Erle Levey
Collaboration was the name of the game when the four mayors from Noosa, Gympie, Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay met for a sold-out business lunch.
The Building A Brighter Future lunch, held at Brightwater and organised by the Sunshine Coast Business Council (SCBC), provided a crucial opportunity to hear the vision and strategies of the local government leaders.
With the recent appointment of two new mayors and the continuation of Moreton Bay and Gympie’s leadership, it was important to see how they planned to continue down the path of economic growth and sustainability.
It was also a chance to address productivity within local government, housing affordability and attract business investment in the face of evolving demands.
Director of Lucid Economics, Michael Campbell, moderated a panel discussion with the four mayors as they shared their vision, aspirations, and plans for their region and communities.
Newly-elected mayors Frank Wilkie, Noosa, and Rosanna Natoli, Sunshine Coast Council, joined with incumbents Peter Flannery, Moreton Bay, and Glen Hartwig, Gympie.
SCBC chair Sandy Zubrinich said the lunch was instrumental in bringing together regional leaders and business representatives for candid discussions about the current economic landscape and strategies for success.
“Michael Campbell’s initial statement on the global, national and Queensland economies offered a solid foundation for understanding the potential short to medium-term impacts on our regional economies.“
Noosa mayor Frank Wilkie and Gympie’s Glen Hartwig both highlighted the spirit of collaboration that was evident between the four councils.
“The willingness or need to collaborate has never been stronger,’’ Cr Wilkie said. “Especially when you consider the things we have in common such as three contiguous biospheres side-by-side – Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Great Sandy.
“When you look at the region from the air, you realise we have done well to restrain development to a relatively small proportion of the greater land mass.
“The biosphere designation is recognition that the community has done well in preserving the environment while continuing on cultural, social and economic development.’’
That’s been seen with the number of architect, building and landscape awards that have made it to state and national level.
It highlights the fact that Noosa people are interested in the environment.
The beaches, the rivers, the hinterland … there’s a different focus in Noosa compared to many other places.
“Our natural assets are what attracts people to this whole area,’’ Cr Wilkie said.
“From the mountains to the sea – the beaches, the forests, the parks. They attract new residents, they attract new businesses, they attract visitors.
“You don’t have to go very far in any direction to find yourself in a beautiful area … almost of wilderness in some respects.
“We have to acknowledge that natural assets are the key to our future prosperity and healthy lifestyle.
“In Noosa, for example, we’re leveraging environmental assets with clean, high-tech jobs and businesses … that’s the way of the future.
“The greatest area of economic prosperity in Noosa has been in medical services – and not just medical professionals and technical services – that has outstripped construction in recent times.
“That’s about diversifying the economy, away from traditional areas of tourism and construction.
“What helps drive that has been the attraction of the area and the natural assets.
“There’s a great opportunity for all councils to collaborate. In dealing with our resources, I’m particularly talking about a different way in how we deal with waste
“That can be looking to the north with Gympie and general waste as a resource for energy production.
“In return, they are looking at giving us their green waste for high-end compost to be used in council operations on gardens and roadsides.
“We’re looking to the Sunshine Coast as we already send them our recyclables.
“The Noosa Resource Recovery Centre is already being used by northern residents of the Sunshine Coast.
“So there’s a lot of inter-regional collaboration going on. That’s the key to new economies, new opportunities.’’
Part of the vision for Noosa is the participation in the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
While the Sunshine Coast will be a hub for the games, there will be spill-over to surrounding areas in the lead-up and after the Olympics.
“People will be coming here up until 2032 to find out about this place – not just the two weeks of the events,’’ Cr Wilkie said.
“We’re looking at that as an opportunity or a catalyst to get the things needed to make Noosa a more liveable community.
“It’s not just the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, we’ve got a lot of work to do to upgrade our facilities to make them all-abilities accessible.
“We will be using the Olympics as a catalyst to leverage funding opportunities to improve our facilities and public spaces to make them all-abilities compliant.’’
Noosa already has a good record of making a more community-friendly environment, whether it be roundabouts to allow traffic flow, bikeways for road sense, or walkways along rivers and beaches, through parks and as part of the great walk from Noosa Heads to Caloundra.
“We’re working to fill the gaps in our walking and cycling network.
“We have free buses every weekend now as well as Christmas and Easter holidays. We’re looking to find alternative revenue streams to allow free buses all year round – the opportunity is there for businesses to be seen to be green. We’d be very open to that.
“Collaboration is the key to new economies and new opportunities.’’
A key point that was raised by Cr Hartwig was for government to do more in the way of decentralisation in some regional areas, where assets such as water and sewage were under-utilised.
“If we were to decentralise back to these systems, it would alleviate pressure from the larger governments and capital cities and be better utilised.“
Cr Hartwig believes Gympie will see larger growth in the foreseeable future.
“We are in an amazing position, an hour away from the Sunshine Coast Airport, an hour away from the beach, plenty of open spaces.
“We have huge industry opportunity for growth and to take the pressure off the South East corner.“
While it was not realistic to think the Olympic games would have a big impact on Gympie, Cr Hartwig said the area could provide the facilities needed for overseas teams in the lead-up to the games and during it.
He said the region had a lot to offer in as far as natural attractions and the food-growing areas, while the central business district was attracting attention from investors and developers.
For Ms Zubrinich, the luncheon provided an opportunity for the mayors’ willingness to address the issues and share their insights.
“The mayors provided a detailed outlook on their local economies, focusing on both opportunities and challenges, with cost of living and the cost of doing business being significant concerns.“
“Housing and land supply were critical topics, with the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Moreton Bay facing notable challenges, while Gympie presented opportunities for business expansion on available industrial land.“
