By JONATHON HOWARD
NOOSA Council says restructuring of Noosa Biosphere Limited (NBL) was not a strategic “guerrilla campaign” as suggested by outgoing NBL chair, Sue Davis, but instead a change of leadership models to meet community expectations.
Noosa Council announced recently that it was restructuring the NBL to create greater independence from council and to introduce a management-tiered approach.
Noosa Council acting mayor Bob Abbot said the use of guerrilla tactics was “untrue, unsubstantiated and at best, devious speculation”.
Cr Abbot said the NBL restructure instead involved a comprehensive public review and consultation.
“It was from this review that council was able to determine the best way forward,” he said.
“Council listened to the community and found that council should play a part in the Noosa Biosphere, but that council should no longer control the NBL.”
Cr Abbot said the previous NBL team had done a good job during the past six years.
“The NBL did extremely well with the environment side, however, they fell short in other areas such as cultural factors,” he said. Departing chair of Noosa Biosphere Limited (NBL), Sue Davis, also took a shot at Noosa councillor Tony Wellington, alleging that he refused to work with the NBL.
Cr Wellington refuted Ms Davis’ comments.
“In one instance, she claimed that I refused to work productively with her – I absolutely refute any such assertion,” he said.
“Whilst a councillor on the Sunshine Coast Council (SCC), I met at various times with Sue Davis for convivial discussions.
“When she asked for my advice about presenting NBL’s funding proposals, I happily provided that advice. I also supported NBL’s full funding requests through two SCC budgets.
“I did decline an offer to be a director of NBL whilst I was a SCC councillor. My personal position opposing the governance structure – a company wholly owned by council – was publicly known.
“I thus decided it would be untenable for me to become a director of the company given my previously stated views.”
Cr Wellington said it was reasonable for there to be robust debate on the ideal management structure for the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.
“The structure as it currently stands was developed in the dying days of the former Noosa Council knowing that it would be handing the Biosphere Reserve over to the amalgamated council,” he said.
“It was thus a product of its times. But times have changed, and it is therefore appropriate for the new Noosa Council to review the company they inherited, regardless of my personal views, or those of anyone else.
“The decision to review the management structure was agreed to by all of the new Noosa councillors. The proposed new model, developed over time by the Working Group, was supported unanimously at the last Ordinary Meeting of Council.
“To single out individuals is to deny the democratic process under which those decisions were made.”
