Pomona and District Chamber of Commerce president, Phil Moran, says his business group looks forward to working with the new Noosa Council elected for a four-year term under Mayor Frank Wilkie.
“The campaign drama is over – some of it negative and confected and designed to divide – but candidates stuck to their core messages that now need to be actioned,” Mr Moran said.
“There is important work to be done in the council arena across the Northern Hinterland and the Chamber stands ready to assist the council in whatever way it can to ensure our lifestyle is enhanced and the economy stays strong. All our villages stand to benefit – from scheduled streetscape and park improvements at Cooran, to implementing the Pomona Place Plan and devising a similar working plan for Kin Kin in 2024-25.
“These place and locality plans represent the practical application of council strategic thinking and policies that sometimes don’t attract sufficient community interest because people fail to see the direct relevance to their lives. The election campaign reflected this through acknowledgement among candidates for a ‘back to basics’ approach that places residents and their well-being front and centre.
“Finalisation of a Destination Management Plan for the shire will be important business too.”
Mr Moran said the PDCC, which represents more than 60 business enterprises from Pomona to Kin Kin, had written to Noosa Council detailing a number of initiatives members felt important. Parking, town connectivity, shade trees and flood immunity were among the items the Chamber hoped would be addressed in the 2024-25 council budget.
“This new council will be pivotal to Noosa Council’s future direction and relationship with ratepayers. It is a balanced group with strong corporate knowledge and experience, as well as new skill sets brought to the table by two new councillors – Nicola Wilson and Jessica Phillips. Congratulations to those councillors re-elected to their positions. A big thank-you to outgoing councillor, Joe Jurisevic, for his service and insight over the years.”
