By joining the Council of Mayors (SEQ) for an investment of $70,000, the Noosa Shire has already benefited by receiving $3.58 million in funding from the first round of the SEQ City Deal to kick-start liveability projects across Noosa.
Through the SEQ City Deal, the Noosa Council will continue to receive funding for projects of social and economic priority based on new project submissions throughout the life of the 10-year deal.
The SEQ City Deal is $1.8 billion worth of funding supported by a $667.77 million investment from the Commonwealth, $618.78 million from the state and $501.62 million from the Council of Mayors (SEQ) plus $75 million from industry, to better connect South East Queensland as a region through key transport projects, the creation of more jobs and protecting liveability.
What does this mean for the Noosa Shire?
It means critical investment toward our community infrastructure, creating new jobs and allowing Council to plan for a more affordable, connected Noosa.
It means our local rivers, waterways and bay will receive a much-needed boost through $40 million of regional funding over the next five years to deliver priority, on-ground works to improve overall health and resilience through the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Resilient Rivers Initiative.
It means our waste infrastructure will be improved thanks to more than $105 million being invested in furthering the south-east’s transformation towards a cleaner, more sustainable region, building on the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Waste Management Plan.
It means $5 million will be invested to jointly identify the infrastructure and land use planning needed to keep pace with SEQ’s growth, enabling better investment by all tiers of government and industry towards things like transport and services.
It means we will also benefit from more than $400 million in funding being aimed at creating new jobs, supporting emerging industries, enhancing the local environment and boosting innovation and connectivity across the South East.
In addition to this, joining the Council of Mayors (SEQ) means we have the ability to work together with larger and smaller councils across the SEQ region to share expertise in areas such as waste, economic development, healthy rivers, animal management, infrastructure, planning and development…the list goes on.
Working together also provides an opportunity to raise issues with the group, who can advocate on our behalf and amplify our lobbying voice to the State and Federal governments.
As one of the 11 SEQ councils working together, we are now involved in the shared commitment to transform the region. To deliver better outcomes for the business sector and wider community we need to work as one SEQ region.
Being part of such an exclusive group benefits our residents, our shire and our region. The question is, why didn’t we join sooner?
Noosa’s involvement in the Council of Mayors (SEQ) was long overdue. I thank Council for supporting my call to join. I strongly advocated for Noosa Council to join the organisation and received full support from all councillors.
By re-joining the Council of Mayors (SEQ), Noosa Council has stood up for the shire and highlighted the important role Noosa plays in the future prosperity of Queensland but still maintaining our uniqueness and what makes Noosa so special. We are indeed ‘different by nature’.
