share some of those examples, which I think we've put in some... some of the material that's available on Council's website as well. Director Walsh: Yeah.

00:20:00 And we're also influenced by this Hedges Avenue in the Gold Coast, which do access the one-way street and also a shared bikeway experience if you ever use the Gold Coast Oceanway. It's a much earlier version of the method, but it's regarded highly successful by the residents when they're actually riding along the Gold Coast from Surfers Paradise to Burlington's. They actively use shared street experiences with cycles. I think if you actually look at our FAQs on our project website, we've actually referenced examples from around Australia of active streets used. Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Wellington. Just in terms of the community feedback, did we separate, when we collated all that information and feedback, did we separate or understand which... which... which feedback came from those directly impacted, those living in South Coorjin? And can we... And what was the overwhelming...

00:21:00 ..response? Were they supportive or objecting of the proposal, those directly impacted, those living in South Coorjin? Director Walsh: I... I can't think we can answer that, Councillor, and we have provided copies in the attachments to the report of every submission received. Yeah. And every bit of feedback for you to make an assessment of yourself about community distaste or support for the proposal. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any other questions? I'm happy to move. Yeah, there's one more. Councillor Lorentson: My last question, it's probably a question I'm going to be asking for every report. In terms of fees spent on consultants, do we have an idea of how much we've spent on consultants in preparing for this project?

00:22:00 Speaker 2: I don't have the exact cost for the consultancy. I remember when we got the proposal, it was much cheaper than we expected, so it's definitely a value for money design, so that's done through ADG Consultants. Um... We could potentially do that in-house, but it would take up most of our design resources for a significant part of their time, so we'd be very limited in how much work we could do outside of that project. What we've done is we allocate a designer to review the plans when they come in, and then they can spend more time on other projects, so sort of trying to get the best yield out of our team, our small team. Thank you very much. Director Walsh: And I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of costs are actually internal staff costs. The project management, the design review, and also the stakeholder engagement, they weren't outsourced. They were all in-housed. It was just supported by that external design expertise to document the plans.

00:23:00 So... And that's consistent with the model. You know, when we have a capital works program between 50 and 60 million, we have to figure out how do we enable the design to occur in the most efficient process. Speaker 3: Thank you. And in regards to the report as well, it was done in-house. There might have been, like, a few advice we received from traffic and transport engineers, but that was mainly in-house. Thank you. Speaker 5: Just one final question, if that's all right. Councillor Phillips: When looking at the design, was it ever challenged around if the grant never existed, what the actual needs of that community is? Talking about the infrastructure that's ageing. If Council were to just fund the project purely from our CapEx budget, would the design potentially be the same or different because of the grant? Director Walsh: If... Probably the first thing to note is that if we proceeded with resealing

00:24:00 the whole of that road, we're actually going to increase vehicle speed. Because at the moment, the patchy nature of the pavement is actually slowing vehicles down. And we've also got liability issues associated with vehicles parking on both sides of the street, causing, you know, one-way congestion and inability for cars to traverse through and pedestrians walking on the road because there's no choice. So we could roll out a conventional program underneath a capital works program with a footpath and curb and channelling and a road, but it actually wouldn't solve the issues that the residents are facing at the moment. So this is about future-proofing the design for generations to come. Speaker 2: I could just add to that that the corridor assessment that was done in 2021 was based on trying to find the best corridor route and the best treatment option regardless of how it was funded. So that was used on the basis for the grant funding. As Shaun said, we could do a curb renewal, an asphalt renewal program. If we wanted to go through and just do a pathway,

00:25:00 it's likely that we'd end up with a very similar result in some of the spots where we've taken a pathway the roadside of the curb and adjusting the curb around to save some trees or to avoid retaining walls or underground services. So the footpath design would be pretty similar to what we've got as an active street design if we went and just did the footpath by itself. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, I'll move the staff recommendation. Sure. Seconded by Councillor Wegener. So, Councillor, this has been an extensive process and you see the documents that were tabled this morning dating back to the corridor study back six years ago where this route was selected. It is a project that's created a lot of community discussion and both concerns and support. I think our decision is based on something that the Director has highlighted,

00:26:00 that this is a project that was prioritised based on its regional significance. So what we have to balance up is both the local very specific concerns and support within that area that is subject to construction but also the broader Shire-wide and regional implications of the project. As such, I'm going to refer to the letter we received from the Sunshine Coast Bicycle Users Group because I think it makes a really good summation of where I think the key areas for support for the motion are. So for those who don't know, the Sunshine Coast Bicycle Users Group advocates a safe, accessible, active transport infrastructure. They have planned that they carefully review the Bridgian Active Street proposal and believe it delivers substantial benefits not just for cyclists and pedestrians but for the entire Bridgian Beach community and the broader

00:27:00 regional active transport network. So the Bicycle Users Committee have people from local to Noosa who have many years experience in active transport planning. The writer of this particular letter had many years in State Government at some of the highest levels in State Government so they're a very knowledgeable and educated lot. Their summation was the project represents exactly the kind of evidence based forward thinking infrastructure investment that our region desperately needs. They suggest it is the right project in the right location at the right time. It addresses a critical gap in the regional active transport network, delivers measurable road safety improvement for all users, provides public health and environmental benefits, enhances property values and neighbourhood amenity, improves equity and accessibility for all community members and is supported by robust evidence

00:28:00 and professional planning. So for me their argument is convincing and I think it supports what staff have been telling us through this process therefore I believe that our support to this to proceed to the next step is that we need to take advantage of the significant grant funds available to achieve not just renewal but the upgrade of assets that are currently unsafe, poor condition and do not serve in either the local community or the users of the beach or the cycle network at all worlds. Councillor Lorentson: Question to the Chief and maybe a question to the CEO. I had understood that we needed to determine the if there was any influence in terms of the mayors conflict that that needed to be determined

00:29:00 before we could proceed to the recommendation. Can I seek clarification please? My understanding was that that was important because the decision for the councillors was to determine whether or not the recommendation that's before us today should proceed or whether it has been compromised if there is any influence that was exerted by the mayor that led to this decision. Again, just clarity. I'm confused why we progressed with the recommendation without that determination. Speaker 7: So I think as we know that matter is still being determined. It's still in process. So we don't have a final response but I think it's up to the group, the councillors, to decide whether that is potentially a consideration or not or they're two separate matters in terms

00:30:00 of whether there was or wasn't. But in terms of getting that any response or any determination or that has not been received at this point in time. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: If I can just add, I did circulate, recirculate the legal advice that we received on the 18th of March just before the meeting. We bound by confidence in that matter but the key impact of it was that the suggestion is it should have a negligible impact on council's futures deliberation. Councillor Wilson: I think the question was more about the OIA. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The OIA is an assessment of an individual councillor. It's not an assessment of council's procedures. So the OIA, the matter has been referred to the OIA and that's respect to council. Wilkie, they will not give guidance about conduct. That's what I understand with this.

00:31:00 Councillor Phillips: I have some questions that probably that I see Diana is in the room but I am wondering whether or not I can ask them given that we're not in confidential. But I have some questions that I would like to raise just to cover how I feel about it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Sorry? Councillor Lorentson: Can I adjourn? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Well, if there is matters that want to go to, legal opinion, then we should actually move into a confidential session. So is your questions likely to go to a legal opinion? Councillor Wegener: Yes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Would you, would you like to move the motion to go into committee? Yes. Thank you. We'll just get the right wording. Councillor Lorentson: That might not be the correct wording. So are you moving it in for reasons not to discuss them? Speaker 7: No. Just to go to confidential. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes. It'll be, No, I don't think that would be the right reason.

00:32:00 Would be discussed matter that's subject to confidential legal advice. Yeah. Speaker 7: I have to get it out of the. Oh, I can hear you. Yeah. Councillor Wilson: I think I think. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome.

00:34:00 Councillor Phillips: Thank you very much. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Second to Councillor Phillips, second to Councillor Lorentson. All those in favour? That's unanimous. So all those of you who aren't staff or councillors, I ask you to move outside and we'll open the doors again when the competition...

01:14:00 Councillor Wegener: I know, to do some grounding. Councillor Phillips: I know, it's very important. It really is. It's very important to have a lot of grounding to bring you back into the room. Give us a little release there. My nervousness is going to go away. It's like a fly do it. Councillor Wegener: Easiness. I can't pull that. Councillor Phillips: Yeah. Oh, yeah. I'm getting my face off the phone now. Councillor Wilson: That's all right. Speaker 11: This is... Councillor Wilson: Are you good? Councillor Finzel: I wish today was over. Councillor Phillips: Yes, I am. I'm going to try again. I need a wine. Councillor Finzel: It's not in the water. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: All right. We're all right. So welcome back. Councillors, we have a motion in front of us and only I have talked to it. Do we have other councillors wishing to talk? Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I'd like to move some amendments, please.

01:15:00 First is delete B. Of the recommendation. And replace it with B, that any construction contract for the Peregian Beach Beach Active Street Stage 1 project. Yes, sir. That any construction contract for the Peregian Beach Beach Active Street Stage 1 project be brought back to Council for approval.

01:16:00 Speaker 3: Yes, sir. I've just got to mark the changes. Councillor Lorentson: Be brought back to Council for approval and that no contract be awarded until all outstanding design matters identified in this report have been resolved and reported to Council.

01:17:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor, I would think your additions would also require that to delete the last clause after the comment. Is that right? Yep. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Do we have a seconder for the amendment? Councillor Lorentson: I'll be to second. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Phillips to second, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: So, I've sort of raised this before in terms of when I read the report, there was just a lot of uncertainty, the investigating principle support, etc. So, lots of unresolved design issues have been identified in the report. They include the Pitter Street intersection. The land tenure south of Warwick Keep Park, Park Yield investigations, you know, how many car parks we're going to lose, CPTED safety concerns, and I just think it's prudent, well, I don't think we should be delegating the contract award authority to the CEO before these matters are resolved, and if we do that, it just basically removes Council from the decision in timing.

01:18:00 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I think we should retain oversight of the discussion rather than handed out and that's why I'm putting forward this amendment. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Can Council speak? Council said? Councillor Wilson: I think I understand the intent but I'm just not sure. All contracts are signed by the CEO. We don't have any authority to do that so I'm just not sure whether it's through the contract or whether it's just appropriate through the CWE process and then the CWE can elect to bring back to council at the time when all the matters. I just don't think we can be involved in a contract.

01:19:00 Councillor Lorentson: Can I clarify that the amendment is not about contract, it's about resolving outstanding design matters identified in the report. Those have got to be resolved and brought back to council before we go out to contract. Speaker 7: I don't disagree. I'm sorry. Councillor Wilson: I'm just saying the contract is coming for approval though.

01:20:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So the initial B was in order to extra delivery project completion by the state and federal grant funding timeframes. Well, I think the advice previously had to be that it's not required. I don't think we can guarantee any extension. Are we likely to be, if this is to proceed, having a very short timeframe to get this Director Walsh: awarded? To the CEO, so firstly council's meeting cycle would make this quite difficult. So to meet the project deadlines and the grant deadlines we'd have to call a special meeting to keep that rolling. I'm also concerned that any intent to not award a construction project is not going to be disingenuous to the market.

01:21:00 You know, so about going to market and something that then council doesn't want to award doesn't put us in a good reputation in terms of the overall construction industry at the moment. And it's incredibly competitive in terms of pricing. But, you know, I think that to me if the report noted that regular reports would be provided through the formal CWE process and, you know, advised of councils, like updating on progress, that would be a good thing. That's standard process. I'm very happy for the resolution to read that. Councillor Lorentson: Could I request that you drop me with a wording then, please? Director Walsh: So my thought process is that B should stay as is. But we could add the additional words noting regular updates through council's capital works executive process to the full council. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: And I appreciate that. But I think that's what we need to do amongst all the councils, not all of us sit on this

01:22:00 CWE. Director Walsh: Yes, I'm happy to commit to that. Because there are matters that we regularly do update the full council that come through the capital works executive because we think it's in the best interest of the full council. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. I'm happy with that amendment. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes, so we have to deal with this one first. Sure. Anyone else wish to talk to the amendment? I put the amendment. Those in favour? That's Councillor Lorentson. Those against? That's Councillor Wilson, Wegener, Finzel, Phillips and Stockwell. Is there another amendment? Councillor Lorentson: Yes. So stay with B. Maybe project completion by the required state and federal grant funding timeframes. And note that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I wrote down the words. Noting. Noting. And that will be distributed to all councillors.

01:23:00 Director Walsh: The B is intended to remain as is, but this is additional wording, I don't think so. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So what's the beginning of that? Is that the end of that? Director Walsh: Did I miss the beginning of that? Yeah, what I noted is that the B should stay as is with this as additional wording.

01:24:00 Speaker 2: Alright, I understand. Director Walsh: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: No, I think you've gone to a different one. Councillor Lorentson: Sorry. Delegate authority to the CEO to finalise and negotiate a water construction contract for the Peregian Beach Beach Active Street Stage 1 project including approval of all contract variations within the approved project budget for the purpose of expediting delivery enabling project completion by the required state and federal grant funding timeframes and noting that regular updates through the capital works executive process will be distributed to the all councillors.

01:25:00 Director Walsh: Thank you. Capital X the executive process. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: Happy to move. Thank you. Have you had the- Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Phillips. Councillor Lorentson: I'll reiterate what I've just said before, but I just think in terms of governance, that we must ensure that we discharge our governance obligations in terms of oversight and in the

01:26:00 context of this issue is of huge community concern. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: If others wish to talk to the amendment. Councillor Finzel: Just seeking clarification, the process around how we're going to do the regular updates given we do get the minutes post those meetings, is that another process that would be introduced? Director Walsh: I think we could, so the minutes are distributed from the Capital Works Executive, but I certainly think we can be more forward in being really clear about the nature of discussion and being much more fuller in the minutes to ensure that it addresses all of these scope items. So I can commit to providing much fuller minutes or much further clarity on all of these outstanding design issues. And you could, for example, if there was reports or plans that went to CWE, that would be? Yes, we can certainly distribute, so I can certainly commit to be fully sharing the full Speaker 7: So it's the purpose as well as the minutes? Director Walsh: Yes.

01:27:00 Not just the minutes, but the reports and the changes of scope or commitment of scope as outlined in this report. So the current minutes are not what I'm referring to, it's actually providing a much fuller information. Councillor Finzel: It would be another report? Director Walsh: Not a report, an update or a briefing. Councillor Finzel: Just an email? Director Walsh: Yes. To supplement the distribution of the minutes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any other councils wish to discuss? Closing, Councillor Lorentson? Councillor Lorentson: No. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: That's unanimous. So that becomes the substantive motion. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: I just have an amendment to D, and I've just sent it to you Cathy. Okay, one second. Councillor Lorentson: How did you send it to me? Councillor Phillips: Just via email. I sent you two, but the one at 11.24.

01:28:00 Speaker 3: Is this an extra item? Councillor Phillips: No, just taking out D and changing D. Similar wording, but I've just rewritten it and included something. I'll read it out. Support the development of an active street and coastal pathway awareness and education campaign across the Shire.

01:29:00 Any implementation of the campaign must be subject to formal endorsement by the Department of Transport and Roads TMR and Queensland Police Service, including confirmation that the proposed messaging signage and enforcement approach align with relevant legislation and road safety requirements. That's all. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Once again, Cathy, you've deleted the roll. Councillor Lorentson: Oh, the one I've crossed out. Oh, I keep doing that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, do we have a seconder? Seconder, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Phillips. Councillor Phillips: I think this is pretty straightforward for me. Whenever we're looking at education or campaigns that are road related, I think it's really important that it aligns with the governing bodies that are there to fulfil the legislative enforcement and action that would be required once changes to roads. It's not a council thing to go and do compliance around the streets.

01:30:00 Ultimately, I just think that anything should always align with what is required. However, the messaging is coming from the other two bodies that oversee it. It shouldn't change the intent too much of D. It's just adding that I think it should align with what they would endorse in safety and strategies with road safety. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Anyone else wish to talk to the amendment? You want to argue with yourself to close? Not particularly. Okay, I put the motion, or the amendment, and that's carried unanimously. It becomes part of the motion. Have we got any other councillors wishing to talk to the motion as it stands? Yes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wilson.

01:31:00 Councillor Wilson: In the report and some of the discussion today, we've heard about potential reputational risk with funders if the project doesn't go ahead. But I'm more concerned with reputational risk in our community if we proceed with a project that many affected residents are against. The reputational risk with funders can also be looked at another way. When council makes a submission for a project before community consultation without knowing if the project will be supported by the community and therefore whether the money is actually needed. If the project is not supported by the community, the state government could have allocated funds elsewhere. I do not feel compelled to continue the project just to save face with funders, even though I do understand that risk. But I do want to support residents and their many voices. While I'm comfortable with the intent of a project to improve liveability and safety, applying for active transport funding meant the outcome was predetermined before community consultation. In the report it says, the Peregian Beach Active Street Project was scored in the 201 to 300 priority boundaries.

01:32:00 The project was considered moderate within the walking and cycling strategy. It was initially not scheduled in the ten-year implementation plan. However, opportunistic grant funding to align with regional liveability and active transport provided impetus for grant submission. The concept of opportunistic funding concerns me. Grant money from state and federal governments is not free money. It's taxpayer's money. And we don't have unlimited access to it. Hence this project covering only 800 metres without any commitment to further stages to access the village. Grants also don't cover maintenance over the life of the asset. Roadpayers do. So I'm concerned about this project being so highly prioritised just to be able to access funding, without first getting community support. Some of the works like the stormwater and roadway repairs and the curb and channelling can be taken under Council's Capital Works Program without the need for the cycle path or loss of parking. A petition was formally tabled with Council raising concerns about parking loss

01:33:00 traffic congestion, safety, and requested that the project be halted entirely. Requests for additional consultation and route options reviewed. There's been extensive community consultation and I thank everyone involved with that. Pop-ups, workshops, surveys, submissions, petitions, one-on-one meetings. But the feedback from the affected residents has been overwhelmingly negative. There is support for some aspects. Street repairs, traffic calming, but generally not the active street treatment. Those groups in favour don't live in the affected streets. While I understand the concerns over losing grant money, I just don't think that outweighs the concerns and risks that residents have raised. And there needs to be much more transparency over the design and route before I can support this. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Other councillors?

01:34:00 Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to speak to this. I will not be supporting the report and I'm going to explain it on the basis of what residents have actually told us. This is not a debate about whether Peregian Beach should have better footpaths, improved streetscapes, or safer pedestrian infrastructure. Residents support that. They pay rates for exactly that. Good streetscape investment should happen regardless of this project and regardless of today's outcome. That's not what is in dispute. What is in dispute is whether this specific design, an active street project, on these residential streets in South Corringine has been properly assessed, properly consulted on, and properly justified. One resident that I've spoken to, has attended every consultation session,

01:35:00 every pop-up, every coffee chat, every walk shop. She's written to me in detail. She has never previously opposed a council proposal. She's showed up every step of the way on this particular project because this project directly affects her family's daily life, their safety, their property access, and, in her words, their livability. We've also received correspondence summarising the views of over 94 people surveyed locally, 62 residents in South Corringine, more than 30 from Peregian Springs. Of those, only two supported the project. Councillors, this is not a divided community. This is an overwhelming signal that something has gone wrong in how this project has been developed and presented. When I read the report before us, it gave, in my opinion,

01:36:00 it gave prominent weight to submissions from cycling advocacy organisations. Those organisations have a legitimate voice, but they do not live in the streets. They won't be affected by the daily reality of reduced parking, constrained road widths, or a path design that raises genuine safety concerns with children walking to school. Their support... The report also proposes to address safety concerns raised repeatedly by residents through additional signage and speed humps. When I read that, I've got to be honest, I wasn't inspired by confidence. Signage doesn't resolve conflicts created by the physical layout of a constrained shared space. It doesn't address the CPT, TED concerns about sight lines throughout Lorikeet Park that were raised by residents' children, and it appears not properly escalated

01:37:00 within the project team. We've been advised in the report that more than half of the grant funding can be reallocated to other projects if this design does not proceed. That's significant. It means we're not facing a binary choice between this proposal and nothing. There is a genuine alternative. Redirect the funds, do the streetscape work residents actually want, and go back to the drawing board on the root question with a process the community can trust. The risk of proceeding as proposed is not just a design risk. It's a public trust risk. This community has watched a consultation process that started with less than 24 hours' notice for the first information session. They've attended meetings during work hours and raised concerns that were not recorded or escalated. They've asked for survey data and not received it. Proceeding now on this report

01:38:00 sends a message that none of that matters. And finally, I'm going to just add when we see this level of conflict from a project, it should have told us something. We've had petitions. We've had formal objections. We've had residents attending every single consultation session. A community that kept showing up at every session, kept raising the same concerns, and kept being told the project was continuing anyway. When a project, again, generates this much opposition, this early, from people, its directors, directly intended to serve, something councillors have gone wrong. Not with the residents, with the process. There was no genuine community buy-in. Not because this community is difficult or opposed to progress.

01:39:00 They've told us clearly what they want and what they're willing to support. But they were never brought along. Decisions were made, funding secured, designs developed, and then the community was consulted. That's not how a trust is built. The people most affected by this project, the residents of South Peregian, who will live with it every day, whose street amenity, parking, safety, and access will be changed, most of them have said that they're being the least heard throughout this entire process. That's not good enough, and it's not what this council should be endorsing today. Our job is not to deliver, our job is not to deliver projects. Our job is to deliver outcomes. Our community actually wants and needs. Those are not always the same thing. We work for our residents. They do not work for us. I ask that everyone really think about supporting this recommendation

01:40:00 in front of us. I'm sorry, really think about not supporting this recommendation in front of us. We will not be supporting it. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak to the motion? Councillor Phillips: I'm going to just really briefly, because I didn't write anything down. So I've just been listening to the conversation, and also the confidential session as well that we had on it. I love a good plan. I think it's really important to have plans to help us stay on track. I think community have made it pretty clear that they would prefer some outcomes rather than more plans, I guess, is what I hear a lot of. But ultimately, when I sit back and listen,

01:41:00 it always comes down to like a process that gets us in this position. And we hear constantly that assets are failing, and we need asset renewal, and we, you know, need to maintain what we currently have. And then I think what happens is it gets traction, and we think, okay, there's a grant for that. We've just got to change the scope to apply for the grant. And I wonder if we just should maybe think if we were just spending our money, because I'm with Councillor Wilson, taxpayers pay our grants anyway. So it's not like, it's coming out of our pocket anyway. So I don't, I try to think, okay, even if it's a grant which has helped, that's one thing, but it shouldn't be the only thing. It should be whether this was identified as a critical piece of work. There's ageing assets. But maybe we should listen to what I constantly hear, which is just go back to the basics and fix what,

01:42:00 we don't need shiny, we don't need, the community just wants some basics done. And maybe that would help take away some of the time delays in building a plan that fits a grant, and we could have just got on with it and fixed the basics. So I think loud and clear, I hear it every day. This community, they would just like the simple things done well and done right and done in time, rather than waiting for money to be from state. It just, to me, isn't where we should be looking. Great if we've got it. And it comes part of the process later on. But the very first buy-in should be the community that are most impacted by any project that we deliver. And I don't think that they were, they felt buy-in. And I think it's got a broader, it becomes a broader issue

01:43:00 when it comes to reputational damage on us as a council because we're not taking our community on our journey with us. They're being left behind and saying, can you just come back to where we're at? So unfortunately today, I won't be supporting the active street in front of us. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Any councillors? Nope? Councillor Finzel: Yeah, I'll speak quickly. Look, this has been a very complex situation. But throughout this term, I mean, I think this has been not something that we're unfamiliar with. I think we sit at a point in time where governance for social impact is very much on the local and political agenda. I think what's happened now that I think process and systems are not currently aligned.

01:44:00 With where our community wants to go. Our social responsibility, and we are here to measure that today, how that impact affects all of us, including how we reach our community health and wellbeing, how we support environmental sustainability and how we actively address social issues in support of our local communities and legitimise their voice in the space. I think we're at a discord right now where there's a misalignment between our aspirations of a community where we would like to be and where we arrive. So that is the challenge that I think as leaders in our community who've been voted here to find that balance to give equity to all. I think this is a challenging decision before us for all the matters that were raised around the table. I think we have to constantly be asking the question,

01:45:00 the social impact. We have to examine the social impact ecosystem to lead effective board governance. And I just think that's the challenge. I know we've got decisions around how we spend the money, how we deliver the new infrastructure, how we listen to the people, how we best provide leadership for our broader community. And the other complexities that, for legal matters, we're not bringing to the table today, but have to be worthy of our consideration as leaders in this community. So I'd like to, in closing, thank everybody who has contributed to this process. Firstly, it's the community that turned up, to the staff for the work that they've provided, to the funding opportunities that have been presented.

01:46:00 Yeah, I think we have to look at risks versus opportunities. And what sits before us today is a very challenging decision. But thank you, everyone, for their input. Councillor Lorentson: Can I ask a question, please? Just a question. Just in terms of, if the recommendation doesn't proceed today, in terms of the South East Queensland Livability Fund and Active Transport Fund, will Council be determining whether there are still opportunities to... ..opportunities for Council to still use that funding? I think it's partial funding, about $800,000. Will Council determine whether that available grant funding

01:47:00 can be reallocated to deliver infrastructure improvements that a community actually want if this recommendation falls through today? Director Walsh: I'll have to take that on notice, Councillor. Like, one of the thoughts, would the Active Transport Fund fund the footpath? Like, that's a reasonable ask. So could the South East Queensland Livability Fund be transferred across to the other program that we've got running? So, there are reasonable questions, but I'll have to take that on notice and not provide further advice to Council. Councillor Lorentson: Can I maybe rephrase that question, then? So, in terms of actual risk, so there's $880,000 from the South East Queensland Livability Fund and there's $785,000 from the Active Transport Fund. Which funding is at risk and which can be reallocated to other projects, infrastructure projects, Director Walsh: I can't speak on behalf of the funding providers. They may elect to not redistribute any of that funding and redistribute it to other grant funders across the state.

01:48:00 So, you know, we can ask the question, but I can't give any assurance that they'd be happy to redirect that funding to projects within this council. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wickman, Speaker 1: do you wish to talk to the motion? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll close. So, Councillors, our job is to develop strategies and implement them. This project is the ultimate outcome of a strategy in the 2017 transport strategy where we said we want to move people, not necessarily cars. We then went to the cycling and walking strategy and that had clear priorities. And it had been mentioned that this particular section was rated at between 201 and 300. Councillor Wilson wouldn't have been aware that there was a large discussion around that prioritisation about, well, actually, if we put a range of different small links together, does that increase the priority? Because there's a number of cases in that strategy where that would be the case.

01:49:00 And the report clearly identifies that if we look at this as the first stage of three projects leading into the village, that the project would actually rank number 28. And we heard from staff that the reason it was chosen is because the funding available is for regional projects, for ones that benefit and link. And there's very few opportunities in our cycling and walking strategy where we can demonstrate that if it's not on a state corridor, bikeway, walkway. But I do think there's room to review because we have been urged to think about the basics. And the basics are that we have a failing pavement that will need to be replaced. The basics are we don't have any footpaths, so we've got children, elderly people walking along there at risk. And we have got the basics that in peak surf, we have two sides of the street parking informally, creating dangerous conditions for anyone trying to walk or ride a bike. So the basics are we have to do something.

01:50:00 It's not an option. So what would we do if we didn't do an active street? We'd put in a footpath. We'd put in a new pavement. We'd probably add some more street trees. We would slow the traffic down to ensure it was safe. In fact, we would do this project and the only thing that would be different other than calling it an active street is a little bit of coloured pavement. So when we say that we work for our residents, we need to think about what this means to the residents of the whole Shire. And if we don't proceed now, what it means to the residents is that the whole Shire will fund those other works. Now we've talked about it'll reduce, there'll be points suggesting it'll be reduced parking. So councillors, the numbers of parks now are counted. It creates an unsafe situation. And we've seen elsewhere on the eastern beaches that where that unsafe situation exists,

01:51:00 our transport team tells us we need to put a yellow line down one side. So it's highly likely that once now we know what the situation is, that we'll be reducing parking as well. We talk about septet issues in the park and that's one of the issues that we've agreed with, okay? So we did try and avoid a bit of a reserve and put a slight kink in the loop down the bottom there, the roundabout on the edge of the Shire and we said, okay, well, perhaps we should just continue with the existing alignment. So there is no increased septet issues related to this project. And in fact, with the lighting, et cetera, it's likely to improve. So councillors, one of the things we have to look at, I don't discount that there's perception of many local residents that this development is not in their interests. But for those who have studied this and looked at it from a global, national area,

01:52:00 there are many benefits to the local residents that those perceptions, I think, if we perceive, will be challenged. And so then we have to look at our own role as a councillor. And I reflect back when I did a short course with one of America's leading change management consultants. And what he said, if you want to be a change agent in this world, you have to expect conflict. It's not trying to avoid the conflict, it's trying to manage it to come up with an outcome that's of benefit to your community. And while I don't discount that there has been a level of difference in the views being expressed both locally, both at the Shire level and at the regional level, I do suggest that if we are going to do our jobs well, we will implement our strategy. We will follow the most logical one. We will follow the one that's of best financial benefit to our ratepayers, and that's adopting this motion. I put the vote. Those in favour? That's Councillor Wegener and Stockwell.

01:53:00 Those opposed? It's Councillor Wilson, Lorentson, Finzel and Phillips. The motion is not supported. I don't believe we need to adopt a contrary motion on that one. We'll move on to the next motion. Oh, actually, what is the time? Councillor Lorentson: Excuse me. Pardon me, Chair. Can I ask, does our standing orders permit an alternate motion in this instance given? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: You'd like to try another motion? I do want to try another motion. You have the floor. Councillor Lorentson: That this Council, A, note the report under Project Officer to the General Committee, dated 9th of June, 2026, regarding the Peregian Beach Active Streets Stage 1 project, and determine that the project not proceed in its current form.

01:54:00 B. One moment. Speaker 3: Can I just say that you said the report? Councillor Lorentson: Sorry. Note the report by the Project Officer to the General Committee. Speaker 3: It wasn't to this meeting. It was to the 16th of March. Councillor Lorentson: Oh, excuse me. To the 16th of March, regarding the Peregian Beach Active Streets Stage 1 project, and determine that the project not proceed in its current form. B. Direct the CEO to immediately suspend all project work pending further resolution by Council.

01:55:00 All project work pending further resolution by council, C, pending further resolution by council, C, direct the CEO to engage with the South East Queensland Livability Fund, and Active Transport Fund, to determine whether or not they will be able to meet the needs of the To deliver practical infrastructure improvements in Corrigin Beach South, including pedestrian

01:56:00 footpath connections, stormwater infrastructure, formalised parking and street planting, including but not limited. Can I maybe add including but not limited? Consistent with the priorities. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Where did you want including and not limited? Councillor Lorentson: So after Corrigin Beach South, including pedestrian footpath, if we could just put including and not limited.

01:57:00 Consistent with the priorities expressed by the directly affected community throughout the engagement process. Consistent with the priorities expressed by the directly affected community throughout the engagement process. And D. Direct the CEO to report back to Council within 30 days with options for grant funding reallocation, a short list of deliverable infrastructure projects, and a proposed community engagement

01:58:00 process for progressing those options. And I'm happy before it's seconded, if there are any suggestions with changes of wording to the alternate motion, let everyone just read that. Director Walsh: Through the Chair, just.

01:59:00 Sorry. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Sorry. We'll just get. Were you suggesting of process problems with the. Yes. OK. Director Walsh: Yeah, because. Recommendation B asks us to immediately suspend any current project work, pending further resolution by Council, but then resolution C is asking us to do project work. Councillor Lorentson: So can I just then maybe delete B. Project, and then go straight to B and C. And again, open to any suggestions with changes before it's seconded and argued. Thank you. Councillor Wilson: I think I would reword directly affected residents, because that's quite subjective, who, like, how would we know who exactly we would include?

02:00:00 Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy with what's been expressed by the affected, by the community. Can we just take out directly affected? Thank you. Councillor Phillips: And can I ask a question about it? Maybe to Council board. Speaker 4: So taking out directly affected. Councillor Lorentson: So delete directly affected residents. Councillor Phillips: I'm wondering with improvements in Peregian Beach South, if we don't put a location, given that, if there's prioritizations, can staff recommend a different one? If the funding body permits? Is that something you would be? Councillor Lorentson: Improvements in Peregian Beach South? Yeah. But maybe can we preface that with, but not limited to any specific geographic location?

02:01:00 Can we, can I request, Shaun, if you can help with wording? Director Walsh: I think that the challenge we've got with the livability fund is that they make preference that we actually redirect the funding to other projects in the Shire. So it's not limited to Transport or Peregian Beach. So I hear you. But I'm wondering if you can help with that. So I'm just worried about that. You know, we've got to be engaged with the grant funders about their goals and what they will achieve with the funds. So. Councillor Lorentson: So maybe. Director Walsh: Or I think if you put in the, or alternatives. Yeah. That would give us scope. If the funding provider came back with another alternative. Yeah. For another project we might have underway. That might, I think we should be considering that. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you very much. How much can we add for alternatives after Peregian Beach stamp? And I thank everyone around the table for their really good contributions. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So rather than, but not limited to any specific geographic location or alternatives.

02:02:00 Just put in for alternatives. For alternatives. Councillor Lorentson: My question to CEO or Director. Infrastructure is, will there be time for a community engagement process and a report back to Council within 30 days? Or should it be a special meeting? Director Walsh: To the Chair and the CEO. So firstly, we'll be beholden upon the timeframe as well as the grant funding providers. The livability fund in particular. 30 days. 30 days is an unrealistic timeframe. So we can sometimes get verbal indications, but not written confirmation. So I think it's, and also then undertaking an engagement process within that timeframe

02:03:00 once we hear from the funding providers is unrealistic. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: So can I perhaps suggest the CEO to report back to Council as soon as possible, full stop. Speaker 3: So take out all the rest of the. Councillor Lorentson: Take and delete the rest. Since. Okay. Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you.

02:04:00 Councillor Wilson: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. Thank you, Councillor Phillips. You have the floor, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: So, when a project receives this level of opposition from the community,

02:05:00 it is incumbent on this council to pause and reflect on whether the right outcome is being pursued in the right way. This council is committed to delivering infrastructure that improves the environment, that improves the lives of residents across the Shire. That commitment is not in question. What the motion in front of us recognises is that for this project, in this community, the process has not achieved the community confidence necessary to proceed. And that's not a favour of intent. It's an opportunity for us right now to reset and maybe rethink how we deliver our commitment. I think throughout the whole process, we've learnt not just what residents don't want, but what they do want.

02:06:00 They keep telling us, better footpaths, connectivity to, for example, Bridge and Beach Village Centre, safer roads, stormwater improvements, street tree planting, and I'm going to use the example of the Osprey Street Footpath. That's a really great example of what practical infrastructure delivery looks like. And that's the standard that some of the residents are asking for. So this motion in front of us, it's not walking away from the funding. It doesn't oppose infrastructure investment in Bridge and Beach, and in that case anywhere else in Noosa Shire. It doesn't oppose walking and cycling improvements in principle. What it says is that the Active Street Project, through this process, was built on a foundation that unfortunately didn't bring the community along, and shouldn't proceed.

02:07:00 This, however, should proceed. We've been told that a funding extension has been granted, and what this motion does is, it stops the Active Street Project. In my opinion, protects the available funding, and directs the CEO to identify whether there are practical infrastructure improvements that this community is clearly and consistently asking for. I just think this is a really good way forward to respond to what the community have asked for. And to take advantage of some state funding that means that our residents don't have to pay for improvements. So I'm hoping that this is the way forward, rather than just killing the recommendation that has been put in front of us.

02:08:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Question through the Chair. I'm just not sure if this motion is redundant. Would this happen anyway? That we go back to those funding bodies and see where we can reallocate funds? Director Walsh: It is a standard process for us to work with our funding entities to re-scope projects, and I think the Council's been on that a couple of weeks. The Executive have seen how we work really proactively with our funding providers to maximise both their outcomes as well as our outcomes on part of the community. It's a standard practice. Speaker 7: Can I ask a question of clarity? Yes. My reading of this is that, yes, we would exactly do what Shaun has just said. There's no question that if we've got funding, we would go back and ask where we can allocate that funding elsewhere, if possible.

02:09:00 The way I read this is there is not a need for or not a request for consultation with the community because we've already got that. This is a request for us to go back to the funding bodies and see whether they would look at alternatives. We can look at alternative projects within that South Peregian area and then come back to Council. If the funding bodies say yes, then we can work through the scope of what that is after that with the community. But right now, all this is asking is us to go back to the funding body and ask whether they would be willing to look at an alternative project in whatever that project may be, but a lesser project or a different project, probably. More to the point. In that area. Is that what you're requesting? Councillor Lorentson: That's correct, but not limited to South Peregian. Just alternatives and other locations. And I think what the intent of the notice of motion is also to indicate to the community that although the previous recommendation was not supported, we are going to proceed

02:10:00 with another option. It's more a message to the community that we are still trying to deliver genuine funding for practical infrastructure, that the feedback has been loud and clear on, and letting the community know that we're not killing the project in its entirety. Speaker 7: Through the Chair, I can say throughout my career I'm not one that's ever given back a grant, willingly. So I would be doing everything possible to see whether we can reallocate that grant to some other project within Noosa Council. But that may not be the case because of that. You know, often grant funding bodies have other commitments, so there's other bodies that have gone over budget and once they get a bit of money back, they'll redirect it to somewhere else. That's happened in the past, but certainly in terms of asking the question and giving them every alternative we possibly can, I'm more than comfortable with that.

02:11:00 That's just a matter of course for us. I don't believe that it actually needs to be written. That would just be a matter of course. But if you want to put it in as a motion, then so be it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. You've had your question answered completely. Anyone else wish to talk to the motion? Councillor Lorentson, did you wish to close? Councillor Lorentson: Just, and I respect all the conversation around the table, I understand that this may be VAU, but I just think, given that, you know, there's a lot of work to be done, there's a lot of consultation and the issues that we've raised around the table, which is listening to our community, I think there is no better way to tell the community we're listening to them than to authorise VAU in a notice of motion, to let them know that we are going

02:12:00 to, where possible, request reallocation of state funding to deliver infrastructure improvements that they have asked for. I think this is just a matter of course. It's just a really important community message and I hope everyone can support it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll put the motion. Those in favour? Councillor Wilson, Lorentson, Finzel and Phillips. Those opposed? Councillor Wegener and Councillor Stockwell. The motion is carried. Councillors, it's now 12.15. We've been going for two and a quarter of hours. The next items are all a series of grant projects. I am going to adjourn the meeting for lunch and we'll be back here at 12.45.

7.2 2026-2027 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM - COMMUNITY PROJECT AND SIGNATURE COMMUNITY EVENT GRANTS - SUMMARY ¶

▶ 02:13:20· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

02:42:00 Okay, back on. Welcome back. We're back to start item 7.2 which is a 2026-2027 Community Grants Project, Community Project and 1signature community event grant summary and we have with us Director Kerri and also Community Connections Manager, Alison. I presume Alison, you are going to give us the summary. Oh, that's certainly good. Speaker 4: Thank you very much councillors. So first report today. The purpose of today's report is to provide a summary of the 26-27 community grants and three year signature community event grants and to seek council's endorsement of the proposed funding allocation across the four categories. And those categories being projects, equipment, facility development and events. The grant program, as you are aware, is a really key driver to drive our strategic goals for council and supporting our community organisations and our most valuable volunteers in the community as well.

02:43:00 The demand continues to exceed, so the demand that we get for our grants continues to exceed what we have in our budget and we've had over $626,000 worth of requests coming through from 42 community organisations for our community project grants. This really highlights what we've done. This really highlights the reason why we need to do a very robust and transparent assessment process as well with our grants. For this particular round, we're recommending 22 projects for funding to the value of $258,466.82 with a total project value of $862,000. So what I'd like to let you know is every dollar that we provide to our community project grants and subject to endorsement, we're actually getting $3.33 in return. So that's a great investment. So again, for our three out-of-round signature grants, recommended funding for $27,000, we're leveraging a total project value of over $95,000.

02:44:00 So if we put that into a dollar investment into it, it is every dollar we put in, we're getting $3.55 in return. So again, a great investment. So the outcome being sought in this particular report is council's agreement to endorse the recommended distribution of grant funding and the allocation of remaining funds to respond to emerging community projects. Through the quick response grants throughout the year, subject to sufficient funds being allocated in council's adopted budget in 26-27 community grants program. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Speaker 4: Thank you very much. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I will note, I don't think there is an active conflict with this report, that I do have a prescribed conflict on facilities. But as this recommendation doesn't necessarily approve the actual grant, I don't believe I need to formally disclose until we get to that specific item. Yes. Speaker 7: Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Anyone wish to ask questions?

02:45:00 Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Just one question. In terms of the full list of grant recipients, amounts published, and how does the community actually see the outcomes of all this? This one, granting. Granting. Granting. And funding in terms of outcomes. So do we publish them publicly? Should we have that full list with the acquittal process intact? Speaker 4: I'll answer the first part of the question. So post ordinary meeting, all our successful grant applications are published on our website under each category. Each application then has to go through an acquittal process once they have completed the project. And we have talked about amongst the team as well, is looking at outcomes across each category. So we're looking at how we can actually deliver those outcomes back to the community in that longitudinal process.

02:46:00 We only have a four-day-a-week grants officer in place as well. We do try and promote those benefits to the community through our community grants newsletter, social media, etc. But it's definitely something that we could look at as a holistic approach. Councillor Lorentson: So in terms of those that apply year after year, that can be captured also in terms of delivery outcomes and progression? Speaker 4: Yes, that's something certainly we would like to look at, yes. But yeah, every grant application does need to do an acquittal process, and so we do capture those. But we haven't actually publicly put that out yet. Speaker 5: Just to add to that, these are project grants, so they are single-year projects. They're not funded multi-year, so this is just a single-year project. So while it might be that an organisation might apply multiple years, they're four very discrete projects. Okay. Councillor Phillips: Councillor Phillips. Thanks. How do you capture the data that comes through from the information of grants?

02:47:00 I would imagine could potentially paint like a broader picture that maybe things that Council would need to know for like state grants or external advocacy pieces through LGAQ. I'd love to know, is there a way? Is there a way to just understand not just the project but out of 42 community facilities, is there trending? I'm sure like volunteers have come up, but it'd be just great to see how it would feed into another strategy that we would have. Speaker 5: So the grant program is to support Council's range of strategies, and ordinarily this would be supporting a community strategy. But our community strategy is not currently up to date, so it's supporting more of our strategies like our corporate plan, our sport and recreation strategy.

02:48:00 So it's aligned to those and the priorities that come out of those. We certainly capture where we see prevailing themes, and for a lot of these organisations we're engaging with them, Alison's team, Brad's team, Paul's team, are engaging with them regularly around their priorities so that we can advocate up through, for example, state government, but also to be able to understand, is this something that Council should be funding, or are there other funding avenues? And that's part of the role is to look, for example, at maybe sport and recreation grants or gambling alliance grants. Because often community organisations naturally wear their local level of government, and so they think of Council first, and our role is to help see where else we can obtain funding for the community. Councillor Lorentson: There were 45 applications received, 25 were recommended for funding.

02:49:00 Are the unsuccessful applicants, are they considered for the quick response funding? Speaker 4: Quick response grants are for those grants that are either emerging or time sensitive, and they're only up to $2,500. So if an application is unsuccessful post ordinary meeting, we provide written detailed feedback to those applicants and also speak to them over the phone as well so they can progress an application, whether that would be through Council or that be through an external source. Hence why we hold our grants networks nibbles nights, for example, too, so they know about all the other external grant opportunities available, and then we have a whole heap of grant search tools too that we've provided to them. And it may be letters of support as well for external grants. Speaker 5: Some of them, Councillor Lorentson, might be eligible for a quick response if it was a very small amount and it fit the criteria.

02:50:00 They may well be. There are a range of reasons why people aren't successful. Often we see it's because they're not meeting the technical criteria of the grants, and so the team will work with the organisation to help improve that grant application for a next round. Speaker 4: We actually did our data analysis as well. We found that the ones that have been unsuccessful actually didn't consult very well with our community team, and that's something that we're really encouraged to. So if you are unsuccessful, you do work with a member of our community development team or sport and active team or arts and cultural team to develop a decent grant and application. So whether that's for Council or for another external body. Give it the best chance of success. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Would someone like to move the recommendation? Councillor Wegener, I think, just picked it, opposed Councillor Lorentson. And then Councillor Lorentson seconded that one.

02:51:00 Councillor Wegener: I just think this is one of the best, if not the best, aspects of NUSA Council that we have supporting the community organisations with equipment and things and projects. I think the $3.55 return from $1 is very, very low. I think that the impact for the community is very far-reaching. And a sense of community and trusting our local government and working with each other to make the whole better. It's just so important. All these projects are so well done. I personally would love to see more budget allocated next year towards these grants. Anyone else? Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Just to add to what Tom just said. When I read the reports in terms of the grant funding that we get, I look at it from a different lens.

02:52:00 This is not about managing people or administrating or micromanaging organisations. It's simply about backing people in this community and supporting them. And I think that's something we should celebrate. That we've got a council that helps empower people to do really great things in this community and fill the gaps that, you know, that this council can't. But empowering community builds better communities. So, yeah, thank you. I always go, there's something more than just the numbers that we're delivering. Speaker 4: Absolutely. Supporting our valuable local government and our local volunteers is what I always say. Councillor Wegener: Councillor. Are you happy to close? I'll close and just say, you know, thank you. Thank you very much, Kerri. Thank you very much, Alison. Thank you to the team. You should have passed that on to us. Speaker 4: Some of the team behind us. Councillor Wegener: Really great.

02:53:00 Speaker 4: Thanks. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Put the motion all in favour. That's unanimous. We then move on to the specific types of community grants and the first one is 2026-27 Community Project Grant Program Projects. And a quick snapshot of that report, please. Speaker 4: Yeah. So the outcome being sought in council's agreement is to approve the recommended project grant allocation to the five community organisations and attachment one to this report to the value of $61,916.10 subject to funding being confirmed to the adopted 2026-27 Council Budget for community grants. Happy to move. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Move, Councillor Finzel. Second, Councillor Phillips. Speaker 4: Sorry, who was the mover? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Finzel. Yeah. Councillor Finzel, you have the floor. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Thank you to the team and the staff that have like engaged and had to go through the rigorous process and a big thank you to all the community groups and the people that took the time also to send their application in. So I think this is a fantastic opportunity

7.3 2026-2027 COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS PROGRAM – PROJECTS ¶

▶ 02:53:12· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

02:54:00 to further embed those opportunities into our community to be able to contribute to building thriving communities that are connected to each other in place. So I think it's really important in terms of our health and wellbeing and living in a thriving community that these grants are available for the community to put forward their own ideas and their own ideas and their own thoughts around what would benefit their group and their community. So thank you. Councillor Phillips: I'm going to speak to this one. After 10 years as a police negotiator, most of my work was in suicide intervention. And so I wanted to highlight more for the community these projects because there's a few that really stood out to me. Mateship project, Men's Health in Noosa, I think it's called Grab Life by the Balls. And I just want to say that I think it's really great

02:55:00 to see us supporting men's mental health. For many years I've seen funding and opportunities for women's health and sometimes I've seen some gaps in our men's mental health. And so seeing that on here actually made me feel really good. So I'm very happy to support that. But also the whole list of these projects, and I'm just going to read them out just for community outreach project, the Safer Spaces Pilot Program with Red Frogs, Young People Project, another thing that I think is just incredibly important. And I just think you look at that list and you think, no wonder we know how much those volunteers do, but these programs will probably change lives. So I'm really grateful to support it. Thanks for bringing it to us, Alison. Speaker 4: A little bit of a plug. We've actually got Grab Life by the Balls coming to Noosa Seniors to support our men as well.

02:56:00 Councillor Lorentson: Oh, that's great. Speaker 4: Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Thanks. Fantastic. Could you let us know when that's happening? I'd love to come along. Thanks, Alison. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'd just like to say that they get the award for the best project name that I've had to come up with. And it's just to reflect that the diversity in that little group there is quite reassuring and it shows the strengths of the community relationships and the support services available across both the coast end and the interland, which is great. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: I want to just pull out the Making Lives map of a community and I think this is just one of those communities that work under the radar and who are doing such incredible work in our community and they don't spell it out and they don't make a lot of noise about it. So I'm really encouraged

02:57:00 and happy that they've actually applied for some funding. And I actually love the detail of the project description. So it's not just they're getting allocated just under 20,000 but what that funding will actually deliver in terms of hours. 439 hours of direct outreach support to those that are vulnerable in our community and linking them to local services, etc. And they've been doing that for years and years and years and years. And need support. So that's just really encouraging. And this is the stuff that makes it so that makes us or me sleep really well at night knowing that we're delivering not just a return on our dollars but a social return back to our community. Speaker 5: This project received a near perfect score and it is in recognition

02:58:00 of the work that Making Lives Matter have done. They're brilliant. Their gradual expansion and in filling a need that, you know, there's not many other things that people in this space are able to do that and they have. Councillor Lorentson: I remember years ago Kerri going there and I don't think this was part of their vision. No. It just happened and they just couldn't turn people back. People were lost. Speaker 5: They've recognised what the needs are and they have then tailored response to that. Importantly from our perspective they connect in with the other community organisations. They're not working in isolation. It's fair to say, you know, we direct a lot of people there who need support and who would fall through the cracks through other traditional services. So it's really pleasing to be able to recommend this one. They're all very worthy projects but they're doing

02:59:00 some very important work. Agreed. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Anyone else? Councillor Finzel, would you like to pose? Councillor Finzel: I think it's all been said but I think just in summary it really reflects the diversity from, you know, art through to young people through to, you know, vulnerable people in our community. So I thank you to everyone that applied and also to the staff that worked through the process to bring us here today. So thank you. Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Let's put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Speaker 4: Can I just interrupt? Councillor Ashton, one of my amazing staff has just texted me and she said grab life by the balls we'll be at Noosa Seniors tomorrow from 10.30 to 12.00. 10.30 to 12.00. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you very much. I'm going to try to make it up. I appreciate that. Thank you. Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: We're now up to item no item four which is the Community Project Grants Programme Facility Development and Councillor Wilson do you wish to declare a conflict of interest? I do. Councillor Wilson: In accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009

7.4 2026-2027 COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS PROGRAM - FACILITY DEVELOPMENT ¶

▶ 02:59:44· Carried 4-0 from council's minutes

03:00:00 I inform the meeting that I have a prescribed conflict of interest in relation to item 7.4 2026 to 2027 Community Grants Programme Community Project Grants Facility Development as Noosa Arts Theatre have been recommended as a recipient of a facility development grant. I am the Senior Vice President of Noosa Arts Theatre as a result of my conflict of interest I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered and voted on. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. And I will follow up under the same section of the Local Government Act I inform the meeting that I have prescribed conflict of interest As a result of my conflicts, I will now leave the meeting room while the matter is considered and voted on.

03:01:00 Councillor Phillips: Okay, so discussions or questions? Speaker 4: Yeah, so this relates to our facility development category. So the outcome being sought is Council's agreement to approve the recommended facility development grant applications to the nine community organisations in Attachment 1 to the value of $147,296.32, subject to funding confirmed in the adopted 26-27 community, grants program budget. I just want to, worth noting for this particular facility development, that all applicants must put in a minimum of 50% towards the grant.

03:02:00 So that could either be in-kind, their own cash at bank, or external grant opportunities. So it's worthy of noting that for the nine applications that we're proceeding. Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Any questions? Councillor Lorentson: Not a question. Through the Chair, just yay, the Noosa Women's Shed. Connection to sewerage network and completion of kitchen, bathroom, toilet facilities. I know the ladies there will be jumping for joy. Councillor Phillips: Are you moving the motion as well then, Councillor Lorentson? Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to move the motion, thank you. Councillor Phillips: I'm happy to second. And is there any discussion? Councillor Lorentson: No, just again, you know, to the staff involved, you know, this is a rigorous process. It's not just a tick and click. I know that you guys go through robust criteria. Our assessment and, and I think we see that in the standard of applicants that are successful.

03:03:00 And also probably what I see most is the equity and fairness and the diversity of applications. So I just want to just take the opportunity to thank the staff and acknowledge the hard work that comes to this point. Thank you very much. Thank you. Councillor Phillips: All those in favour? That's carried. Noting the two out of the room. And I think we can back in. Thanks. I will fix that. Good job. Councillor Lorentson: Good practice. . August or? August. Councillor Phillips: Yeah, I think so. Welcome back. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Thank you. Well done to the Chairperson. Thank you. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, we then move on to item 7.5, which is the 2026-27 Community Grants Project Grant Program

7.5 2026-2027 COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS PROGRAM - EQUIPMENT ¶

▶ 03:03:56· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

03:04:00 for Equipment. Over to you, Alison. Speaker 4: It is the equipment category. So the outcome being support sought in Council's agreements to approve the recommended equipment grant allocation to the three community organisations in attachment one, so Crayne School of Arts, Crayne Organic Garden and Ridgewood Community Hall. To the value of $16,754.40. Again, subject to funding being confirmed in the adopted 2026-27 budget for community grants. Happy to move. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Moved. Councillor Finzel. Seconded, Councillor Wegener. Councillor Finzel, you have the floor. Councillor Finzel: Oh, thank you. Look, I think, again, this is fantastic, especially for our hinterland community groups that are well represented there. Because I know how much they, like, work really hard in their small communities to get equipment and, you know, benefit the community with things coming their way, especially I have to mention Carter's Ridge.

03:05:00 They've been slugging away out there for some time and they're trying to grow their community engagement and bring people on board. So I think it's really lovely to see this, you know, it's a small amount of equipment, but I think that will create a huge change for their small community that actually is growing. When we see people moving out to the hinterland. So it's really wonderful and they're really supporting those events and growing that community out there. So yeah, I really support this. I think every little bit counts when you've got your community groups working hard and the volunteers and giving these opportunities through the equipment program to just get that one small thing that might, you know, be instrumental in creating a really large impetus for that community to thrive. So yeah, I'm really happy with the recommendation. And as always, the process, it's rigorous and stands, you know, scrutiny. So I think in terms of using that money to benefit our community, I wish there was more. Thank you.

03:06:00 Councillor Lorentson: Just a question through the chat. Only three people applied, which I'm surprised about in terms of equipment. My question is, how do we reach out to the community? Are there any community groups that may be in need of equipment because, you know, we're looking into community groups requesting stuff? How do we make them aware that we're very funny specifically? Speaker 5: There's two aspects. I'll let Ali talk to the promotion of it. Sure. But what we've certainly seen is that one of the larger categories that's coming through the quick response is for equipment. Okay. For example, if a fridge breaks. It's hard to wait for a year for a funding program. So for the main grant. So we're seeing those come through quick response, which helps explain why there's fewer of them coming through the annual round.

03:07:00 But Ali can talk about the promotional side of it. I was just going to add to that, though. Speaker 4: A lot of organisations that do request equipment, we, you know, look at the RSL. We also look at Bendigo Bank. The Gamley Community Benefit Fund. They all seem to support equipment versus some of the other categories that we look at as well. But yeah, in terms of promotion, we're very active in that space, as you're aware. So it's through our Grants Networks and Nebels Nights. It's through our Community Connecting Newsletter, social media, and all the other forms of press. And obviously, the team are very active in supporting our community organisations too. Councillor Lorentson: And in terms of the quick response grants, do we publicly publish them? Yes. Yes. That's also on our web page. Speaker 4: Yeah. So every month, our grants officer publicly publishes who has been successful in our quick response. It's all up to date on our website. Excellent. Thank you. Yeah. And we've had some great applications through that. Speaker 5: That helps people in a promotional, as well as from an accountability perspective.

03:08:00 It helps in the promotion too, so that people can see, oh, those types of things are the ones that are successful in funding. Councillor Lorentson: They've got a tier plate on that. Yes. Speaker 4: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. But council grants, we tend to not push the equipment as much, because there are other external grants available. So rather than... We push more the infrastructure projects, programs, where they can't access other grant opportunities. Yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And I'll talk to it. But I think many years, Curran was after a community garden, and it's great to see the Curran Organic Garden, because what's, over the last little while, it appears, what's flourishing on the hill there is excellent. It just does reflect the Curran community. I had one query, just looking at the Curran School of Arts. That one, I can see the benefit of it.

03:09:00 Have we run it by whatever heritage provisions? No. Speaker 5: Yes, so that was part of the assessment process, and it will be, although it's not a special condition, it will be part of the process that respects the heritage of Curran Hall. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Others? No? Councillor Finzel, would you like to close? Councillor Finzel: No, I think that's all that we've said. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I put to the vote those in favour. That's unanimous. Yes. We then move on to the next item, and we'll be events, I think, is the community project grants program for events. Speaker 4: Yes, events category. So the outcome being sought is Council's agreement to approve the recommended grants, event grants allocated to the five community organisations in Attachment 1 to the value of $32,500, subject to funding being confirmed in the 2016.

7.6 2026-2027 COMMUNITY PROJECT GRANTS PROGRAM - EVENTS ¶

▶ 03:09:37· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

03:10:00 Council adopted budget. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So those are the events. Speaker 4: Can I pitch and move? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Move Council Loughton, and then the second to Council Wilson. Council Loughton, you have the floor. Councillor Lorentson: Just when we run through the list, New North Artists Run Initiative, Tewantin Noosa RSL sub-branch, the Anzac Day Commemoration 2027, Noosa International Surf Film Festival, the story, the Noosa Multicultural Music and Dance Festival, and the Kin Kin Community Group. The Christmas party, every application speaks volumes about what we value as a community, which is our arts. And our arts are now community, and I love that we are supporting the Kin Kin Community Christmas party. These are events that bring community together. And our support, I know that often what we contribute, there's still got to be just enormous efforts from these community groups in terms of raising the gap in funding that we help, but don't totally support the occasion.

03:11:00 So thank you to all these organisations for their efforts in fundraising to bring these really great events to Noosa. Thank you to those that support our residents. Speaker 4: And often all run by volunteers. Always, yeah, I agree. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Others wish to talk to the motion? Ok, we're happy to put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. We now move onto item seven in this category which is the community grants for the three year Signature Community Events Grants, which are the more significant ones. Speaker 4: Yeah, so just to... Let you know these applications were received out of round, but met the criteria for exceptional circumstances, so as per our grants policy.

7.7 2026-2027 COMMUNITY GRANTS PROGRAM - THREE-YEAR SIGNATURE COMMUNITY EVENT GRANTS ¶

▶ 03:11:53· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

03:12:00 These grants support the delivery of significant high profile community events over a multi-year period and approval will enable these events to continue delivering strong social, community and economic benefits to Noosa. So the outcome being sought is Council's agreement to approve the recommended funding allocation to the three community organisations outlined in attachment 1 to the value of $27,000. So I'll list those for you. So Noosa Show, Peregian Friends and Family for the Peregian Beach Carols, and the Tewantin Christmas Carols here at the RSL Park. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, do we have a mover? Councillor Finzel: Yes, I can. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think that was Councillor Finzel and Councillor Phillips. There's a seconder, Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, look, I think this is fantastic in terms of when we're focusing on our volunteers and community groups who have worked in the past. These three year signature events are fantastic. Fantastic, because it gives you time for planning, they know the funding's in the pipeline, so it really frees up the community volunteers and the committee members to actually really, you know, drill down on what they want to deliver in the community.

03:13:00 So I think it's really fabulous to be able to promote the three year signature community events. And the community can put it in their calendar, they look forward to it coming, and if there's schools involved and, you know, other broader community members, it's all, they know what's coming. They know what's ahead of them, and it's a really great one for bringing the community together, and they're real celebration. So it's fantastic that this three year signature event still provides that opportunity and forward planning for our committees and volunteers, so thank you. Councillor Phillips: I'm going to speak to it on the Tewantin, oh, and all of them are worthy, obviously, but I just want to mention Tewantin Christmas Carnival, because there is, well, it's a family favourite for my kids, but also their rides are free, and I think in this day and age where everything seems to cost me money with young kids, it is such a great event.

03:14:00 I think every child needs to have a, you know, feels very violently ill after going around and around, like it's a part of memory setting. So, you know, I hope they never stop that thing that goes around the big swing, but also I just, I think it's really, like, if anyone now wants money from people, they have stuck to their values around giving some free rides, so kudos to them, because I know that my kids just basically know everyone there, and it's an event where it just feels very much like everyone comes together. So, yeah, it's a great one to support all of these, and I think, same as Councillor Finzel said, it's good that they can sort of plan ahead, and having three years. To sort of know that that's there, it must help the volunteers not to have to think every year, do I have, are we going to be able to do it?

03:15:00 So, yeah, very happy to support it. Excellent. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I was just thinking about my recollections of the Tewantin Christmas, probably sold you little glowing lights from the Scouts. I remember one of the first times that my son went, and it was the big semi-trailer with the slippery dip. Councillor Finzel: Oh, yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And you have to walk up these stairs with the tiny little chain, and I have to admit, I do suffer from vertigo. He'd tell her up, and I was holding the chain all the way up, so that's my memory of freaking out in the back of a truck. But anyway, they are all good community events. Councillor Finzel: Anyone else? No, I think it's all been said. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, I put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And we are now up to 7.8, which is the, something completely different. That's the Legacy Plot Reservation Management Policy, and we have the same two people at the-

7.8 LEGACY PLOT RESERVATION MANAGEMENT POLICY ¶

▶ 03:15:54· Carried 5-1 · 2 divisions from council's minutes

03:16:00 Completely different. Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely. It's completely different. So, different hats. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And we acknowledge Troy at the back. Speaker 4: How amazing. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Everyone knows, we don't need to introduce him because he's a social media star. Speaker 4: Troy's our amazing cemetery supervisor, so thank you, Troy. So, the purpose of today's report is to seek Council's adoption of the Legacy Plot Reservation Management Policy, which sets out a clear and respectful process to review, and when appropriate, return unused cemetery plots reserved more than 25 years ago back into active use. So, this matter now, this matters now for a few key reasons. Firstly, the Tewantin Cemetery has reached capacity. For new traditional burials, making it better use of existing land an immediate priority. Secondly, there are more than 200 unused reserved plots across our cemeteries that are currently unavailable to the community. Thirdly, historical arrangements didn't require plots to be used within a timeframe, creating inefficiencies and limiting options for families today.

03:17:00 And finally, Queensland does not have a clear legislative framework in this area. So, we've sought legal advice and are now proposing consistent, transparent and defensible local approach to manage this responsibility, which is in line with what other Queensland Councils are doing. So, the outcome being sought is Council's agreement to introduce a fair, well-governed process that allows us to identify unused plots, making unreasonable efforts to contact families and return unclaimed plots to community use. So, before we go into discussion, I must say that plots are already getting returned back to Council without this process as such, but this gives us an opportunity to look at additional plots where we already know that families may have passed, or those families actually don't need to utilise those plots. So, it actually gives us that administration process that's very transparent and... To be proactive rather than reactive. Correct, yeah. Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Do we have any questions or someone wishing to move the motion?

03:18:00 Councillor Lorentson: I have a couple of questions. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: In terms of... You mentioned that we have obtained... We have obtained legal advice in terms of whether the 25 years determined, whether that's the right threshold or not. So, I think I had this discussion with you, Alison, where my parents, when they buy plots of land at a cemetery, which my parents did many, many, many years ago, they do so in perpetuity. There is no... They haven't purchased it thinking that one day it's going to be relinquished. So, my question is, is 25 years the right threshold and is that legally defensible? Yes. Speaker 4: So, we're based on what other councils in Queensland are doing. If your family already has an existing plot, that would get returned to the next of kin if the family has chosen to be buried elsewhere or cremated elsewhere, so to the next of kin.

03:19:00 That next of kin doesn't want to utilise that plot, there is that opportunity then to give it back. So, we're not taking it away from the next of kin or the family member. It's only if the family chooses not to continue with that plot. Councillor Lorentson: Yes. Or if we can't relocate...we can't contact the families. Is that correct? Speaker 4: So, if we're unable to contact the families because, A, they may have passed away or their next of kin is not contactable, we do give them a...we're going to give them 90 days contact period as such to make sure that we have done everything possible to make contact with those families. We are going through the channels of looking at births, deaths and marriages as well, seeing who is still around, utilising public notices and also targeted consultation too. Speaker 5: So, I think, through the Chair, Councillor Anderson, the important thing there is that if the person themselves is still alive or they're somebody that holds legal responsibility

03:20:00 for that, whether next of kin or an executor of an estate, if they wish to retain that plot, that's fine. They're within their rights to do so. This is a process that enables us particularly to track down those ones or go through a process where the person has passed away, they've been buried elsewhere and either no one has been aware of it or no one has let us know and it enables us to go through a process with a full public notice period to try to identify is there any next of kin or legal representative and then move through a process to return that to Council. Councillor Lorentson: I note that the policy itself has a provision for safety net. Speaker 5: Yes. Councillor Lorentson: So, if there is a late claimant, we're reserving one plot. One plot at a time. Speaker 5: One plot at a time.

03:21:00 Councillor Lorentson: Yes. So, question to staff. Should we be considering, particularly in Tewantin, maybe increasing that minimum safety net to maybe two or three plots? What's your position on that? Especially, I just keep thinking if a late claimant says no, one's mine. What happens to the other, how many in Tewantin? 113 or 115 we get. So, what happens to those people? Speaker 5: So, this will, given the challenges in contacting people, this will be a slow iterative process with the staff that we have. So, that what we're saying, in the beginning, there are all the plots that are currently reserved. When we reclaim the first plot, that will sit aside as a reserved plot. As we start to move through, some will be returned to us.

03:22:00 If we had a rare circumstance where somebody did then claim, say, oh, hang on, actually, I've only found out I did want to have that plot. If it had been used, we would offer them the reserved plot. And then, we would offer them the plot that we've set aside. And then, we would put another plot into that set aside. And then, we would put another plot into that reserved plot. So, that there's almost a perpetual plot set aside. We really don't imagine it happening, given the information that's coming through. But, there would be one plot sitting there continuously, if that helps understand it. Councillor Lorentson: And the last question in reference to the Cooroy Cemetery. If we're at full capacity at the Tewantin Cemetery, is there a possibility that there will be a sub-divide of land at the Cooroy Cemetery?

03:23:00 Why do we sub-divide the land at the Cooroy Cemetery? Speaker 5: Thank you for your question. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm going to disallow it. It's not relevant to the item. I've disallowed it. Councillor Lorentson: Can I move to dissent? You can. On the decision of the Chair. I think it's really relevant with what the Cooroy Cemetery is part of the report. And my question is in reference to just long-term planning, long-term cemetery capacity plan. I understand, was there any consideration in terms of our planning decisions, whether the Tewantin capacity issue was a factor in the decision to sub-divide the land in Cooroy Cooroy? I think it's totally relevant. Sure.

03:24:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll seek your support. A dissent from the Chairman's ruling requires a seconder. Yes. So would someone like to second that motion, Councillor Phillips? You have had a chat. My turn to respond. The item we're dealing with is not about cemetery planning. It's about a legacy project. It's setting up a system whereby reserve plots are reviewed and reallocated as is necessary. The matter of broader cemetery planning is well beyond the scope of this particular report. So I've put the motion of dissent. Those in favour? That's two. Those opposed? Oh, sorry. I should have meant that was Councillor Lorentson and Phillips. Those opposed? It's Councillor Wilson, Wegener, Finzel and Stockwell. So we've got any more questions or someone wish to move on?

03:25:00 Councillor Finzel: I'm happy to move it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Finzel. I'll second. Councillor Finzel: Councillor Finzel. Yes. Look, I want to thank the staff for this. I think it's a proactive approach. I think it's well overdue that we do look at addressing those legacy issues as we move forward, especially during times of when, you know, it's a sensitive area and I think the policy gives us really good direction on how to manage that with all the sensitivities being taken on board, but also having a process in place that supports our staff and our community, especially given, like you said, that Queensland does not have that at that broader policy level. So I commend the staff for taking those steps to address that moving forward because I think that supports everyone along the way. So thank you. And it was a comprehensive report and including the workshop. Thank you. So I think the understanding of where that's come from and the reason why that's required

03:26:00 at the moment is clear and to be commended. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Others? I'll speak. I think it is an interesting and wide approach because what we're dealing with here is a limited resource and we have identified what is likely to be some historic issues that have artificially reduced the current capacity in that particular issue for Tewantin. So this is a mechanism whereby we can wisely allocate the available space in Tewantin and other cemeteries we have in Pomona and Cooroy as is needed. Councillors? No? Councillor Finzel used to close. I'll put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Speaker 4: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

03:27:00 Moved by Mr Monaghan. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: We then move on to our sports for all access and inclusion program outcomes and learnings. Councillor Lorentson: We welcome the Manager of the Inclusion Officer. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Who would like to do the opening? Speaker 11: I'll start. So this report outlines the outcomes and learnings from the sport for all access and inclusion Thank you to all of you who have contributed to the inclusion program, delivered from June 2024 to June 2026. The program aimed to build the capacity of clubs, schools and community organisations to deliver inclusive sporting opportunities for people with disability. It also strengthened Council's internal capability and approach to access and inclusion. The program achieved significant community impact, exceeding original targets for engagement, training and action planning. Many outcomes extended beyond the original scope, demonstrating the value of a dedicated inclusion role within Council.

7.9 "SPORT4ALL" ACCESS AND INCLUSION PROGRAM - OUTCOMES AND LEARNINGS ¶

▶ 03:27:04

03:28:00 The program has provided participation, accessibility and partnerships across the Noosa community. It highlights the benefit of a coordinated, organisational-wide approach to access and inclusion moving forward. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. That was short and sweet. Do we have any questions for Jamila? So just clarification. Councillor Lorentson: Subject to future funding availability, consider establishing an ongoing inclusion function. Subject to future funding, develop a whole Council access inclusion framework. Can I ask clarity, what does that actually mean in certain terms? Do we lose Jamila as our access and inclusion officer? And yes, just can I throw that question in?

03:29:00 Speaker 5: Thank you, Councillor Lorentson. So the program was funded for two years and that funding finishes on the 30th of June. So the program will cease at that point. And Jamila will, we will be sending her off and saying thank you very much. But Jamila's appointment will conclude at the end of June. In terms of subject to future funding availability, we would then be seeking through our normal processes to have, to reinstate this function in Council at a future date. Councillor Lorentson: I'm going to try an amendment and see how it plays out. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: We can't amend the motion, we haven't moved yet. I'll move to make matters easy. I'll move to recommendation.

03:30:00 Speaker 5: I'll second. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So councillors, this has been a very valuable process and project and Jamila's done a great job of achieving well and beyond what was the anticipated outcomes. I really recall a couple of deputations we had at meetings last year, I think it was. We had someone with a disability talking about car parking near the poor and vulnerable schools, which I thought that was the best deputation we've ever had. And then we had the young fellow from the inclusion program from NRL. He just wiped the floor with his sword. And it is great. And I suppose a disability comes in a range of forms. And as the report notes, we've got, you know, populations, every six-hour population are now over 60, meaning age 50. So age is one where we're trying to get them involved. And it's interesting that last night I went to a meeting and we found out that 15 Sunshine Coasters, some of them from Noosa, were in the Australian Football Youth Championships recently,

03:31:00 like on the weekend. And on the same weekend we had one of our ex-presidents who's now moving just over the border, who was representing Australia in walking football. So that chance, if you're into sport, to keep it going for the whole of your life, to feel included, it's amazing. And, yes, his post was quite interesting, that he never did he think that he would be representing Australia, even though his brother didn't play as a 17-year-old. So, yeah, so it is a great program. And, yes, it has many benefits. Councillor Lorentson, would you like to try your amendment now? Councillor Lorentson: I will try the amendment. And it's a D, that Council direct the CEO to include funding for a permanent inclusion officer role in the current budget, having regard to the demonstrated return on investment delivered through the Sport for All program. Speaker 3: I forgot, sorry. Councillor Lorentson: OK, let's start again.

03:32:00 That Council... Thanks, I've just got a quick question. That's all right, sorry. I'm sorry. No, thank you. That Council direct the CEO to include funding for a permanent inclusion officer role in the current budget, having regard to the demonstrated return on investment Delivered through the Sports for All program, and the ongoing and growing access and inclusion needs of the Noosa community.

03:33:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll do a fine-tune first. The current budget runs out in June 30, I don't think that's what you mean. Speaker 7: The future 26-27 budget. Councillor Lorentson: Excuse me, the 26th. So what are we? Future 26-27. Future 26-27 budget. Councillor Wilson: But that hits permanently, it was going to be on there. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The next one is... The CEO doesn't make the decision about the budget, we do. Councillor Lorentson: I'm happy to change the request that Council include funding for a Firmland Inclusion Officer role in the upcoming budget, having regard to the demonstrated return on investment delivered through the Sports for All program, and the ongoing and growing access and inclusion needs of the Noosa community.

03:34:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So request Council. Councillor Lorentson: Request Council. Include. Speaker 4: Is that Council request Council? Councillor Lorentson: No, D, request, delete the CEO, just request Council. Inclusion. Speaker 3: But if you're just adding a D, it starts with that Council. Councillor Lorentson: Oh, that Council include funding. Include funding. Speaker 7: Include funding. Or funding. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think that is a valid amendment. Thank you. I think that is a valid amendment. Do we have a seconder? The amendment lapses from one to a seconder. Okay. Do anyone else wish to talk to the motion in front of us? I don't wish to close. I don't wish to close.

03:35:00 I'll speak. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: I'm going to start with an apology. An apology to the people in our community who live with a disability. To the clubs and schools invested in this program in good faith. And to Jamila who has delivered extraordinary work in this role. I'm sorry that this amendment has not matched your effort or your trust. I've been volunteering and under section, before someone calls a point of order, under section 11.4 of our standing orders, I am able to share a story that arises from the agenda item in front of us. And I'm going to share a personal story. I've been volunteering with the Sea Wolf Sniffer Program now for 13 years, making sure that children with disability have the same chance to learn surf life saving skills as everyone else. And I have never seen any other child in this community.

03:36:00 In 2022 I fought for an all access beach mat. It took years to achieve something that should have been obvious. The Noosa Seahorse Inclusion Foundation, which myself and a few other members of the community built, for one reason. Because we were tired of watching people with disabilities being marginalised in their own community. We started raising our own funds, providing wheelchairs at the visitors' centers. I also sit on the SLSQ, the State Disability Workshop for Surf Life Save in Queensland. Two years ago Surf Life Save in Queensland established a dedicated diversity and equity strategy and appointed a full-time officer for the first time in Surf Life Saving history.

03:37:00 A state peak body understood that you cannot embed inclusion without dedicated resourcing and yet here we are. For roughly $70,000 of Council's own money over two years this program engaged 25 sporting clubs, trained 150 people, delivered wheelchair basketball, adaptive skateboarding and a walking basketball and more, and embedded inclusion into Council planning in a way that has never happened before. The report tells us that the most significant outcomes were never in the original scope. They happened because a dedicated person like Jamila with lived experience was present and empowered to act. You cannot replace that with a social policy or a committee. Noosa's median age is 50.5 years, 36% of our population is over 60, nearly 30% live

03:38:00 with a long-term health condition. This need is not going to diminish. Every year without a dedicated inclusion function is a choice, a choice to let this momentum fade and to tell people who experience barriers to participation that their access is subject to budget availability. I've been generally encouraged by the steps this Council has taken in this space, and this program was a real first step in the right direction, but to say that I'm disappointed that there is no funding to continue is an understatement, and I'm putting on record today that this Council must find a way to fund an ongoing access and inclusion function not as a nice-to-have, but as a commitment to this community, and I'm not going to stop

03:39:00 pushing this. And I won't sleep at night until this happens. Community are watching us, and just simply they deserve better than us than the decision that's been made today. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So, anyone else wish to talk? I will, guys. So, I acknowledge Councillor Lorentson's longstanding commitment and volunteer, in a volunteer capacity and advocacy for people with a disability, and appreciate that the speech she just gave was in relation to the amendment that didn't keep going in part, in that there's no decision today about whether to include or not include anything in a budget that we haven't been put before us yet. What has been recommended is that we continue to do that. Thank you. Thank you. So what we're waiting for today isn't in regard to whether or not to have a more permanent role that matches what has been happening with this project, it's simply to acknowledge the outcomes and the learnings.

03:40:00 I'll put the motion, those in favour, that's five, which is Councillor Wilson, Councillor Wegener, Councillor Finzel, Councillor Phillips, Councillor Stockwell, and those against is Councillor Lorentson and them both is carried. We then move on to item 10, and that is the fees and charges, and we have Director Margaret Gatt here. And Manager of Finance, the staff. Speaker 10: Good afternoon, Councillors. You would be aware, whilst this report is contained within the agenda, post the agenda being published on the website, we discovered, or we were made aware by the State Government for a right to information that there'd been a change to some of their fees that would have an impact on our fees and charges register.

7.10 2026-2027 FEES AND CHARGES ¶

▶ 03:40:36· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

03:41:00 And so therefore, I've spoken to the Minister. We have spoken to the CEO and seeking the Chair's consideration that the report proper needs to be amended to include those right to information fees and also some other administrative errors that we uncovered post the publication of the agenda. So seeking formally. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So I'll move the suggested motion which is the General Committee agenda item 7.10, 26-27 fees and charges be referred to the ordinary meeting for a further report. Do I have a seconder? Seconder, Councillor Phillips. No need to discuss that, we know the reason for it. Anyone else wish to talk? No. All those in favour? That's carried unanimously.

03:42:00 Councillor Phillips: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Our next item is item 11 which is the Noosa Botanic Gardens masterpiece. We welcome Director Shaun Walsh and our Parks Coordinator, Geordie Lascelles. Speaker 6: Good afternoon councillors. Good afternoon. Pleased to present the Noosa Botanic Gardens draft plan. The Noosa Botanic Gardens on the shores of Lake McDonald is a treasured amenity space for residents and visitors. It has a substantial botanic collection in a stunning waterside setting. It's increasingly recognised for its value for both Cooroy and all of its residents. Its evolution to date has been largely incidental, originally evolving from a community initiative.

7.11 NOOSA BOTANIC GARDENS MASTERPLAN ¶

▶ 03:42:10· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

03:43:00 There's significant opportunity to improve the setting and recognise the botanic collection as well as improve visitor facilities to make the space more accessible and comfortable for all. In addition, ageing infrastructure and substandard pathways require investment to rectify established defects. The draft plan was prepared by landscape architecture consultants with key inputs from an external stakeholder group, which councillor Finzel was the chair and councillor Lorentson was on as well. Sorry, councillor Phillips as well, yep. Director Walsh: Thank you. Speaker 6: And an internal working group and also informed by a two-phase community engagement program. There was over 250 people who had contributed and helped to guide the development of the plan through a series of pop-ups, activities at the gardens and at Cooroy,

03:44:00 surveys and targeted discussions with groups, including the Noosa Botanic Gardens. Including the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, the Wedding Association and also the on-site meeting we had with the Kabi Kabi People Aboriginal Corporation as well. A summary of all the submissions received through both of the phases of engagement are presented in the report for council's consideration. The preparation of the draft master plan has been iterative over the last 24 months, considering diverse feedback and provides a revised vision and objectives with a realistic long-term plan for upgrades and improvements over the next 25 years, ensuring the garden's botanical legacy and ongoing value to the local and broader community. The vision that's in the draft is to cultivate a vibrant botanic garden that reflects the community values, working with nature now and for the future.

03:45:00 Major features of the plan include a preservation and enhancement of the botanic collection, creation of an improved visitor experience and entry experience, improved facilities for the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, creation of a primary grade accessible wayfinding pathway around the gardens, improved activity zones that support a variety of uses, as well as cultural heritage considerations such as the community cultural reflection zone. The plan will be a key platform to prioritise available future operational funds as well as attract grant funding from multiple sources. The plan has a staged framework to guide operational decision-making, investment prioritisation and site development. Future projects will be analysed to determine the whole-of-life costs prior to the commencement, and it is recognised that many of these are long-life assets and replacement of aged infrastructure. The plan provides a strategic framework for future planting and collection development through the Living Collection Management Plan.

03:46:00 It also informs the detailed design stages of the master plan implementation. So I think Council can be proud of this plan and the way it will guide the gardens, which are so valued by our community, and it's proposed that this draft plan be approved by Council. Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Happy to move. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Moved by Council. Seconded, I think, Council Wigner. Had you signed up? Council Finzel, you have the floor. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Thank you for this report and firstly I would also like to thank the staff that have worked really comprehensively on this. And if we want to look at exemplary community engagement and how Council conducted themselves through this process to ensure our reputation and that the voice was given to our community through a rigorous process, that was respectful.

03:47:00 And I think it's really wonderful today that can come before us to make the decision around a draft plan that will inform our community over the next 25 years about how we look after and protect such a valuable asset in our community. And I'd also like to thank all the community groups that were representative at the table. It was a really rigorous process around the course of that and also mindful of the extra time given at the end of the process for people to actually have their last say around that. So I think it was a great opportunity to really work hard on this at every level and it is reflected in the report today. So I'm pleased to support this and it's been a really wonderful process that has really given equity and voice, in my opinion, to every stakeholder at the table and to the broader community. So thank you to everyone involved, including the councillors that were also at the table and for their contribution. Thank you.

03:48:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Others? Councillor Loveson. Councillor Lorentson: I just really want to make mention of the Friends of the Noosa Botanic Gardens. We had a great stakeholder group. We had several reference groups and really great contributions for those on the round table. But in particular, I really want to just speak just briefly about the Friends of the Noosa Botanic Gardens. They've been pushing for this master plan for now for over 10 years. 10 years of showing up, volunteering, making submissions, joining reference groups, mapping collections, identifying species and keeping the pressure on us as a council. To deliver what we're looking at today. I think my take home from the many consultations is that the Friends reminded me and I think to the whole group

03:49:00 about the soul of this place, the Noosa Botanic Gardens. And reinforced in us that the soul of Noosa Botanic Gardens actually rests in its living. Collection. And there were moments when we did go off track. We weren't capturing what was actually said around the table. And the Friends pulled us in. So I want to acknowledge that. And I also want to acknowledge the process which allowed us to be pulled back. That genuinely helped empower people in this process. So thank you to the Friends and to the stakeholder group. And to the residents. This is a community asset. It is a botanical garden. And we've just got to remember it's not just a park. It's so much more.

03:50:00 And particularly to those who nurture it every day. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Thank you for the report. And I'm following your great process on this one. By all accounts it's been a really positive experience for everyone involved. And, you know, it's been a great experience. I think it's a really special place that we all want to care for and preserve. And I hope now that we can start to deliver on some of the projects within the master plan. Thank you. Councillor Phillips: This has actually been the first major project that I've been involved in from its early stages to this point. And it's been a really valuable experience. One of the things that I appreciated most was seeing a range of voices around the table in the stakeholder group. And they're doing a really good job. They've been different opinions, different priorities, and different visions for the future of botanical gardens. I still believe that there are many people in our community who wouldn't even realise that Noosa has a botanical garden. But yet, for those that have visited, they know that it is a very peaceful place in our

03:51:00 Shire. Throughout this process, there has been a strong message that the gardens should be cherished for what they are. For me, one of the most important aspects of the plan is the inclusion of community infrastructure and gathering spaces. And as our community grows, places where people can come together, connect, and enjoy the great outdoors. At the same time, I feel we should never lose sight of what makes the gardens special in the first place. And that's the preservation, restoration, and stewardship of the gardens themselves. And it must always remain a priority. I also want to acknowledge the Friends of the Botanical Garden Foundation for their commitment to the botanical gardens, who dedicate an extraordinary amount of time, effort, and care for the place. They are a reminder that some of the most significant contributions to our community come from small groups of passionate volunteers working very quietly behind the scenes. I also want to add that I was grateful that the stakeholder group took on board some feedback

03:52:00 that I presented around CIPTED principles when designing with safety in mind, whether it's through the pathway or through the botanical garden. As a parent who plays the facilities and the open spaces, safety should always be considered as part of a good design. And as a parent who spends a lot of time in parks and community spaces, I know how important it is that these places feel welcome, functional, well maintained, and safe. I think this master plan is a thoughtful plan. It respects the character of the gardens, provides a pathway for the future, and recognises the importance of both environmental stewardship and the community connection. So I appreciate that. I would like to thank the board for all the work that's gone into today and please to support it. Councillor Wegener: Councillor Thomas. Yeah, just like that. Reiterate the comments that are made around the table today. It's just a fantastic job. It's one of the things that I've seen as a councillor over the past six years start from beginning to end. And of course it started a long time before, but I'd love to see the persistence of the

03:53:00 friends and the staff and consultants and working together to bring this project to fruition, to this plan going out. Really good. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah, it's good to have a really good strategic direction there for Campbell Gardens. This is one, we talked a lot about volunteers. This is a garden that was started by a joining neighbour who had an access handle to their lakefront house, which had a dump. This is a garden that was started by a neighbour who had an access handle to their lakefront They thought it might be better to have and make it a garden. And they championed some of the early work, got the grant funding for the Bicentennial Gardens, which we community basically planted, got the funding for the amphitheatre. What set out here is a really good direction going forward. I just thought as the debate was going on, does it reflect its situation and one thing ... It has one reference to it and that's interface with a joining neighbour.

03:54:00 We have to remember it sits beside our drinking water. And from an agro-ecological perspective, the management approach we have to the gardens, which leads to the species selection if we're going to change it, is one where we have to take particular care with how we apply nutrients, pesticides, and any organics. I'm not quite sure what the water quality status is now, but when Council used to run the Lake McDonnell Casualty Care Group, it was a water body that had high levels of nutrient in it. So it's just one thing to think about is let's focus on what we want to achieve out of the outcome, but also reflect that we know where it sits and that's right adjacent to the water that comes out of our taps. Anyone else? I think we've moved it. Was it Council Finzel? Councillor Finzel: Oh yes. Thank you. I think it's all been said and I hope that for future generations to come it is something that we can be clearly proud of and taking care of our place and being good stewards of what's before us. Thank you.

03:55:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Put the motion. Those in favour? That's unanimous. Councillor Lorentson: Through the Chair, can I request a five minute comfort break please? Councillor Wegener: I think that's reasonable. We'll have a five minute. We'll make it.

04:03:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: So welcome back and our next item of order of business is the further report on Tourism Noosa Funding and Performance Deed 2026-2029. The author is our CEO and you'll be giving the executive summary or we'll... Speaker 7: Yes, I'll provide the introduction and then Anthony and I can answer questions if you want to come. Okay, sorry, I'll take the report as read but I'll give you the quick executive summary. A report on the Tourism Noosa Funding and Performance Deed 2026-2029 was presented to the General Committee on the 13th of April 2026 and considered by Council on the 16th

7.12 FURTHER REPORT - TOURISM NOOSA FUNDING AND PERFORMANCE DEED 2026–2029 ¶

▶ 04:03:21· Carried on casting vote 3-3 · 4 divisions from council's minutes

04:04:00 of April 2026. At that meeting, Council resolved not to adopt the deed in its then current form and requested further refinement of Schedule 1 KPIs, appointment of a councillor to the working group and that a revised deed and KPI framework be presented to the June meeting round. This report, this further report responds directly to that resolution and presents a revised Tourism Noosa Funding and Performance Deed and updated schedules for Council consideration. The focus working group process was undertaken including councillor input to review and restructure the performance framework. The revised deed restructures the original Schedule 1 by separating its combined deliverables and KPIs into two distinct schedules. Schedule 1, agreed obligations and KPI's. In addition, the original Schedule 2 performance adjustment methodology has been revised and

04:05:00 simplified into a new Schedule 3 performance adjustment calculation which introduces a clear scoring model linked to the scorecard. This revised structure clarifies the distinction between mandatory obligations and performance measurement. Introduces a balanced scorecard approach to measuring outcomes. The revised deed retains the core funding model of $2 million per annum XGST for a three-year term with CPI indexation and a performance-based adjustment of up to $350,000 applied to the second instalment. It is a tailing the same scorecard as in the previous statement on Council's Annual Assessment of Performance. This schedule seeks Council consideration and approval of the revised deed and schedules. Thank you.

04:06:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Do we have any questions? Councillor Lawrnton. Councillor Lorentson: DR LAWRENTON Can CO identify any KPI in the current Schedule 2 scorecard that directly measures whether Noosa residents are better off as a result of tourism Noosa activities funded under that KPI? Speaker 8: I think if we go back to, I guess, what we've put together is a whole combination of KPIs. So I think to take one in isolation would probably be unfair almost, because it's a balanced scorecard. So, Councillor, I think in response I would say that the combination of the balanced scorecard is certainly there to ensure that Tourism Noosa deliver a balanced outcome for the community across the social outcomes, economic outcomes.

04:07:00 And I think if you go to Schedule 1, certainly there's a very clear expectation around what the DMP alignment looks like, and there's a long list, including demand management. Congestion management, et cetera. So I think what you have to do to answer that question is to look at them all together. And all together, certainly all the work that's been done with Councillor Wilson's contribution and the working group is to absolutely put the community at the heart, driven by the DMP. You'll see DMP alignment mentioned many, many times, which is obviously the guiding principle behind all of this. So I think that's been strengthened. The community outcomes, the demand management, the congestion management is the balanced scorecard. So I would say the combination of all these and the fact that Tourism Noosa have to deliver business plans, marketing plans, strategies to Council, to us, aligned to the DMP, and that must answer the congestion management challenge.

04:08:00 Councillor Lorentson: So maybe I should rephrase that question. The deed as it stands refers, and the KPIs and scorecards, it's about organisational activity. The question I'm asking is community benefit. What independent mechanism exists under the deeds that verifies that the expenditure is delivering community benefit rather than organisational activity or business as usual? Speaker 8: Again, I go back to Schedule 1 and 2 together. And clearly that to deliver on the deed and then the KPIs and the schedule, Tourism Noosa must deliver all these actions aligned to the DMP, and the DMP are the community outcomes.

04:09:00 So visit demand actively managed. Tourism actively contributes to environmental protection, regenerative outcomes. Those are all the outcomes. Those are the benefits to the community, to the environment, and to the economy. So that's probably all I can respond. Otherwise, I'll take your notice on a specifically answer to your question. Councillor Lorentson: Okay. The performance scorecard includes, and I'm just going to use this as an example, again, maybe still asking the same question, but I'm going to rephrase it. The performance scorecard includes KPIs for social media engagement, website traffic. So how do those measures demonstrate that tourism is being managed in the interest of the Noosa community? So I'm going back to what we're measuring and going back to my previous question is, how are the two linked? Speaker 8: Yeah, I think in that Quadrant 3, which is really where the destination positioning is, again, trying to really balance.

04:10:00 But to your question, where are the KPIs that says delivering community? There's a specific measure around the visitation to tourism for good, which will actually be for the lover Noosa and DMP aligned, and that evolve over time. So measuring the actual, I guess, engagement with that aspect of tourism Noosa's marketing. Again, I take it to the deliverable, which it's pretty, it's quite difficult to have individuals. And we've certainly had a first year go at this, and this is reviewed annually, as we all know. And if you look at the third, sorry, the bottom deliverable, which is a KPI, which is the delivery of an annual destination marketing plan that embeds the general guiding principles of the DMP. Again, that is where we all get, I guess, input into our tourism Noosa delivering on the expectations and the outcomes.

04:11:00 For the community. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, do we have any other questions? Councillor Phillips: I do. Maybe just for people listening and for myself, just some clarity on. If there's an acknowledgement that there's unintended consequences from DMP, DMP being the alignment, what mechanisms does council have to claw back and maybe redirect TN to something? Because let's say an unintended consequence is that the economy suffers.

04:12:00 I'm just being a devil's advocate. What's the mechanism councillors have to say, this isn't working, we're going to shift in a different direction? Speaker 8: I think that is the maintaining flexibility while giving tourism Noosa and the community certainty is a difficult balance. I'm certainly, I think the working group has worked really well to have those quarterly and annual reviews. So every quarter, you'll see in schedule one, action one, the number one is every quarter, tourism Noosa and Noosa Council sits down and reviews what's gone well, what's coming up and how are we meeting expectations? And is there something we need to respond to? So that's a quarterly operational. There's a quarterly report, annual reports, annual plans, strategies. So I think the answer to this, this is not a set and forget deed and relationship.

04:13:00 Legally, we review every year. We can reset schedules. And performance measures. So I totally agree that there's a lot of uncertainty for all of us. And so this is certainly not structured to say that's it for a year or three years. It's three months. While providing some certainty for the organisation to do the job. That's how it's structured. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: In front of me, I've got clause 4.2 in the deed. Once established, the Destination Stewardship Council may provide strategic oversight and guidance to the parties for adjusting agreed obligations, KPIs under clause 4.1 in order to align with the DMP principles and priority actions. However, the parties are under no obligation to adopt, implement or otherwise incorporate any guidance provided by the Destination Stewardship Council. Can staff explain what purpose the Destination Stewardship Council has?

04:14:00 If its recommendations carry no obligation to respond, act or explain a decision not to act. Speaker 8: I don't want to see things in a wider aspect. Speaker 7: We're still developing the terms of reference for the Stewardship Council. But in my understanding, the Stewardship Council is still an advisory body. It's not a directing body. So therefore, it's still a decision of Council and staff in terms of what's recommended to go to the DMP. So that can be incorporated into, when we do develop the terms of reference for the Stewardship Council, that can certainly be considered in that. But that's my understanding at this point in time, is the Stewardship Council is an advisory group. Councillor Phillips: I've got a clarifying question because it's still, yeah, answers spinning in my mind a little bit. So three month mark. As councillors though, I won't. I won't be able to influence if there is an unintended consequence because it won't come back to Council, will it?

04:15:00 It'll be a staff process once it's gone through this. Speaker 7: That's potentially. But certainly if there's something that requires Council to have an involvement or to make a decision or to redirect or change, then absolutely. We'd be brought back. But the three month is really a checking mechanism. If things are going well, then we continue with this. If there's something that's of serious consequence, then certainly we come back to Council for a decision. Speaker 8: Through the Chair, we talked about it briefly. And the way I see that maybe working for councillors is that through the CEO potentially, just as a normal course of business, that there is an expectation that as we go through quarter by quarter, if there's particular issues that are evident or you've been approached about, that they are applicable. And then we can actually channel through the CEO as a bit more of a formal part of the quarterly review.

04:16:00 So I fully see that you have the opportunity to input. Again, getting that balance to let the organisation go and deliver the marketing plans, the outputs and the outcomes. But every quarter, every councillor should have the opportunity to feed back through the CEO. It would be normal course of business to feed into a formal quarterly meeting of Council. Yep. And Tia. Councillor Phillips: I've got a question perhaps for Councillor Wilson because you had a big part in this. Maybe just an explanation more on the performance scorecard. Councillor Wilson: So that balance scorecard approach is something I've worked on a lot in my corporate finance days. For example, with Caltex. It's used widely in performance management for companies, departments. And also individuals. So it kind of cascades down to an organisation. And I've also taught this approach in business performance subject of the Chartered Accountants Program.

04:17:00 The traditional balance scorecard quadrants are financial, customer, internal processes, which would cover things like governance and safety and learning and growth. So these weren't all directly relevant for TN. So we adapted it to be a bit more suited to TN and more aligned to the services that we're requesting under the deed and the roadmap. Balance scorecard is useful because it looks at the entire organisation without focusing on just one area, such as financial results. It's balanced because each quadrant carries equal weight in the scoring, but also in the focus that management must bring in every area to meet strategic goals. So all areas of the organisation in every quadrant need to be working together. If one quadrant fails, it brings the others down too. It's also important that all KPIs and targets drive the intended behaviours. So, for example, a cut in expenses to meet a profit goal might cause a drop in service

04:18:00 delivery, a loss of members, or reduction in member satisfaction. So if TN can hit the member-based targets, it should help them to meet their financial goals as well. So this approach helps us to view TN holistically, not just as a marketing organisation, but to measure the importance of industry development, member service delivery. I think it's important to look at how TN is a business information centre and how they all need to be performing together at the same time. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Other questions? Councillor Lorentson? Councillor Lorentson: Probably. Again, I'm looking at the deed in front of me. And the first part of the deed recitals, A, tourism news are established as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee in August 2001 to manage the marketing and promotion of new services. A, tourism news are established as a tourism destination. The organisation is evolving its role as a destination management organisation. So it's going from marketing to promotion and evolving into a DMO.

04:19:00 And I've got a possible amendment that I might move up, but I'm a little bit confused how we can hold all. My question is, how can we hold tourism news are accountable as a DMO without first defining what TN is? What destination management means in terms of who's responsible for what? And like I said, I've got an amendment that I probably want to just play with to see. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The next question is to? Councillor Lorentson: To the CEO. Speaker 7: So part of this deed and part of the deliverables is for them to review their structure and to review what they stand for and how they operate. So that's part of it. That is what that's, I think that is what that's referring to is that it's evolving into a DMO, but what that actually stands for, what it is, is something that would come

04:20:00 through as part of the evolution of their structure and of what the organisation actually delivers. And that would be in line with us because it's part of this deed. So we would be part of that exercise. If that makes sense. Councillor Lorentson: So, I'm confused because I would have thought that the DMO would actually be part of the DMO framework would have started, would start with council. So to me, there is a question coming. So the deed funds tourism research to attract and shape our visitors, but it's council that's responsible for roads and parks and planning, et cetera. So where is that clearly defined and why are we leading that role to tourism research? Should that not be something that we should be working towards? Or is that something that we should be working towards? And would you say that the DMO is a destination management framework? Absolutely. Speaker 7: Absolutely. I'll take this on notice, Councillor, if that's okay, to come back to you with an answer.

04:21:00 Like I said, I've got it. I want a DMO specifically what the definition is so that I can bring that back to you. Sorry, it's not in the definition. No, it's not in our definition. I just, I need to just find that for you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: Could I, could I try to answer that? That question? Yes, sir. Would you like to try and answer that question? I like it. It's, um, the destination management, you need to talk about how good what you're talking about. It is, um, if I talk about how great Noosa is, Noosa Council can sort of do that, but it is not genuine because you're talking about yourself. You need a side organisation that actually promotes you as an organisation. You can't do it both yourself. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: That's okay. I think you're, you're going into a wonderful debate that you can say when we have a motion. Councillor Wegener: Yeah. That's, that's. Councillor Lorentson: And, and I'll start with maybe an amendment. Well, we haven't moved a motion yet.

04:22:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Would someone like to move the motion? I'll move it. Moved Councillor Wilson, seconded Councillor Wegener. Seconded Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wilson, you have the floor. Councillor Wilson: All right. Um, today we're revisiting the TN funding deed and KPIs. The roadmap was adopted in December 2025, which committed council to $2 million plus CPI over three years. The DMP was also adopted in December. Regardless of our individual views over the roadmap, the DMP, and the funding amount, these are the frameworks we're now working on. The roadmap, roadmap seeks TN to evolve over three years, and the DMP seeks a shift towards regenerative tourism. This is what we're asking TN to deliver and what the performance payment should be linked to. As stated in the report, council provides $2 million per annum to support delivery of agreed services, including destination marketing, visitor servicing, industry development, partnerships,

04:23:00 research, and insights. These are being made available. I understand that members of the community want to see changes in tourism in Noosa. Fewer cars, less congestion, less STA accommodation, easier parking. But these are not TN's remit. TN is not a traffic management agency, and nor can it influence property owners in how they use their property. Giving TN a KPI around, for example, the number of daytrippers is like giving McDonald's a KPI around obesity rates. They are not wholly responsible for the problem, or the solution, so can't control the figure. Visitor numbers, stays, spend, etc. are items we will continue to measure and monitor, but we can't set a reasonable target, or attach it to a performance payment specifically for TN. So what can TN control?

04:24:00 The messaging that goes to our current visitors and our future visitors. TN is not a service provider. TN controls members, the community, and the broader industry. It can elevate and support local businesses that are making the shift to regenerative tourism. For example, promoting local goods in the Visitor Information Centre. TN is being asked to review its strategy to align with the roadmap and the DMP, noting that its current strategy from 2023 already refers to regenerative tourism, long before the DMP came around. It will then align its annual business plan and marketing plan with its current business plan to the strategy, as it does every year, with input from the Board. Council will have visibility over the strategy, business plan, and marketing plan. In year one, these plans are deliverables. In year two, we may choose specific metrics from those plans to become KPIs. The balanced scorecard approach means we're looking at all parts of the organisation to ensure Council's funding is also balanced across the various services.

04:25:00 Destination marketing. Visitor servicing. Industry development. Partnerships. Research. Insights. The Information Centre's expenses are significant in the budget, but it's also a significant asset for visitors and locals, and for supporting local business. So it's important that its financial viability is managed, along with TN attracting more revenue for its members, and becoming less reliant on Council funding. These are addressed in Quadrant 1. Quadrant 2 has KPIs around services to members, including education in regenerative practices. The measures are based around value for members, in maintaining membership figures, net promoter scores, and increased understanding post-training. Quadrant 3 is about the Noosa brand positioning. Marketing continues to be important, but with the messaging now focused on regenerative experiences, and attracting more overnight visitors. TN can control its messaging, and targets two specific audiences, but it can't control who shares that information with other people, and it can't control what consumers are back

04:26:00 to. It also can't control people doing hashtag Noosa on their holiday photographs, which are then seen by everybody locally. We won't see changes in behaviours immediately, but may gradually change the type of visitors we see in the next one to three years. If we see a drop in engagement in the content as the messaging shifts, TN will need to adapt in order to meet these KPIs. In the current economic climate, we may see lower engagement with higher-spend activities. So a hold-steady target is expected. Quadrant 4 is still challenging, as well as the impact that AI is having on the way we access information. Quadrant 4 is future-focused. Training the independent agents in the experiences Noosa offers, and profiling local businesses engaged in sustainable practices, and an independently measured scorecard in sustainability for TN. This doesn't mean other information won't be collected or reported, and we know that that's important to the community. TN reports quarterly to Council, and the Insights reports tell us that it's still challenging.

04:27:00 We will still monitor visitor numbers and spend, and look for ways to deal with congestion and parking. We're also looking at ways to measure community satisfaction, starting with collecting baseline data. This could take a number of years to develop DAP data and surveys to monitor results. We're also not going to see a change in community sentiment overnight. I thank TN's CEO and board in working with us to release this report. We've reached this point over the last couple of months. We now need to let Sharon and her team get on with delivering what's being agreed through the deed, the schedules, and the roadmap. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Other councillors? Would you like to try your amendment? Councillor Lorentson: Yeah, I've got a few amendments that I'm going to try. First one is that Council prepare a destination management roles and responsibilities for

04:28:00 visitors, clearly defining the respective accountabilities of Council, Tourism Noosa, Destination Stewardship Council, and relevant agencies, and that Tourism Noosa's deed obligations and KPIs be reviewed against that framework. I might send that to you. So just insert probably recommendation C, and then maybe add a C1 of what I sent to Speaker 4: you. Is it the first one on that list? Councillor Lorentson: I think so. I've just played words a little bit. So I'll repeat that Council prepare a destination management roles and responsibilities framework, clearly defining their respective, the respective accountabilities of Council, Tourism Noosa, the Destination Stewardship Council, and relevant agencies, and that Tourism Noosa's

04:29:00 deed obligations and KPIs be reviewed against that framework. So you're taking out those first two words prior to execution? Yeah, take out prior to execution and request. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm going to need some informed advice. Councillor Lorentson: And delete the last words prior to execution. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Are you happy that's the right word now, Councilor Lawrence? Councillor Lorentson: Yeah, happy any suggestions to tweak it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: To the CEO.

04:30:00 To the CEO. The appropriateness of this at this stage rolls around the reference to the Destination Stewardship Council, as that action hasn't come before Council. Councillor Lorentson: So if I'm happy to delete the Destination Stewardship Council, I think the intent is that we actually need a framework for our scheme. We're asking Tourism Noosa to evolve into a destination management organisation without really articulating that destination management is not one organisation's job. That's the intent. Councillor Phillips: Second. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Second, Kenza Phillips. Councillor Lorentson, you have the floor. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: So I think it's just really important that we understand from the onset that destination management is a shared system.

04:31:00 And it involves multiple parties, multiple levels of governance, and they all have different responsibilities and different levers. Tourism Noosa shapes the visitor, who's marketed to, when and how, and then Council builds and maintains the roads that carry the traffic, manages parks that absorb the crowds, makes the planning decisions that shape how the Shire grows, and regulates short-term accommodation market that affects housing availability for residents. State government controls transport networks and environmental regulation. And there's distinct responsibilities, and I just think they need to be clearly mapped. The problem with the current deed, as I read it, is that it's language. When you start talking visitor demand management, environmental protection, community confidence in tourism, destination stewardship,

04:32:00 that talks about the whole destination management ecosystem, and it doesn't really define where Tourism Noosa's accountability starts and ends, and where Council's responsibility starts and ends. And I look at it again from a risk lens, and I just think its potential to create genuine risk, for both Tourism Noosa and Noosa Council. Tourism Noosa could find itself accountable for outcomes it can influence, but can't control. And Council could escape accountability for outcomes that are clearly its own responsibility. Just think the amendment, and I met with lots of residents around this, but he just sort of made the real point. You can't hold Tourism Noosa accountable as a destination management organisation, without first defining what destination management means,

04:33:00 in terms of who is responsible for what. And again, it's just protections, both for Tourism Noosa from unfair accountability, and it also puts the onus, or leans back to Council, to be totally transparent about its own role, in the destination management ecosystem. Speaker 7: Do you want to request a question? No. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: No, we haven't. It's not a question. Okay, sorry. So are there councillors who would like to ask questions, or would like to talk to the amendment? Councillor Wegener. Councillor Wegener: I'll speak to the amendment. The, you said, the destination marketing, Tourism Noosa has been doing that for a long time, but I've argued the whole time that destination marketing is largely Council's work, taking care of the parks, the mowing, the rubbish, the clean up,

04:34:00 parking, transport, regulation of food, all those things Council does. That is our remit. And, but that is destination marketing as well. It is our destination. That's what we do. Tourism Noosa is a mouthpiece or a voice for Noosa Council to talk about how good we're doing this stuff. That's working with us with destination marketing. No, Tourism Noosa doesn't pick up the rubbish, but the two are so intertwined that I don't, I don't think you can really define it. It's, it's in the, it's in the deed, really. I, I don't, I don't, I don't see this as a constructive piece of work because of that. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll, I'll speak to it next. Firstly, the reason we're doing this is this deed starts before the next meeting.

04:35:00 And it talks about, once again, trying to amend the deed, which means we would breach our responsibilities or we'd just have to give the money without any deed in the new financial year. Secondly, I think it's based on a misunderstanding of a review process within the deed and the really specific roles assigned to TN in the deed. So if we look at the table that starts on page 21, it lists nine, ten specific areas. It talks about what the obligation is, and it goes through strategy and governance, brand and marketing, industry capability, and experience development, visitor services, membership and partnership, revenue diversification, research, report and governance. And then it talks about what the deliverables. The deed really specifies what we want the role for TN to do as part of this job. The DMP at the strategic level clearly identifies by assigning who's doing what

04:36:00 as to what the anticipated roles of various different organisations are. So what this deed does is set really clear roles for TN. With a request to say, well, how are these going to evolve to better align as we go through this three year process? So I don't see, I see it to say we have to wait for the deed to identify roles. I think that the deed really clearly identifies the roles that we've asked for. So I don't see any need for it. I think the addition of the balanced scorecard approach just reinforces the specifics of what we're looking for in terms of what we want to measure. But I don't think it moves us forward. I think it moves us backwards and I can't support it. Others wish to talk to motion? Councillor Wilson? Councillor Wilson: Yeah, I don't see any need for an extra layer of frameworks to be added here.

04:37:00 We've already got too many, I think. We've got the roadmap which says that TN needs to evolve over the next three years. So because of that, we need to allow a little bit of flexibility in those roles over that three years as we work through which areas of the DMP we can deliver and how we fund that. And I don't think that means we can really, I agree that destination management needs to be defined in the deed definitions. But I don't think at this point we can say exactly what role Torres & Noosa has in that given that we're on this evolving pathway over three years. And we've already got TN's strategy, TN's board having governance over TN, a roadmap, a DMP, a deed, schedules, KPIs. I just think we need to stop and let them do the work. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Others? Councillor Phillips: I'm just going to speak to support it based on intention because one of the things that

04:38:00 I like about it is looking at accountability of councils. So through this whole process, one of the things that I found during reflecting of the process from day one has been my feeling of closed governance loops where there's not enough accountability on everyone involved to be resident focused. I completely agree demand management, congestion management, that's not, I don't think Torres & Noosa can influence that in ways that would, community would see. But our role, we've got to find the data instead of sort of making decisions still based on so many complex like feelings. It's to me, it's still we've two years in and I'm like traffic data.

04:39:00 There's so many things that would help us make this not so murky. If we just had black and white evidence in front of us. All of the noise that came in election process around don't fund, Torres & Noosa, all of that would be so much easier to answer if it was clearer on what our role is and what their role is. And it's so murky that I think it confuses everyone. I always like to go, what is the problem we're trying to fix? Before I make any decisions. I still actually don't know if all of us would probably have all different opinions as what we're trying to fix today. I think Councillor Lorentson is trying to add some more accountability. I can't see that as a negative, even if, you know, the wording isn't perfect. I don't see any, I couldn't not support anything that gives maybe more transparency.

04:40:00 I think the one thing is that it's just, it's too much. It's too unclear. There's too many opinions. Anything that makes me be able to answer what's the problem we're trying to fix, because I don't know about anyone else. But I think it's more murky than ever. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Others? Councillor Lorentson, would you like to close? Councillor Lorentson: I do. I appreciate the opportunity to put the amendment at the table. I think it's a good thing. I'm going to start with just some comments not around the table, that, you know, the responsibilities are intertwined. I don't agree with that. In fact, I think totally the opposite. Destination management involves different parties, with different responsibilities, and different leaders. And that needs to be clarified. And clarity is for Tourism Noosa.

04:41:00 Clarity is for Tourism Noosa. And clarity is so that they're not unfairly being blamed for issues that sit with the SA Council's remit. I've just completed the company director's course, so every decision and everything I write at the moment has a governance lens. So we're asking, and I'm also legally trained, so when I go through the deed, and the first part is, is it legal? And I really think that, I think, under a definition that we're making a marketing organisation evolve into a destination management organisation, that's great. But we haven't even defined what a destination management organisation is. So to me that just is a governance oversight. It's a risk.

04:42:00 So what I'm asking here is that we have clarity from the start. So we're not addressing these issues in year one, year two, year three. It's about setting the foundations right, so we're measuring the right things. So anyway, like I said, I've thrown it on the table. I think it's 101. I don't think it's redundant. I think it's a governance obligation. So I'm happy to accept the majority vote across the table. But again, I'll leave you with the quote. The resident who sits in strategy says, you can't hold tourism less accountable as a destination management organisation without first defining what destination management means. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, I'll put the vote. Those in favour, that's Councillor Lorentson and Councillor Phillips.

04:43:00 Those against, that's Councillor Wilson, Wegener, Finzel and Stockwell. Amendment is lost. We go back to the original motion. Do we have anyone else who wants to make a point? Councillor Lorentson: Okay, like I said, I'm just going to try to... Amendment? ...insert into recommendation C. Which? The second one? Director Walsh: Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: That the deed be amended to require tourism NISA to deliver a peak demand management plan to council. By 31st of December 2026 identifying high pressure locations and periods and specifying

04:44:00 actions within Tourism Noosa's direct control to manage visitor demand, distinguishing Tourism Noosa's actions from those requiring Council or other agencies with annual progress reporting. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Do we have a seconder? Council Phillips, Councillor Lorentson you have the floor. Councillor Lorentson: DMP commits to actively managing visitor demand and reducing pressure on high use areas and peak periods. It's one of the clearest and most consistently expressed community priorities in the entire DMP consultation process, yet the current deed contains no mechanism that would cause Tourism Noosa to actively manage or moderate visitor volumes at any time or in any location. Tourism Noosa shapes the visitor. It determines

04:45:00 who's marketed to, when they're encouraged to visit and what they're told about how to experience Noosa. That's one of the most powerful demand management tools available in the destination management system and it's a tool that only took Tourism Noosa holds. Peak demand management plan puts that tool to work in a structured and accountable way. The requirement is that the plan distinguishes between actions Tourism Noosa will take and those actions requiring Council or other agencies what they're going to take. To me when I look at the amendment A there's accountable, there's some ambiguity in terms of accountability. So again I talk about this as a protection for Tourism Noosa. It actually will set it up to succeed because it won't be held responsible for outcomes

04:46:00 that's beyond its control. So again we talk about they can't control visitor demand. I disagree. I think they can. And a peak demand management plan is a mechanism or a tool that we can actually measure that. So again open for discussion and happy to accept the decision of the majority. Councillor Wilson: I ask a question. You may. What specific actions are within Tourism Noosa's control? Councillor Lorentson: They determine who's marketed to. So if there is, for example, they identify hotspots in, for example, Christmas peak period in Haston Street, they should have an AI strategy

04:47:00 that someone that goes into AI types in what to do in Noosa at Christmas will tell them to go to Kin Kin markets and have a look at the markets, go and visit Pomona markets on the weekends, or go to Peregian markets, et cetera, but give them, or our regional gallery, or go to Noosaville and go to our Enterprise Precinct. We have so many unbelievable places. But they're our hotspots. They're the ones that tell people at this time of year it's busy, and let's disperse people into areas that aren't highly visited. So again, I'm trying to respond to what the community have been very loud and vocal over the whole destination

04:48:00 management process, that the risk is during peak demand. That's when our national parks are now free to use, and that's when it's hard to get into. So we've got to throw some responsibility back to tourism, Noosa, in asking what you communicate during that period, how you communicate or market during that period, and whether that aligns with our dispersal policies. Councillor Finzel: I just have a question around that. When we look at the schedule that sets out the agreed obligations to be completed by TN under the deed on page 21, it addresses those matters that are being raised. So I'm just wondering, do we need to drill down to something that's specific? Like it looks at visitor demand and actively

04:49:00 managed to reduce pressure on high use areas in peak periods, how to move around the destination, I don't know. Do we need to be drilling down? I feel like- Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll go to staff if you like. I think that's clearly what you're best questioning is, does the existing deed cover the issues that Councillor Lorentson- Councillor Finzel: Yeah, I feel like it's clearly written down on page 21 or 26 that those things are listed under the purposes of the deed. And then if you go down further, like for example, in on page 22 or 26, item number six, membership and partnerships, TN are to actively and proactively engage with local business, environmental groups, to identify collaboration opportunities to advance the DMP values, principles and actions in the roadmap, and deliver options

04:50:00 paper for shared services. So I sort of think, I just don't know how far down our role is today to like, is this like an opportunity or a risk to introduce something this specific given, I feel like it's covered under these obligations, under the deed. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And Anthony, do you have a response to that question? Speaker 8: Yeah, I tend to agree that a version of this, and it's whether it's detailed or not, I think that's the question, is schedule one agreed obligations. And then really it's a list of what aligning to the DMP looks like. And so there's a whole list, not limited to, but here's all the, and it specifically says visit the demand is actively managed to reduce pressure in high demand, high use areas in peak periods, including how people travel and move around the destination. So that's one example of many of what does the DMP alignment

04:51:00 look like. And then when you go into schedule two, which is the scorecard, the responsibility to deliver an annual plan and a marketing plan aligned to the DMP, obviously we will be, our measurement and assessment says, have you actually enacted what it said in schedule one? And DMP alignment looks like this. Your annual plan, does it mention demand management? Has it got an action for our demand management? And then the other one, counsellor, you refer to other specific KPIs in the other quadrants that I guess contribute to demand management. I think it's an obvious area that is one of our biggest challenges and counsellor at the start asked, what does the community benefit? Well, good demand management and a good action plan, business plan, marketing plan has to reflect that. So that's what we would be assessing Tourism Nusra on, is their plans and Councillor Finzel: then their delivery every quarter. Yeah, I guess my question is,

04:52:00 how critical is it that we actually lock that into a peak demand management plan? Today, as opposed to, in my opinion, it's covered here, but do we need to be, I guess, that specific? Speaker 8: I guess my opinion is, we have a Tourism Nusra's role and, you know, we're trying to define Tourism Nusra's role and the D defines Tourism Nusra. Tourism Nusra's role in the wider challenge of demand management, peak demand management plan to me is a whole of destination, which falls probably more under the destination management plan, stewardship, council, et cetera. So back to CEO on that. Speaker 7: Through the Chair, my position on this is that I think it is already incorporated into the deed. If we get into too much specifics, the idea with the deed was to try to keep it a little bit higher level so that we could, and it is a document where we work with Tourism Nusra.

04:53:00 So it's not basically letting Tourism Nusra go off and do their own, their own plan, their own marketing plan. It's with our advice and our guidance. And that's the idea of the three month quarterly review so that we can look at it and say, well, is it working? Is it not working? What other things do we need to bring in? If it's AI, how do we incorporate AI into, into the planning? That's the idea of it is to evolve. So it's a deed. It's not a, it's not, not, I think it's covered in here is my, my opinion. Can I speak to it? Or did you want a question? Councillor Wilson: No, no. I think trying to throw in additional obligations at this point undermines the work that the working group has been doing, where we've had specific representatives from Council and TM to work through all of these things together and to work out if they're achievable, measurable and all of those things.

04:54:00 And we did try to keep the balance scorecard quite high level and strategic so that we're working towards strategic goals and not getting too much into the operational, even though there are some that maybe do fall into that a little bit. I do think this is already covered in the data, the bit that Anthony read out. Visitor demand is actively managed to reduce pressure on high use areas and peak periods. We already know where the high pressure locations and periods are. I don't think we need a plan to do that. We don't need more plans. People who are here in January peak period are not being marketed to for accommodation and things because they're already here. They've already responded to marketing a year or two years ago. I don't know if that many people are accessing TM. To find out what to do once they're already here. There's lots of other places they can source information as well. So that means that TM doesn't have direct control over all

04:55:00 of the information that visitors will be seeing and therefore we can't tell if what TM's doing helps to manage visitor demand or disperse people into other areas. We wouldn't be able to prove it in any way. Yeah, so they're getting information from all different places, whether it's word of mouth marketing or because they've been here before. We wouldn't know if TM's messaging actually makes people change their behaviour. Councillor Phillips: Can I just say, I think although I get the intent, I actually think peak demand management almost sits with Council, but I understand the intent. Actually, I think the First Amendment would have captured this because it would have been under some framework that would have assisted what I think Council Lawrence is trying to do. And I'm not speaking for your behalf, but it's more one of the things that I feel is that the roles aren't clear and community are. So I think we'll keep going around until, because there's still not clarity, but that with clarity,

04:56:00 the only way you can clear the air for people is actually to say 280 cars that go in Hastings Street, this is the right, this is where that car, those cars come from. They're from Phrygian, they're from Coolum, they're from Sunshine Coast Council. They're like, we don't actually have, none of us can confidently say congestion is from tourism. So that's, we're going to keep going around until we actually, like I understand why you put this because it would have given maybe some data because you can't lie with that. You can't actually get on Facebook and debate. That's not correct. If you've got data that says, this is how many residents are actually in and out causing congestion. We don't know that. So I feel like until we know that we will sit here and there will still be continued. Those people will be in communities still unsure about what is going because they blame tourism Noosa for traffic congestion. And we can't negate that because

04:57:00 we haven't invested in any infrastructure that helps us determine where our pig demands are. So even though I understand the amendment, Amelia, I think that actually would sit with up with council many, many years ago in developing really clear evidence to support what what tourism do what we do, because the roles aren't clear. And that's why it will continue to be an issue every single election. And every year, we will sit here and have the same conversation. Because we can't, we can't debate it the other way. We've got no, we've got no data to support either either side of the party. So I get what I just I don't think it's tourism's role, but I know why you're trying to, I know what you're trying to achieve. But I still, I think council should have done some of this

04:58:00 years ago and should be investing in infrastructure that helps us get the figures so we can be on a dashboard and someone can see actually you know what some of those residents coming into Hastings Street, they're from Cooroy. And then you're not going to be able to win with that they're all Noosa Shire residents. I don't know, is it really that? Sorry, I'm done. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll speak to it. I think Council Finzel raised the question, is an opportunity or is this a risk? And I come from the latter. The risk is we've just introduced after months of deliberations and refining and defining and specifying a new term called the Peak Demand Management Plan. So I just asked online, what is a Peak Demand Management Plan for tourism? And it's not what we're talking about. What a Peak Demand Management Plan suggests is, about to be signed out, a strategic approach designed to manage the high demand for

04:59:00 tourism services during peak periods to the plans are crucial for ensuring the tourism destinations can meet the increased demand. That's about facilitating the increased demand, whereas I think what we're trying to do and the destination meant we're trying to reduce the impacts on the residents and the environment of peak periods. However, what it says is these normally include demand forecasting TN in the in the deed and does very well is that analysing historical data talks about they didn't talk about dynamic pricing. That's part that's for industry guest segmentation, understanding the diverse needs and preferences of guests. That's something that TN already does. It talks about adding extra a lot of taxis and it talks about making sure you invest more resources to cater for peaks. I don't think that's what we're interested in from a demand management. So one of the risks is introducing these things that may be in the mind of the mover quite clear,

05:00:00 but when it comes to implementing quite complicated. And if you look at it, manage visitor demand. This is direct role to manage a visit demand. And I don't think that's really clear as to how what tourism direct role to manage a visit demand. And it's probably not what we want to do. If you want tourism this to assist us to reduce the impact of visitors during peak periods. So I can't support it. Anyone else wish to talk? Close. Close. Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Again, I think people are just not reading what's actually up on the screen. The idea is to identify high pressure locations and periods, specify clearly what tourism nooses direct control, distinguishing tourism nooses action from those of councils and other agencies. So I keep coming back to whether it's the destination management organisation framework,

05:01:00 whether I'm talking about a peak demand management plan, it's about articulating clear roles and responsibilities and removing the risk, not adding risk, it's removes the risk. Moves the risk of being unfairly made to be accountable for stuff that's outside your remit. Also, again, you know, my governance lens, we're asking people to become a management organisation, but we haven't defined what a management organisation. We're asking people to manage visitor demand, but we haven't defined what peak demand is. And I go back to why we've actually revised the deed. And we've revised the deed because the community has asked us to ensure that the accountability measures that we've put in,

05:02:00 the deed reflect the investment, $6.2 billion investment over three years. So I'm here around the table, this is higher level that we're working with Tourism Noosa, but I think we've got to also remember that we work for the community and the community throughout this process has demanded more accountability. That's why this came back to the back to council, not to make it easier, but to ensure that the accountability measures, again, are measurable against the $6.2 million of OPAIS money investment in the Tourism Noosa body. So, again, respect the conversation around the table, but I think our job here is to ensure that we're actually listening to the community that's put us around the table.

05:03:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. I've put the amendment. Those in favour, it's Councillor Lorentson. Those opposed, it's Councillor Woodson, Councillor Wegener, Councillor Finzel, Councillor Phillips, Councillor Stockwell. The amendment is lost. Have we got anyone else who wishes to? Yes, Councillor Lorentson: Councillor Lorentson. So insert into recommendation C, that schedule 2 be amended to include the following auditable marketing KPIs, verified annually through Tourism Noosa's advertising platform records, provided to council as part of the annual outcome report, and one no paid advertising targeting residents within 150 kilometres of Noosa. I want to delete number 2 and make 2 a measurable annual reduction in

05:04:00 marketing activity directed at day-trip catchments. So I'm taking that out. Delete number 2. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Are you happy? Do we have a seconder? Councillor Phillips: I just need to read it, sorry. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Council Lorenton, you have the floor. Councillor Lorentson: Again, I'm going to start with one of the recommendations. I spend a lot of time in community, a lot of time in community, meeting with residents on all sorts of issues. This was an idea that was put to me.

05:05:00 By some residents. And I played with it. So, I want to start by saying that the current Schedule 2 performance scorecard has 20 KPIs. And not one tells Council where Tourism Noosa is directing its paid advertising. Not one measures whether Council's money is being spent reaching the visitors the DNP says Noosa wants to attract. And not one reflects the DNP's central and explicit commitment to quality over quantity and overnight visitors over daytrippers. To me, that's a really big gap in the $6.2 million funding agreement. And I think, and again, I think the KPIs or the amendment in front of us, the intent is to try to close that gap. DNP commits Council to quality over quantity. Overnight visitors over daytrippers.

05:06:00 Higher value, lower pressure tourism that delivers economic benefit to the community without overwhelming its infrastructure, environment and livability. But a policy that's not reflected in the performance framework of the organisation, paid to deliver it, is not a policy. It's just, you know, a wish. The current scorecard doesn't require Tourism Noosa to direct its marketing at overnight visitors. And it doesn't prevent Tourism Noosa from spending ratepay money advertising Noosa to people within 150 kilometres who will drive up for the day, use the beaches and roads, and drive home without spending a night or contributing meaningful to the local economy. Day visitors use Noosa's assets, but they don't fund them. And I do have to note, day visitors are also good for some parts of the economy, and I do want to acknowledge that. Residents fund our assets through our rates.

05:07:00 Overnight visitors fund our assets through accommodation spending and the broader economic activity that sustains local businesses and employment. If Tourism Noosa is using Council's money to attract day visitors from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, it's actively working against what Council's own plan says Tourism Noosa should look like. And again, that's the purpose of the KPIs, or the amendment in front of us. So, KPIs in front of us, they're not there to measure visitor behaviour. What I'm asking, or the intent behind the amendment, is that we've got an opportunity to measure advertising decisions. The targeting records for every paid campaign Tourism Noosa runs already exists in its own advertising accounts.

05:08:00 We can go to the Google Ads records, and we can find out exactly what geographic areas have been targeted, how much has been spent on each audience. META's advertising platform does the same thing. So, what I'm saying is that information already exists. We can already measure where they advertise. So, what I'm asking again is not onerous. We're not asking Tourism Noosa to commission or purchase the data. It already exists. And it exists in Council that Tourism Noosa manages and controls and funds with Council money. So, it should be able to be provided to Council at any time with no additional cost.

05:09:00 So, you know, go back to, we get told a lot that marketing campaigns are effective at influencing visitor behaviour. Um... But we need to be able to measure that outcome against specific KPIs. And that, again, doesn't exist in the performance and funding agreement. Um... So, what I'm asking is I think this is an opportunity for us to actually measure that. Um... Measure whether or not their marketing campaigns are actually effective in influencing, um, our day-trippers. Um... And the information already exists. Tourism Noosa has that information. Um... So, again, throw it at the table. Um... And again, I throw at the table that we've got to remember why we're sitting here revising

05:10:00 the funding agreement. And that is because our community has to remember why we're sitting here revising the funding Deputy Mayor Stockwell: agreement. Council Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Um... Again, I think this undermines the work of the working group. This could have been shared with the working group, um, if it was to be considered. Um... You can't really throw in extra KPIs into a balanced scorecard because it wouldn't be balanced anymore. Um... I did receive lots of suggestions from members of the public, and I thanked them. I had various conversations as well, and I considered everything that I was sent, and I brought anything that I thought was, um, relevant and measurable to the working group.

05:11:00 And I admit Quadra 3 was the hardest one to try and come up with, with KPIs because all we can really measure is engagement with the material, the content that TM's putting out and not what people do with it. I don't believe TM actually is spending any money targeting residents within 150 kilometres of this already. So, without a baseline and a target, we can't actually add it into the scorecard anyway. But I would say that baseline is already zero. So we're giving them a target of zero again. Which, they'd be silly if they were spending money on, on those people because all of those people already know Noosaville. And that they can reach it within a day. Um, I don't believe they're spending any money on marketing activity directed at day trip actors. Again, this is something we would have to discuss with, with Sharon and the working group of where that baseline figure sits. And then you would have to have, rather than a measurable annual reduction, the target would be how much you actually want to spend on that marketing activity. But, I don't know if Neil Murray would have anything to add there, but I, I believe that's

05:12:00 already probably zero or close to it. Speaker 7: Cancel. Councillor Wegener: Cancel Wigna. Um, question. So, 150 kilometres. The majestic theatre in Pomona relies on people from within 150 kilometres. Are you saying that Tewantin and Noosaville will not be able to put an advertisement in for the, the Saturday, um, Woodstown movies or, or things or events at the, the theatre or the Pomona markets or Kin Kin markets that actually want people from that, at that 150 mile, mile, kilometre base? Because they depend on them. What's your knowledge? Councillor Lorentson: Uh, I think this is really quite specific. Um. I think it's essentially close to and close to commuting to, um, our, again, if we had a visitor management peak management plan, um, it's the, the hot spots.

05:13:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'll talk to it. My understanding is the only time Tourist Manuscript has ever directly marketed to the drive market is during COVID. Um. Um. There is the arguments out in the community about, well, any, any advertising or promotion or following on, uh, Facebook or any social media will also get people who are within that 150, but it's not targeting them. Um. The, as was mentioned, the reporting we get from Tourism Noosa quite clearly, uh, outlines what each car, campaign, who it's targeted at, whether it's New Zealand, whether it's Melbourne. Um. We already have that information. And, uh, the, um, the, I think there's some statements about, uh, there's no way where it's stated that we don't want to do this. I think it's really clear in the obligations that, uh, the marketing campaign is in, is

05:14:00 to, uh, be 100% consistent with the destination management plan objectives and aims and outcomes desired. And, obviously, the DMP does, um, have specific provisions around, uh, the drive market. So, I don't think it's desirable or necessary. Anyone else? Councillor Phillips: I'll just reiterate that we wouldn't be having the conversation if we had the data to support, um, the vehicles and management of daytrippers if we knew where they were coming from. It would be an easier conversation. Um. Many of the people that I know that have not been on a daytrip, um, have not been able to afford to now live in Noosav, are living in Peregian Springs. They work here. Their kids go to school here. Are they a resident? I'd say they are. Um. I don't think we have enough clarity. Um. We won't have enough clarity after today either.

05:15:00 So, I'll still be uncomfortable in the process. But, until we invest in some technology that provides accurate data, we'll continue to have the same conversation in years to come. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah. Councillor Finzel: Well, just in terms of, like, risk, if we restrict no paid advertising targeting with 150 kilometres, and I think it was only through COVID, and we would certainly, I mean, I'm not 100% sure, but we would have data to show at that time during COVID, that, that marketing to that 150 kilometres coming into our Shire saved many a small business. Um. I think, um, I think we've really kept our, like, um, tourists open to some degree to actually get us through, through COVID. And everybody worked collectively, um, you know, to do that. There was a quick pivot by Therese Amusa at that time to address a health crisis.

05:16:00 I, yeah, I am very cautious about limiting that because if we've got a pivot because of some disaster, I think it's going to be a disaster for us too. It's prudent that we look at like how do we then put a measure of protection around in that space when we pivot and if we have something as targeted as like no paid advertising within 150k, if we had that restriction during COVID, we would have like pulled through. And in terms of the reduction in, you know, what we call day trippers, you know, some of those people that come up in the data are through, they've bought properties here, they might come up on the weekend and travel from Brisbane, I mean they pay rates here, they are part of that cohort of people that are in a car driving up here and using all our services, our infrastructure, coming to our events, all that.

05:17:00 So, you know, I think that's a big part of it. So I think it is a measurable reduction in that activity to day trip catchments. I think, again, risk or opportunity, I think too much restriction in that space might now, could lead toward those unintended consequences where we've drilled down that deep on that, that we can't pivot if there's a disaster. Councillor Lorentson: Okay, I think that's everyone who's talked, Councillor Lorentson, and you wish to close. Just in response with Councillor Finzel, we have a force majeure clause which actually addresses the very issues that you're talking about, if there are any external shocks or forces of COVID, there's opportunities for realignment, and agility is the basis of that force majeure. In terms of measuring annual reduction, I'm not talking about day trippers, people that have homes here, they will continue to come here.

05:18:00 The wording is very clear, it's in marketing activity directed at day trip catchments, I'm talking about marketing. We're not going to stop people from coming here, but we have an opportunity in this amendment to reduce new marketing activity directed at day trip catchments. Again, probably what I want to say, again, respect the conversation, my job is to work for the community, and that's what I'm trying to do in terms of these amendments, but I am hearing a lot in the repetition of we're undermining the working group. I think we need to put that in context that we also risk it, undermining the trust that this community has placed in us as elected representatives. So again, respect the decision of this council in terms of the amendment that's been placed in front of us.

05:19:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, I've put the amendment data in favour, it's Councillor Lorentson. Those not in favour is Councillor Wilson, Wegener, Finzel, Phillips and Stockwell. The amendment is lost. We come back to the initial motion. And currently Councillor Wilson is the only one who's talked to it. Thank you. Anyone else like to talk to the substantive motion? I will. I wrote down three words, articulated, coordinated, integrated. So the coordinated, integrated is essential if we want to get to a sustainable system of delivery around destination management. The articulated is what's really relevant to this particular item. Have we clearly articulated the expectations of Tourism Noosa to deliver under the funding agreement over the next three years?

05:20:00 And for me it's a resounding yes. I think the improvements that the working group has done since we last saw it have been very good. They've been, added a lot of clarity. I think Councillor Wilson's opening address was once again a really clear articulation about what we are doing here today. What is the scope of our deliberations and what can we expect out of Tourism Noosa? I do think that the deed does take the next step in coordination, of the coordination between Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa to deliver the destination management plan. I think there is good provisions in there to ensure that we will have a coordinated outcome. Reflecting back that only a few years ago we had this partnership agreement that had very little in terms of any specifications about what the Tourism Noosa would do for the money that Council gave it.

05:21:00 So that leaves us with the last one, integrated. And I don't think we're there yet. And that's because a key component of getting integration will be the setting up of the destination management plan. Because that's where the design of that, if it's done well, will integrate the community perspective, will integrate the industry perspective, will integrate the council perspective, as well as the broader government perspective in how we sustainably manage tourism to ensure that community values are upheld and the impact on our social and environmental ecosystem are such that they are not being degraded and that our economy is still supported by those who visit us. And so I think we are at a good spot in terms of being able to support the deed and being confident as councillors that it does achieve the objectives as set out in the destination management plan.

05:22:00 Councillor Wegener: Anyone else like to talk? Councillor Wegener. I'll just say quickly, I'd like to thank Councillor Wilson for stepping in. And using her expertise to help guide this process. And I think that that's something that councillors should be able to do is use their expertise that they've come to the council to do this job, to share their expertise and help guide the community in a positive way. So thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think I saw a hand over here. Councillor Finzel? Councillor Phillips: Oh, no. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And I? Councillor Phillips: Yes, I'll speak to it. Firstly, I would also like to acknowledge Councillor Wilson's persistence and commitment through the process. I very much appreciated the work that you have put into it. I'll circle back to my main points. What is the problem that we're trying to fix?

05:23:00 I don't think, well actually I know from the moment I started these discussions, I've been incredibly clear on what. I accept and don't accept because I'm extremely principle based. It's the only thing that I have is at the end of the day. So when I sit in this chair, I think about councillors well beyond me. And then I feel like I'm just warming the seat. So while I'm here, $6 million of rate payers money has to be spent incredibly wisely. We have a lot of work to do. We have an obligation to absolutely at foremost, it is in our money to spend. So that's, it's not with, it's not our own business. So we have $6 million over three years. And what's the problem we're trying to fix?

05:24:00 We would have to probably agree that community feel. And I think that's what we're trying to do. That traffic congestion is probably the biggest part of why they feel overwhelmed in their town, that it's been sort of taken over with tourism. However, we can't back that up with anything to the gate that it's, that it's right or wrong. I feel like the decisions for me. But myself, I don't know. I feel like my hands are tied behind my back a little bit sitting here. So I've never had an issue with tourism Noosa. I think that they play an incredible part of our economy. Do I think that rate payers should fund it? I think there was a loss in transparency when it went from the levy.

05:25:00 So from that moment, community have wanted to understand more than ever where their money is going. And that's because most households now are watching every dollar. They're watching their fuel tank. They're watching the cost of living. And so what they're asking us to do as a council is be incredibly conscious with their money. That's how they feel every time they choose to pay their rate bill instead of going on a holiday. They put their utilities up the front and they pay it off or they, you know, they go without. So I have an obligation to them to spend money wisely. And I still feel that the part where I got poured out the most about being able to support this was when it aligned so much with DMP because I still can't.

05:26:00 Like my principles say, there's no way I can say that there was errors in DMP and then support funding to go and implement a strategy that I still don't think has been tested. That would be, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because that questions every part of my integrity. I didn't support DMP because I don't think it's been tested. I don't want a governing board, an external, I don't want Tourism Noosa to be responsible for it because I think we haven't tested it enough to know. I think we're asking Tourism Noosa to pivot from where they've traditionally been without any evidence to support why we're asking that. And although I see it happening all the time and it's probably the way local government works for me, I feel that we can't endorse a strategy and ask someone else to deliver

05:27:00 it because there's no clarity in who's responsible for if it fails or if it succeeds. So I'm still incredibly uncomfortable about the process, how I got here to this point. I've got no issues making decisions. That's never been something that I've worried about. But I need to go home and sleep soundly. That's pretty much the test for me. So unfortunately, today I still just don't feel like I'm going to be able to deliver it. I think you've done so much work with Councillor Wilson and staff. It's nothing to do with that. I'm still not comfortable from day one and I haven't been able to influence the decisions in any way for me to say that I had a role or I had a voice at the table. Because nothing that I've brought to any of the workshops around Tourism Noosa or DMP have actually been listened to or implemented.

05:28:00 So my hand's behind my back. So the only way I can stand up for the residents is by not voting for it. Which is really difficult. If I'm to be put in that position, that's all that is left is my hand at the end of the day. Speaker 6: Okay. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Wegener or, oh no, I have Councillor, yeah, Councillor Wegener. I have you. No, I haven't got you. Are you speaking or Councillor? I have. Sorry. I have three words. I said thank you. Oh, thank you. And Councillor Lorentson. So, Councillor Lorentson. Councillor Lorentson: Yeah, I'll speak. Today, what's in front of us and what we are committed to is $6.2 million of rate-paying money to Tourism Noosa. And I think that's about it.

05:29:00 I think what I'm, I've been, you know, again, reading the performance deed, we're giving that money based on performance that's going to be measured almost entirely on its own internal activities. Social media engagement, website traffic, membership numbers, training attendance, report submissions, keep coming back to none of those measures tell us whether there's a resident is better off. And that's the question that the community have been asking us. Go back to the Destination Stewardship Council and the amendment that I tried to put through. That was our community voice. It was a mechanism that was built to answer the deed. But according to the deed, it can still be brought without explanation or consequence. The community that participated in the DMP was not the only one that participated in

05:30:00 the DMP process. Participated on the understanding that their voice would shape tourism governance in the Shire. That's what they were told. And the body established to carry that forward, the Destination Stewardship Council, according to the deed, is still purely advisory. You know, after today, when a resident comes up to us and asks us, and they will, you know, tell us whether the $6.2 million that we're committing today is going to make tourism work better for this community. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to have a straightforward answer. We have organizational activity metrics. That's what's in the deed. We'll have social media numbers. That's in the deed. We'll have response submissions. That's in the deed.

05:31:00 This is an independent measure of community experience and that was my attempt through all the many failed amendments that I put through. We're not going to have auditable evidence that Council's money is being directed at the right markets. We won't have a clear map of who's responsible for what in the destination management system. I'm going to put on record, I am not going to be supporting this motion and not because I'm against tourism in Noosaville not succeeding. And not because I believe tourism is bad for this community. Tourism done well is one of the best things that can happen to a place like Noosaville. It sustains local businesses, our neighbours, mums and dads. It supports local employment, my kids.

05:32:00 And it generates the economic activity that flows through to every corner of this community. Done well, tourism is good for everyone. But tourism done well requires accountability. It requires a performance framework connected to community outcomes. It requires honesty about who's responsible for what. It requires a community voice to be genuinely heard. And it requires an organisation receiving $2 million a year of public money to prove its value in terms of the whole community. In terms of where the whole community can see and verify, not just parts that already believe in it. That was the standard that I was trying to move today. And unfortunately this chamber did not support it. So I cannot in good conscience support a deed that falls short of it.

05:33:00 And I'm going to close by reiterating what I said as part of the amendment discussions. A lot of mention was made about we can't undermine the working group. We can't undermine the working group. Again, we've got to remember who we work for. And what we are potentially undermining is, again, the trust this community has placed in all of us around this table. Remembering that that $6.2 million is money that my husband worked seven days for. I worked seven days for. So unfortunately today I cannot support the deed in its current form.

05:34:00 Councillor Finzel: This is really complex. This is a really difficult, challenging decision. I mean there was decisions prior to today that were ratified by Council that now I have to respect that I did not support. So to start I guess with a clean slate. And the matter before us is about the funding deed. What I generally don't support is status quo. I mean I think it's been a rough ride to get to this point without a doubt. It was an election campaign as we all know. And the community at the time didn't want that money spent on tourism given the impacts. And I understand that. When we look at it from my perspective around, I can only speak for myself, around that addressing status quo. We have tried to attempt with the tools we have before us to address the status quo.

05:35:00 And that goes right back to taking it out of the levy on the rates. Because that initially was set up in my opinion to, from what I was told, was because it was an emerging industry and the cash was constrained to help build that. Now that served us for 25 years. We got to this point. In terms of addressing status quo and looking at it through another lens with robust and rigorous debate around what is before us. It still has not been in my opinion been a clear cut off here, start again. Now councillors that moment was gone. That moment came before we went to that meeting in December. Where prior to that we had an opportunity to end the agreement as it was. Through written correspondence to TM. Now if I could roll time back, I'd go hell yeah, I would have voted for that.

05:36:00 Because we would have started at an absolute clean slate. When we talk about addressing the status quo. Now that did not happen. So we've arrived here today trying to go through these murky waters. And collectively between our community, taking on board their voice which matters. I'm here because of their voice. And I take that seriously. And I work hard to engender that trust in my community. We've looked at the other stakeholders. All the people that sit around the table. The business owners. The small business owners. The schools. Everyone in this Shire is affected by tourism in one way or the other. We've talked to our peak body which I challenged on more than one occasion at this table around a definition. Were they an LTO? Were they an RTO? And here today we've got Councillor Lorentson asking again for a definition as we head into a DMO. It's really unfortunate that we couldn't do that.

05:37:00 I mean I looked up online. I can tell you. A DMO. What is it? It's a destination management organisation. Maybe public, private or hybrid entities that promote a location and work with its stakeholders to build a rich experience as well as a long term value for residents and business. We are living in complex times. Change and being facilitators of change is our role as leaders in our community today. None of this, in my opinion, is straightforward. Yes, we need data. Yes, we do the best of our ability with what sits before us to make these very challenging decisions in a very moveable landscape. It is like shifting sands from day to day. It is like shifting sands from day to day. And I feel for the families in our community. Right? For the single parents. Those that are living, you know, in a car. Those people that are trying to budget, send their kids to school and live on a single income in one household.

05:38:00 We've got so many challenges before us. There is no easy answer in how to make these decisions. I feel like we're emerging in this space of tourism. It is a sector that we cannot ignore. It is a sector that, in my opinion, we can't just like cut off and go, like, cut that off. We have to work together as a collective. And I think we're inching towards that. Even though there's deficiencies in this, how it's presented and how we've arrived here. It has not been a straight line. And in my experience, life is not a straight line. It is messy. It is like we expose our weaknesses. We've got to look at our strengths. We've got to balance risk and opportunity. It is a real challenge. And the other challenge, and I'm going to say it because I think that, like the Mayor, yeah, he had other obligations today.

05:39:00 But I think to, you know, also make this decision without the Mayor at the table. When we're talking for leadership around the table. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: You've bridged your five minutes and you're straying into territory that's not related to the motion. Councillor Finzel: Thank you, Mr Chair. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. Councillor Wilson. Councillor Wilson: Yes. Thank you for all the comments around the table. And I do agree with the challenges that we've had in this process. I've been quite vocal about that in previous meetings about the steps that led us to this point. Including a decision over a one year agreement that went into a roadmap for three years. So. Personally, I didn't support the DMP or the roadmap. But I do respect that that's now a Council decision. And that regardless of how everyone votes today, we're still committed to giving tourism needs for $2 million per year. Councillor Finzel: Yeah. Councillor Wilson: Regardless of whether you agree with this.

05:40:00 So working with that, I'll repeat a few things I said at the start. Whenever our views on the roadmap and the DMP funding amount, we are stuck with that decision of $2 million over three years. And what we've been working on in the working group this last few months is trying to just make the best of that and try and develop some KPIs that lead us towards the strategic goals. That team leaders are used to support delivery of agreed services, including destination marketing, visitor servicing, industry development, partnerships, and research and insights. With respect, it's not about finding out whether the community is better off as a result of that. But I would love for someone to suggest a KPI on that. Because we're happily adding in. But from all the different suggestions I got from the community, there was nothing that we could use to measure that. So I do welcome feedback on that.

05:41:00 But it's not actually what we're asking tourism to deliver on. But we have had conversations that say that we will look for ways to set some baseline data over community sentiment. And absolutely, we measure that over time. But right now, it isn't something that we can measure. Because we don't have a baseline. Or a methodology. In terms of the marketing, while we might not be prescriptive in the KPIs about how much money is spent, where council will have visibility over the marketing plan. Which does specify the campaigns. It's normally a summer campaign, a winter campaign, maybe a couple of others. Sort of activity based, potentially. So we will know exactly what those campaigns will be in advance. And know where that money is being spent. But we are moving into uncertain economic times. And TEM will have to adapt to conditions to support their members and support the industry. So we can't be too prescriptive on where they can spend marketing spend if, as the year progresses and we get those quarterly updates, things have changed and they need to divert their spending somewhere else.

05:42:00 TEM, at the end of the day, is a separate entity. With its own CEO and own board. And they have to make those decisions to make sure that they are supporting the industry and as well as the community. If we see a drop in engagement because people are not spending money on holidays anymore. Or because they don't like the regenerative messaging. Then TEM is going to have to adapt to that. And we need to give them the freedom and flexibility to do that. In terms of making two references to undermining the working group. What I mean by that is we've spent two months looking at many, many possible KPIs and trying to get this balanced approach. And that compared to throwing a suggestion in at the last minute to decide on the fly.

05:43:00 I think that's unfair to the process. But that was a warning. And as I said, I have received many suggestions from people that have been tested with the working group. And the community as well in the conversations. So I think I will end up there. I'm certainly not excited to be in this position either. But we have tried to make the best of what we've gotten. Come up with something that gives us some strategic direction for the next year. Noting that that's only the first year. We will revisit for the second year. And to get on with actually signing the deed and letting TEM get on with the job. So that we can actually assess their performance instead of them spending all their time on a deed. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Sorry, is it too late for me to ask another question? Yes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: No, it is too late. Councillor Lorentson: It's too late. Okay. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I put the motion.

05:44:00 Those in favour? Councillor Wilson, Wegener and Stockwell. Those opposed? It's Councillor Lorentson, Finzel and Phillips. And I use my casting vote to vote for. The motion is passed. We now move on to the Biosecurity Plan 2026-2031. Which is our Manager of Environment Services. Ben has been voting for. Thank you. Thank you. Ben, a quick overview. Thank you. Speaker 9: Thanks very much, Chair.

7.13 NOOSA BIOSECURITY PLAN 2026-2031 ¶

▶ 05:44:28· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

05:45:00 Afternoon, Councillor, CEO. Firstly, I'll offer an apology for Director Rawlings, who's engaged with the Minister for Environment in a few of my portfolios this afternoon. The draft moves to date. The Biosecurity Plan 2026-2031 has been prepared to guide the coordinated management of invasive plants and animals across Noosa Shire over the next five years. The plan responds to Council's obligations under the Biosecurity Act 2014 and supports the delivery of Council's Corporate Plan and Environment Strategy by addressing biosecurity risks to biodiversity, agricultural productivity, community amenity and public safety. The plan has been developed to adopt a risk-based, evidence-informed approach to approach environmental safety. Prioritising invasive species management across all land tenures. It includes actions focused on prevention, early detection and rapid response containment of established species and community capacity building to support shared responsibilities for biosecurity outcomes. Preparation of the draft has been undertaken with targeted stakeholders, including Queensland

05:46:00 Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, which is Biosecurity Queensland, QPWS, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Sunshine and Wildlife Service, and the Queensland Department of Aquaculture and Mining, Coastal Council, Gympie Regional Council, SEQ Water, SEQ Catspans, Queensland Rail and Noosam District Landcare Group. The Biosecurity Plan applies the Biosecurity Act at local levels and covers roles and responsibilities of Council and other agencies and private landholders, processes for reporting of invasive species and management processes, Shire-wide risk assessments to establishing priorities for managing and protecting the environment and the environment. Reasonable and practical measures for managing invasive species through prevention, eradication, containment and asset-based protection depending on the extent of infestation and management feasibility. Methods and timing for management of invasive species. Invasive species management tools and support.

05:47:00 Regulation and compliance, and information capture. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, which is Australia's peak research organisation, identifies pest plants and animals as a potential threat to Australia's biodiversity. Our diverse and comparatively well conserved environmental values in Noosa are under particular threat due to our accommodating sub-tropical climate. Accordingly, the draft Noosa Biosecurity Plan is a critical tool for us to be able to manage our biodiversity values into the future. And I'll say the recommendation that we've put forward is this is a draft that we are seeking Council approval to undertake broad-scale communication with the Commonwealth. We've engaged with relevant stakeholders up to this point. We've been well engaged with landholders through delivery of the current biosecurity plan. And so we're seeking the opportunity for all residents of Noosa to be able to have a say.

05:48:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Do we have questions? Would someone like to move the motion? Councillor Finzel: Happy to move the motion. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Moved by Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Second, Councillor Wilson. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Councillor Finzel. Councillor Finzel: Yes. Thank you. Thanks, Ben. That was a really thorough report. Yeah. It was really an interesting read, especially of how we manage our ecosystems and biosecurity and things like feral pigs and all that interesting stuff. So that is really relevant. And often we don't think about that when we, you know, we're often like, we think about our coastal and areas. But I really think, you know, as we head towards those rural areas and also some suburban areas, where we have to look at and manage these, the pests and the weeds and the feral animals. I think it's a really good report. I think you've done well to deliver such a informative report in such a short time.

05:49:00 Well, I think it's been a short time. So I think you've done well to deliver such a informative report in such a short time. I think I do support it. I think we do need to definitely have that in place to be able to, you know, inform our staff and our broader community of the guidelines that direct their decisions and the use of, you know, different things that we undertake in the community to address these issues, which aren't always pleasant, but they're a necessary part of, like, finding that balance for people living in this environment. So a big thank you to you and all the team, actually, that have to take these honest day-to-day responsibilities in your roles, because they're not always easy. But I think having these policies in line and those frameworks on how to direct that, regulate that, and implement that is really important. So, yeah, hopefully by, if this gets recommended today, that this continues to help inform your work and make those difficult decisions at times in those spaces.

05:50:00 So thank you. Thank you. Speaker 9: Thanks, Councillor. I'll pass that on to our team who are unheralded and often unseen in the work that they do. And that might be at one o'clock in the morning when most of us are in bed. You know, they might be out on the job. Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Yeah. Thank you. I just have a couple of questions, Ben. First one's in relation to glyphosate. So currently, Council does use glyphosate in its biosecurity and lead management programs. There are several councils that are banned or are phasing out glyphosate due to worker health concerns and legal liability following cancers linked to the chemical. My question is, has Council assessed its legal exposure in relation to glyphosate use? And have we looked at alternatives? Hmm. Speaker 9: Look, there's a lot to that question. Yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: And I'm just, if you could just hold.

05:51:00 Is there anything in the biosecurity plan that talks about control measures in use of glyphosate? Speaker 9: I don't know that off the top of my head. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I believe it's a matter that's more specific than what the biosecurity plan covers. Obviously, it's one control option for, you know, a biosecurity plan. And I don't believe it's a relevant question to the item in front of us. Councillor Lorentson: Through the chair, I have another question. Ben. In terms of fire ants, what's the current fire ant situation in relation to Noosa Shire? Speaker 9: We don't have known infestations in Noosa Shire. There is a rapid response team from the state government, which is tasked at the moment with investigating any reported cases. We've certainly had a few queries that have been put through by Noosa Council staff and

05:52:00 members of the community as well, where the rapid response team has come up and investigated. We don't have any in the shire at the moment. There are infestations close by. Like, Eumundi Noosa Conservation reserve is the closest one that we've had, which is, I think it's been deemed under control. Although, I'll take that as an uncertainty. In terms of our protocols going forward, we support the state government in the information that we share with our community members and being able to facilitate an awareness campaign as well. A particular hotspot is our landfill, making sure that we've got the right control mechanisms going in and out. And that does form part of our monthly assessment, is our biosecurity officer will go through our landfill and look at all the hotspots through there for infestations. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: And my last question. The report talks about a $30,000 funding gap.

05:53:00 So, biosecurity risk without intervention, a rate of high to extreme. So, why are we deferring these actions to a future budget rather than funding them now? Speaker 9: So, it was at the, I think it was the fire ants that came up as individual hires. Yes. Yeah. And I think it was the fire ants that came up as individual hires. And it's a residual high risk because of the controls that we don't have on it, that no one can have on it. And that's just the movement of soil, the uncertain vectors that are involved in, you know, it might be a community member, it might be taking a log from somewhere to somewhere else that might have fire ants on it, or it might be on someone's shoes or deposited in their cars or something like that. So, it's a really difficult thing to be able to manage the spread of that, which is why we've still got that as a residual high risk. The additional funding that we've sought for the program is above and beyond what we've got at the moment to be able to address some of the emerging issues and compliance items that we've got.

05:54:00 So, if it hasn't gone through in the budget, it'll go through in some subsequent budgets as a budget request. Okay. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Thank you. Councillor Wegener: I love the various apps that you mentioned, the weed scan app, the iNaturalist app, the feral scan app, the weed spotter. All these things are out there that can help us understand what to look for. And then I also really appreciate the various landholder support groups like the Urban Wildlife Council, Wild Life Gardens, Land for Wildlife, Voluntary Conservation Agreements, NISA, District Land Care, and so on. So we really have a lot of things going on in that field to help the residents and the citizen science do their thing, to complement to them. And again, I really appreciate reaching out, that the plan reaches out and depends on our

05:55:00 citizens to report back to their land, to help guide the whole process. So I think it's a wonderful plan, and I look forward to it. Councillor Lorentson: My last question, and not correct me if I'm wrong, but when I looked at the plan, there was a list of stakeholders consulted in preparing the giant. I noted that the Biosphere Reserve Foundation wasn't on that list, so my question is, should it be? I just think the alignment in terms of what the Biosphere Foundation represents in terms of advancing the values of the UNESCO reserve status and the plan, I see a real alignment. Just asking, were they considered and should they be?

05:56:00 Speaker 9: I don't think they were considered for this time. We can certainly put it forward for the public consultation. Make sure they're aware of it so they can have a feedback into the draft plan if it does go through. The government agencies and groups that we consulted with are either land managers or they've got an area of responsibility where they can dictate some of the program. So rather than an advocacy and awareness building process, which the Biosphere Reserve Foundation is, the ones that we've targeted are stakeholders with a genuine skin in the game. Rather than an awareness raising process, which is why we've chosen that. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yes, a supplementary question there. ULIS SEQ water and SEQ catchments. I think SEQ catchments might be a few years out of date. Yes. Would that be now a healthy land and water?

05:57:00 That's correct. So I think that went through, but thank you very much, Chair. Speaker 9: You know. My pleasure. And I will talk to it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: You mentioned CSIRO identifying biosecurity risk as the most significant one for biodiversity in Australia. We've just dealt with the concept of destination management. There's nothing the Council does that is more important than actually maintaining our natural areas. But also, you know, part of the DMP is getting the local food system and the biosecurity plan is one of those ones that spreads across both the environmental and the economic aspects. And although this is an maximize of the dry water befitting an environment and the climate production of our landscape, the risks will continue to grow as our native vegetation, which is adapted to past climates, has to compete with much far more weedy other species be they animals or plants. I do acknowledge the concern amongst the community and the ongoing debate around the use of herbicides to control weed invasion and there is always that balancing act to look at what the outcome would be without herbicides.

05:58:00 I know that Noosa District and District Landcare were consulted. What most people don't know is that group was started to address the biosecurity problem. When a whole lot of people started to move into the rural landscape and we had a significant noxious weed called grantil bush that was being aerated and sprayed by helicopter with a thing that was a mix of 245T and 24D anmine which most people will know as Agent Orange. So that was the genesis of when we had a public meeting in Pomona in 89 or so to start addressing how we could address that problem. To address the management of our landscape in a less toxic and more environmentally friendly way. So it is a big issue and it is one that really is if we're going to protect the Noosa brand we have to protect the naturalness of our bushland and the productivity of our farmland.

05:59:00 So it's an important one that we do consult on and make sure that what we've drafted is in line with community expectations. Councillor Linton. Councillor Lorentson: I've been attending, I'm not going to alter this here, but I've been attending most of the conferences I think over the last six years both at local and national level and by rents. That's just a real, you don't hear much of it here in Queensland but when you go to these conferences you actually understand the enormity of the problem. I think biosecurity is one of the most important responsibilities this council actually carries and it doesn't get that much attention. Like I said when I go to the forums that's when it's really amplified and as Councillor Stockwell mentioned when I do bush care volunteering with groups and when you're there pulling weeds out, invasive weeds and you just go man this is never going to stop.

06:00:00 You actually understand you've got to manage it. Once invasive species take hold, cats cause creepers or fire ants, you know, enter a park, that's it. So we've got to do everything to prevent that from actually happening. So I'm really, you know, this plan exists to prevent that. And I really support this plan coming to community engagement. And again, pass on thanks to your team. Really critical, important role that you guys play in ensuring that we're protected.

06:01:00 Thanks. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Anyone else? Councillor Stensland, would you like to close? Councillor Finzel: I think it's all been said. Looking forward to the feedback from the community so that we get their say in it. But I think it's really important that we move forward with the biosecurity plan, especially to like the future generations. By then we get this knowledge and then we like keep building on that. I think that's really important to inform future generations while leaving a really good knowledge base of like our area and what like makes it tick in terms of the environment and what we need to protect. So thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay, I put the vote. Those in favour? That's unanimous. We move on to the next item, which is the Environment and Climate Change Grants.

06:02:00 Yes, thank you. I'm going to declare, and that is in accordance with Chapter 5B of the Local Government Act 2009, I inform the meeting that I have a declarable conflict of interest in the matter in terms of Environment and Climate Change Response Grants, Environmental Project Grants and Climate Change Response Grants on this agenda. So I'm the current president of the Noosa Lions Football Club who submitted the grant application to Climate Change Response Grants. Although I have... I do not believe a reasonable person could have a perception of bias because the application submitted was unsuccessful, and could I add, and is not discussed in the report.

7.14 ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS - ENVIRONMENT PROJECT GRANTS (ROUND 21), CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE GRANTS (ROUND 6) ¶

▶ 06:02:03· Carried 5-0 from council's minutes

06:03:00 Therefore, I will choose to remain in the meeting room, however I respect the decision of the meeting, and whether I can remain and participate in the decision. Why? I think because if I don't, and people say, wait a minute, he voted on it, but he submitted an application, I just think there is a perception of risk. So if we were successful, it would be prescribed, but I just think it is a clever one to let people know I applied, and the Noosa Lions applied, we didn't get the grant, but I think I can make the decision in the community interest. Councillor Lorentson: Can I ask a question through the CEO?

06:04:00 Can I ask a question through the CEO? Is that standard protocol under our standing orders? Okay. That if there is a prescribed conflict, and... And I understand Councillor Stockwell's argument that the football club weren't successful, and therefore you're going to be arguing to stay in the meeting, but that's just, I've never seen that happen before, so I'm just seeking advice, is that standard protocol? Speaker 7: There's two questions there, you've never seen before, and it's a standard protocol, it's difficult for me as well, it's not something I've seen either before, Councillor, so I'm just seeking advice, is that standard protocol? The fact that it is prescribed, if you were, but because it wasn't successful, and it's not being discussed here, look, I think for the purpose of absolute, and it's your decision, Councillor, but I think, you know, my advice would probably be to...

06:05:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Get it out of the room still? Get it out of the room, yeah. Councillor Wilson: It's prescribed if you're a resident. It's... Deputy Mayor Stockwell: It's prescribed. I'm happy to leave. I think we'll go with that. If the CEO's advice is that I should leave. See, I'll do that. Director Walsh: So it's going to change your... Can you just wait while I change it and see if there's something there where I will leave? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I've already made that declaration. But yeah, based on the CEO's advice, I think I will choose to leave the meeting. There you go. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. And I'm happy to move that Councillor Wegener assumes the position of Chair only because they know that you don't like me. We all have to practise to practice, Tom. I'm going to get on this in practise.

06:06:00 He doesn't want to practise. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Speaker 7: Thank you very much. Would you like to do it, Councillor? Yeah, of course. Councillor's kind of here to do it. Happy to second. Thank you. Councillor Wegener: All in favour? Speaker 7: Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't know it was the third of the year. Councillor Wegener: Okay, Ben, would you please give us the report on the Climate Change Response Grants? Speaker 9: Chair, we've got two funding streams that I'll talk to. And first of all, I'll put in an apology for Makalee Shahan, who's our Climate Change Response Coordinator, who has just left for a family commitment. So I'll say very early that on the Climate Change Response Grants, I might not be able to answer all of your questions, but ones that I don't, I'll take on notice and we can potentially put through a council. So we've got two funding streams that are presented in this agenda item. The first one is the Environment Project Grants.

06:07:00 The Environment Project Grants are funded through the Environment Levy and supports the implementation of the Nooses, Environment Strategy, as well as Council's other key environment strategies and plans. The Environment Grants program is designed to enable collaboration with the community in initiatives that work towards the outcomes and targets identified in the strategy. All initiatives funded under these project grants must have tangible and measurable outcomes. The total budget that we've got for the Environmental Project Grants for financial year 26-27 is $35,000. We received nine applications. For the current funding round, requesting a total of $162,282. The Climate Change Response Grants are included under the Environment Grant Policy to assist in the implementation of the Climate Change Response Plan, the Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan and the Regional Climate Action Roadmap. The current FY26-27 budget for Climate Change Response Grants is $50,000.

06:08:00 Unlike the Environment Project Grants, the Climate Change Response Grants are funded through general rates. Nine applications were received for the current round of funding, for a funding request totaling $145,753. It is noted the calibre of grants received in this round across both streams was very high, and it's a credit to our community organisations to be able to put in such well-thought and strategic grant applications, which would all improve the long-term future of Noosa. In accordance with the Environmental Grant Guidelines, each application in both streams was assessed by a panel of three officers against the published criteria.

06:09:00 The panel assessments then moderated by Director Rawlings, with the recommendations presented to the committee in this report. I'll ask you to please note a correction in Attachment 2 relating to the Climate Change Response Grants. The correction is for the Alignment Summary column in NICA's Get Climate Ready with Noosa Plants, and should include the following text. The application was scored highly by the evaluation panel. The project addresses increasing risks of climate change impacts on biodiversity and urban green infrastructure, as well as helps improve household resilience due to the addition of climate resilience gardens, which provide heat, health and flood reduction benefits. The project is thus important to help the Noosa community with climate adaptation and resilience. The project is proposed by a credible group with a demonstrated track record of delivering credible, evidence-based information and workshops to the community. The project includes community workshops

06:10:00 that demonstrate the broader reach. Recommended conditioning of this funding to improve monitoring and evaluation and to demonstrate stronger partnership with consideration for Kabi Kabi land and sea ranges. So that was the additional dot points, in such substitution of the dot points that are in there, which was their cutting and pasting error. That is my summary. Stumbling summary. Thank you. Councillor Wegener: Open for questions. Councillor Wilson: This may be to the CEO, through the Chair. Why are we voting on two different types of grants in one recommendation, when for the community, when we're separated from the lab? Speaker 9: Can I say that? Yes. They're both under the same policy, and so it's the policy that guides how we assess,

06:11:00 Speaker 5: So through the Chair, the reason that the community project grants are divided up into different reports, they are under one policy. However, we frequently have multiple councillors that have to declare a conflict of interest, and in the past when we had them under one report, we ended up with nearly all councillors having to leave the room, and we did not have a quorum to be able to vote on the report. So we now separate them, and I'm hoping that probability and statistics is in our favour, and we have the councillors for each report to have a quorum. It's an administrative function. Let's just move on. Councillor Wilson: So on the same theory, councillor Stockwell doesn't get to vote on the climate change

06:12:00 grants because he has a conflict on the environmental ones. Speaker 5: In this format, that's correct. Councillor Wilson: I think he wanted to support one type and not the other. We have to vote for both at the same time. Councillor Lorentson: So maybe there's a request through the CEO that in future, whether the reporting can be done separately, given that so far there's only one identified conflict in terms of the environment grants? Speaker 7: Yeah, I didn't notice that, so I'm happy to do that, and I'm happy to defer this until we can separate them out for the next Thursday's meetings. I think so. Councillor Finzel: Oh, how are we going to do that? Yeah. Just two. Councillor Lorentson: Just two. Two reports. Yeah. I understand we're going to have to move to defer this to make it defer a motion.

06:13:00 Councillor Wegener: To bring this to the ordinary meeting? Speaker 7: We'll first bring two further reports to the ordinary meeting in September. Okay. Councillor Wegener: So I suspect, wait, we're going to have to move this to the ordinary meeting? Yeah. No more questions. Can we just do the deferral motion now? Yes. Okay. Okay. Speaker 7: Yeah. Councillor Wegener: Okay. Who would, would somebody like to move? Speaker 8: Yeah. Councillor Wegener: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Speaker 7: Okay. Okay. Speaker 9: Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Councillor Phillips: Okay.

06:14:00 Speaker 7: We just don't have this problem before, so I'm not happy with it. Councillor Phillips: That general committee agenda item 7.1.4 be referred to the ordinary meeting for two further reports separating the environment project grant and climate change response grants.

06:15:00 Councillor Finzel: So I just have a question then. Yeah. Does that, just previously we said that the policy guides the assessment. So if we're doing this, can we ensure that the assessment process that preceded this is not, is that still like, like effective, or does that affect that in what way, or anyway? Speaker 9: I don't think it affects it at all. Councillor Finzel: Yeah, okay. All right, just checking. But do we need to make policy changes further down the track, or? No, it's just administrative. Yeah. Speaker 5: Can we enable councillors to be able to stay in the room for some reports and then only exit when it's a batch of grants that are specifically relating to their conflict? Councillor Finzel: Thank you. Councillor Wegener: Okay. Should we vote on it? Yes.

06:16:00 All in favor, unanimous? Thank you. We can bring. Speaker 7: Thanks. Thank you. Councillor Wegener: Thank you. Thanks. Brian. Councillor Lorentson: Good job. Councillor Wilson: Good job. Councillor Lorentson: It is because it is so comfortable not sharing that you forget how much you've got to get thrown in the gym. It's got to be like. Average. Two is that. Yes. Yeah. I know the average on the second. Speaker 7: Because it's all the ones we do. Except over two hours. And what we do is we just get back to one hour. That's it. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I don't know. Okay, we're up to the next item, which is planning application to sign by delegated authority in April of this year, and we have, we've got the assessment manager, Patrick, here to give us a brief overview. Speaker 1: Thank you. Good afternoon, councillors. I know it's been a long day and you've been waiting for this item.

7.15 PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECIDED BY DELEGATED AUTHORITY – APRIL 2026 ¶

▶ 06:16:25· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

06:17:00 With the greatest gratitude ever. Here I am, with the delegated report of the decisions that were made for the month of April. As you know, this is a monthly report that's provided for noting, detailing the decisions made on the delegation. 30 applications decided in the month of April. No refusals. Again, abroad's spread of application, a heavy bench on minor changes. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Do we have any questions? Councillor Wegener: Patrick? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: No. Does someone want to move to recommendation? Move to recommendation. Moved by councillor Wiccan. No. We've got it out completely. Seconded by councillor Phillips. Would you like to talk to the motion, councillor? No, I think it's outstanding procedure. Would anyone else like to talk to the motion? I've put the motion. All those in favour? That's unanimous. Thank you. Maybe she'll be more like it. Councillor Finzel: Thanks, Patrick. Thanks, Otis. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Our next item is in confidential session.

06:18:00 It's related to, I think it's in confidential session. Can I have a resolution that we go into committee to address this item? Councillor Wilson: Can I have it? I'll have it in a second. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: The meeting will be closed if the public is pursuant to that section of the Act. For the purpose of discussion, I'd like to have a motion. A motion to approve the commercial matter proposed to be made by councillor, and in particular the potential commercial negotiations in relation to item 8.1, proposed land rationalisation and land mining away, lot 2 on RP88496 and nooses drive lot on RP884396. I don't think we need any discussion. All those in favour? That's unanimous.

8 CONFIDENTIAL SESSION ¶

▶ 06:18:08

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

8.1 CONFIDENTIAL - NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE - PROPOSED LAND RATIONALISATION - LANYANA WAY LOT 2 ON RP889596 AND NOOSA DRIVE LOT ON RP884396 ¶

▶ 06:18:24· Carried 6-0 from council's minutes

06:31:00 Thank you. Thank you. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Okay. We're back on open to the public

06:32:00 and transmitted I would like to move that Council note the report from the Acting Property Manager to General Committee meeting dated 9 June 2026 and a. Authorise the Chief Executive Office to provide landowners' consent, if required, to enable lodgement of any future development application involving Council-owned land affected by the proposed land rationalisation process. b. Note that the provision of landowners' consent and the actions authorised under this resolution do not constitute approval of any development application. c. Do not bind or fetter Council in its role as assessment manager. d. Do not commit Council to completing the land exchange and do not authorise any works or transfer of Council land prior to completion of all required approval agreements and settlement conditions. c. Note that the proposed land rationalisation process is intended to facilitate land tenure outcomes that support implementation of the Noosa Junction Framework and Character Plan,

06:33:00 supports opportunities for future housing outcomes consistent with Council's housing strategy and broader planning objectives, will result in no net net loss of existing public parking, is intended to improve future access arrangements associated with planned public road connection, and supports increased public realm and green space outcomes within the Precinct. d. Agree to facilitate a land tenure rationalisation process involving Council-owned land located at Lot 2 on RP889596, Noosa Heads, including a 363m2 portion of the existing driveway and adjoining land located at 99 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads, through a market value land exchange, whereby a 363m2 portion of the existing driveway and adjoining land located at 99 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads, and the driveway within Lot 2 on RP889596 is transferred to the adjoining landowner for amalgamation into the adjoining land,

06:34:00 and part of the adjoining land is transferred to Council. Pursuant to Section 2362 of the Local Government Regulation 2012, resolve that the proposed social part of Lot 2 on RP889596, proceed other than by tender or option in reliance on the exception under Section 2361CV, C. Of the regulation on the basis that the consideration compromises the land exchange for land, the disposal is in the public interest, and the transaction is otherwise consistent with sound contracting principles. F. Authorising the Chief Executive Officer to undertake all necessary actions to implement the land rationalisation process, including negotiating and entering into agreements, preparing and lodging survey plans, finalising infrastructure agreements, securing easements, access arrangements and road dedication, facilitating title and tenure arrangements, and completing the transfer of land interests. G. Note that all costs associated with the land rationalisation process, including legal valuation, surveying, lodgement and stamp duty costs, will be funded by the proponent.

06:35:00 And note that any future development application affecting the subject land will be assessed independently under the Planning Act 2016 by the relevant assessment manager and remains separate from the RAND land application. Councillor Lorentson: P. A second? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: S. Seconded by Councillor Lorentson. It is a matter of sort of confluence as to commercial nature. I just noticed that it will be funded by the proponent and that relates to the party other than Council. Does anyone else wish to discuss the matter? No? I put the motion notes in favour. That's unanimous. The motion is carried. And that brings us to a close. Close at 4.38pm. Thank you councillors for a long but difficult meeting.

9 MEETING CLOSURE ¶

▶ 06:36:03

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.