Nick Hluszko, an accomplished commercial and community leader and advocate, announces his candidacy for the position of Mayor of Noosa Shire, Queensland. Standing for a sustainable and prosperous Noosa, Hluszko brings a wealth of experience and a passion for serving the community.
“I am standing for Mayor because I am devoted to Noosa. I am a seasoned executive and community leader who has the experience, qualifications, passion, and energy to lead and guide our community in the face of significant challenges and opportunities facing Noosa today,” says Nick Hluszko.
Nick’s journey is a testament to hard work and dedication. Born in Brisbane to parents who were WWII refugees, Nick’s career began as a 21-year-old truck driver with Mobil Oil and after 20 years, he climbed the ranks to a global management role in the USA. He further excelled as the General Manager of YUM Restaurants International, Eurasia, overseeing over 4000 staff, consulting as the CEO for major retail brands in Eurasia as the CEO of one of Eurasia’s largest cinema chains.
Nick holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Business Administration from Monash University. He has also studied at Harvard in the USA, the Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales, and Financial Management at INSEAD in France.
Locally, Nick has been deeply involved, serving as the President of the Noosa North Shore Association, Chair of the Noosa River Stakeholder Advisory Sub-Committee, and contributing to the Council Climate Change Round Table, Teewah and Cooloola Working Group, Rural Fire Brigade and as an oyster grower for the NICA Oyster Project.
Why Nick is Standing:
Nick says his decision to run for Mayor is driven by a passion to protect Noosa’s unique identity. “We are not another Gold Coast, and under my watch, never will be. My experience uniquely positions me to lead Noosa through its growth pressures with proven leadership, proper governance, and a focus on the right priorities,” he says.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by the community, Nick addresses the low public trust in the current council and resultant divisiveness in the community. With a background in strong organisational governance, Nick aims to address the failure of Noosa council to manage infrastructure issues and the waste of public funds that has occurred on low priority projects.“I want to rebuild trust between the community and Noosa council and address the perceived ‘Boys Club’ exclusivity of the current council, which does not listen to, nor represent all the community,” he says.
Key points of Nick Hluszko’s campaign platform include:
Better Management – an efficient, well-managed Council controlling bureaucratic costs and imposing only the very minimum rates and levies at a time when far too many are struggling with the cost of living and interest rates. This will guarantee a larger percentage of ratepayers’ money for services, maintenance of our parks, gardens, reserves and improving infrastructure and help to keep our Noosa ‘special’.
A Sensible Noosa River Strategy – The proposal to lock-up the Noosa River for a Conservation Park, put forward by some current Noosa councillors is not the solution for the Noosa River, or our community, and is a total overkill. However, we must be vigilant to ensure that the health of the Noosa River is not compromised and that our coordinated efforts focus upon sedimentation and pollutant entry into the river and its catchment.
My priority is to clean up the river by actively working with the State Government to implement the approved anchoring, mooring and live-aboard vessel recommendations. The Noosa River is State Government controlled. We need to partner with them to develop a strategy and to get already available funding. We do not need to use ratepayer money! There has been misinformation about the state and quality of the Noosa River. For the last 21 years, the State Government has confirmed the river quality is good to excellent.
I want to ensure that access to the Noosa River fair for all, in a sustainable way.
An Initiative-taking Plan for Noosa’s Infrastructure – Nick believes that we need to stop putting our heads in the sand when it comes to infrastructure. While he opposes the State Government’s mandated 18,000 additional people in the Noosa Shire over the coming years, he believes that Noosa must be realistic about this and accept the impact this will have upon our existing infrastructure.
He believes that if we do not prioritise infrastructure such as public transport, roads, parking, and boating access urgently, residents’ existing problems will continue to get worse. Council has spent very little on infrastructure over the past few years. We already have serious problems. The additional population will rapidly diminish our lifestyle if we don’t fix these problems now.
Strong Leadership – Successful organisations build good cultures, accurately plan for future needs, develop a can-do attitude, foster transparency, and communication, and invest in their staff. We need a cost-effective, streamlined management team working together in a good environment with defined goals and accountable for their results.
“My decision to run for Mayor is based on the belief that I can improve the financial and operational governance of Noosa Council – something that I know concerns residents. We need a council capable of forecasting its overheads, managing its budget and capital works programs, and delivering the honest and transparent services our community deserves,” says Nick Hluszko. I will also partner and work closely with the State to deliver sensible strategies for our river and other key assets. It’s time to unite the community and stop dividing it” says Nick Hluszko.
Following the announcement of his candidacy Nick Hluszko plans a series of public engagement events that will be progressively announced via his social media sites.
