Noosa Council is proposing to back Surf Life Saving Queensland-led programs to install and manage remote rescue tubes on Noosa beaches.
Following a Notice of Motion by Cr Amelia Lorentson in September, Council will on Monday consider a report that recommends deferring its own trial, and instead back SLSQ programs.
“I brought the notified motion to Council in 2024 following several near‑drownings at A‑Bay and North Sunshine,” Cr Lorentson said.
“At the time, SLSQ did not view remote rescue tubes as a high priority. That was exactly why I put the motion forward – if SLSQ wasn’t ready to act, someone needed to.”
“The Noosa World Surfing Reserve, our lifeguards, and the Noosa Boardriders Club also continued to advocate strongly for rescue tubes.”
“After three years of collective effort, it’s fantastic to finally see them being rolled out. A great outcome for our community.”
The timeframe for the roll-out is yet to be decided.
Cr Lorentson’s Notice of Motion called for an investigation into the feasibility of installing publicly accessible rescue tubes at high-visitation, unpatrolled locations such as Sunrise Beach and North Peregian Beach.
Similar programs in NSW and overseas have shown “lifesaving potential” by giving bystanders flotation devices to assist swimmers in distress while help arrives.
The report acknowledged strong community support locally, including from surf clubs and boardrider groups, and noted that public rescue devices are widely recognised as effective in breaking the “chain of drowning”.
National data shows there have been no recorded bystander rescue drownings where a flotation device was used.
However, Acting Local Laws and Environmental Health Manager Clint Irwin warned that Council ownership and management of the equipment would introduce complex duty of care, liability and reputational risks.
“While the likelihood of a serious incident is low, the potential consequences for Council should a bystander be injured or killed using Council-supplied equipment are significant,” the report states.
A Council-run trial would also require ongoing inspection, maintenance, public education and risk management systems, along with a shift away from Council’s zero-tolerance approach to health and safety risks.
Instead, councillors will be asked to support Surf Lifesaving Queensland and local surf lifesaving clubs as they roll out funded rescue tube programs across the state.
SLSQ has confirmed plans to install 30 public rescue tube boxes at beaches including Mooloolaba, Burleigh, Currumbin and North Stradbroke Island, complementing existing sites at Noosa Main Beach and Marcoola.
Closer to home, a separate trial of four rescue tubes is already underway in Noosa National Park between Granite Bay and First Point, approved by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Council officers say deferring a Council-managed trial allows time to assess outcomes from these initiatives, gather evidence, and develop an appropriate risk management framework before any future decision.
The recommendation before councillors is to formally note the report, support SLSQ-led rollouts, and revisit the issue once existing trials have been evaluated.
