WITH the official announcement of the local government election, Noosa hopeful Brian Stockwell has released the first of his three policy platforms saying priority should be given to “improving livelihoods” rather than the “endless pursuit of growth at any cost”.
“Improving our livelihoods doesn’t have to come at the expense of our landscapes and lifestyles,” Mr Stockwell said.
“Whether paid worker, unpaid volunteer or parent, our livelihood is the combination of income, capabilities, assets and other resources which can be utilised or exchanged to earn a living and satisfy our needs as individuals and as a community.”
Mr Stockwell said his previous roles as principal ecologist and the Sunshine Coast regional director for the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation has given him the “knowledge, networks and know-how” to drive an agenda that “blends the community’s vision of environmental excellence” with the “aspiration of a dynamic and resilient economy”.
Mr Stockwell said Noosa’s main industry was tourism and that in order to “iron out the cyclical nature of the industry” focus needed to be on the “value not the volume of tourists.
“We should target strategies that drive dollars through the community when we are in a tourism or construction trough rather than create more peak holiday traffic chaos.”
Mr Stockwell said he had spoken with Pomona and Peregian residents who raised a number of concerns about the “out-of-date” planning scheme, broadband connectivity and council staff culture.
The policy outlines a range of shire-wide strategies aimed at creating more opportunities for start-ups in the priority industries such as health and wellbeing, rural enterprise, digital, environmental and creative industries.
“Council should introduce measures to reduce red-tape, increase flexibility in the planning scheme and partner with business and industry groups to enhance economic diversification and build skills for both individuals and small businesses,” he said.
“We should aim to facilitate the growth of fledgling enterprises from home business to shared space incubators, to own premises and upward to global business.”
