By JOLENE OGLE
The results are in for Noosa’s biggest community survey and while there were some surprising results, it’s not all good news for the shire.
Noosa MP Glen Elmes, the survey was sent to more than 20,000 homes throughout the electorate with 1667 responses received by the MP’s office.
The list of questions covered key issues such as health and lifestyle, crime and safety and development, with a range of topics from local, state and federal jurisdictions.
Mr Elmes said the survey results give him a great indication about what is important to the electorate and will also help inform his decisions when he comes to vote on legislation in Parliament.
According to the survey results, Noosa residents are concerned about a range of local issues including planning, development, crime and healthcare.
Fewer than half of the respondents (45 per cent) said emergency care was adequate, while 25 per cent said it was inadequate and 27 per cent of people didn’t respond.
Mr Elmes said Noosa Hospital services were at the forefront of his mind, having already spoken to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about improving the services on offer.
“The procedures on offer (at Noosa Hospital) need to evolve to suit the aging population,” he said.
“It won’t be possible for everyone to go to the Kawana hospital, so we need to have the right services, the appropriate services, here for local residents.”
When it comes to community demand for a birthing suite at Noosa Hospital, Mr Elmes said it was “next to impossible”.
“A birthing suite was never envisaged for Noosa Hospital,” he said.
“The chances of getting one are next to impossible.”
When it comes to development, there were interesting results with 69 per cent of respondents supporting the Sunshine Coast Airport expansion, while 70 per cent of respondents said no to higher density living in Noosa.
Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said they do not support lifting restrictions on high-rise development and 69 per cent of respondents support an increase in light industrial development, while 28 per cent of respondents supported the Noosa Civic planned expansion, compared to 30 per cent who didn’t.
Mr Elmes said it was interesting to see that only 12 per cent of respondents said they were affected by the closure of the Tewantin TAFE facility, but 68 per cent of respondents said they support the re-structure of the campus into a local jobs training facility, while 53 per cent said there was a need for apprenticeships in Noosa.
When it comes to crime and safety, 77 per cent of respondents said they support the current legislation on criminal motorbike gangs, while 84 per cent of respondents said they don’t think current sentencing reflects community standards.
A staggering 95 per cent of respondents said there needs to be tougher measures to deal with domestic violence, a message Mr Elmes said was being heard loud and clear throughout all levels of government.
For the environment, 79 per cent of respondents said they support greater local control of the administration of Noosa River, while 70 per cent said they support low-impact eco-tourism activities, such as trekking and overnight camping, in National Parks.
Other results included 79 per cent of respondents who said they support voluntary euthanasia and 68 per cent of respondents who said they are concerned the interest payable on State debt is impacting on the building of essential infrastructure.
