Advocacy

Noosa Chamber is committed to being a strong voice on behalf of its members and Noosa businesses, and to building trust, credibility & confidence with the three tiers of government and other key stakeholders.

Recent Noosa Chamber Advocacy

Noosa Wedding Organisation - Concerns Regarding Wedding Permit Fees - 

Speaker: Jacqueline Gray Noosa Wedding Organisation, Committee Noosa Chamber of Commerce. Supported by Melinda Gannan, Committee Noosa Chamber of Commerce.

Opening

Good afternoon Councillors, Executive staff, and Mayor. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today on behalf of the Noosa Wedding Organisation, a collective of Noosa Wedding based businesses and as representatives of the Noosa Chamber of Commerce.

My name is Jacqueline Gray, and with me today is Melinda Gannan. I am a wedding celebrant, and also the owner of a Noosa Elopement service business. Melinda is the owner of First Class Functions, providing wedding styling, event and catering services.

Our deputation concerns the current wedding permit fee of $799, for an individual wedding for the Groves along Noosa Main Beach & $399 for all other beaches and park sites, and we question whether this fee complies with the requirements of Section 97 (2)a of the Local Government Act 2009 (Qld), and fits with the ‘Noosa Brand.’

Melinda and I, along with many of the business owners we represent today, meet with couples on a regular basis, face to face, to assist them in arranging a wedding in our beautiful destination. The Noosa Council permit fee, permit terms and conditions and the No refund policy attached are a constant conversation, with comments such as: ‘That fee seems hefty’, ‘WHAT! Not exclusive use!’, ‘We’ve heard about the Noosa Tax, but it’s worse than we would have imagined’.

We can assure you that the ‘Noosa Brand’ is heavily impacted by the fee, with Noosa seen by our visitors as ‘An Unwelcoming place to visit.’

• In 2013 a fee for a permit to marry at one of our Groves along Main Beach was $159. As of 2026, the fee is $799 – an increase of 402.5%.
• In 2024-5 council issued x150 permits @ $629 for Noosa Main Beach area and 105 @$265 for all other areas. Costs recovered for the issue of these permits was therefore $122,175
• In 2026-7 assuming we were to have the same number of permits issued Council would recover $161,745. An anticipated increase of $40,000 in 2 years.

Which should be concerning for all ratepayers, residents, businesses and councillors.

Purpose of Deputation

We are seeking:

1. Transparency about how the $799 & $399 fees were calculated.
2. Confirmation that the fee complies with the cost-recovery requirements under Queensland law.
3.  A review of the wedding permit fees structure to ensure it is lawful, reasonable, and economically sustainable for local businesses.
4. A reduction of the fees to be compliant with Section 97(2) a of the Local Government Act and to align with other Qld councils.

The Legislative Framework

Wedding permit fees are set according to Section 97 of the Local Government Act 2009 allows councils to charge cost-recovery fees for permits. However, the Act is very clear:

A cost-recovery fee must not be more than the cost to the local government of taking the action for which the fee is charged.'

This means councils cannot generate profit from permit fees. Fees must reflect actual cost, not desirability of the location, not market demand, and not revenue objectives.

REFERENCE CAN BE MADE TO THE decision of the Qld Ombudsman in 2013 -.

The Ombudsman decision outlined ‘Councils have a statutory obligation to comply with the requirements of Section 97(4) of the LG act when fixing cost recovery fees. It may be necessary to seek professional advice before fixing a fee.’

Section 97 (4) States: (4)A cost-recovery fee must not be more than the cost to the local government of taking the action for which the fee is charged.

The Noosa Council Register of Fees states that the Fee is charged according to Section 97 (2) a – whereby it is stated: “A cost-recovery fee is a fee for—

(a) an application for the issue or renewal of a licence, permit, registration or other approval under a Local Government Act (an application fee

);”

What Council Actually Does for a Beach Wedding Permit

Reading directly from Noosa Council’s Permit terms and conditions the person bearing the permit: ‘

Accepts the application fee is non-refundable fee, even in circumstances where inclement weather affects your ceremony. Accepts Council controlled land is on a routine maintenance program and will not be specifically groomed prior to the ceremony. Council does not accept any responsibility for the condition of the area including mowing, maintenance or inclement weather conditions resulting in leaf/branch debris, or irresponsible people using the area prior to your booking.

Must ensure all litter is removed at ceremony completion.

Accepts that this permit confirms no other bookings for the time and location however does not guarantee exclusive use of the area and/or its facilities. The permit holder must engage with any groups/individuals that may be using the area in a polite and courteous manner.’

Therefore

For a wedding permit, Council typically undertakes:

• Reviewing the online application
• Checking location availability
• Confirming compliance with local laws
• Issuing the permit
• Recording the booking 

Council does not undertake:

• Site inspections
• Ranger attendance
• Pre-event cleaning or maintenance
• Post-event cleaning or maintenance
• Infrastructure setup
• Traffic or crowd management
• Environmental restoration
• On-site monitoring

A Refund – if the wedding cannot proceed due to a rain event or illness, the couple have paid $799 for no service other than the cost to council for issuing the permit. This would not be tolerated in business.

We accept an additional, reasonable fee for the Groves along Noosa Main Beach, which were designed especially for weddings, however, it should be a fee that reflects the actual cost to council to maintain the areas.

A beach wedding leaves no imprint, therefore there will be no cost recovery to council whatsoever, other than the issue of the permit.

Our Cost Calculation for the issue of a permit:

Using standard Queensland council staffing rates:

• Administrative officer time: 35 minutes total
• Hourly rate with on-costs: approx. $55/hour
• Cost: $32.08

Plus:

• System overhead: $2–$5
• Corporate overhead loading: $6–$10

A realistic, lawful cost-recovery fee is therefore $40–$50. Even doubling this for contingencies results in $80–$100.

There is no plausible cost-recovery pathway to either $399 OR $799.

Regional Comparison

To understand whether Noosa’s fee is reasonable, we looked at neighbouring councils:

• Sunshine Coast Council: Sunshine Coast Council – all locations $82
• Gold Coast Council: $0 for beach weddings. $134 in a park, $345 for the Botanic Gardens
• Brisbane City Council: Fees to marry in a park in Brisbane will cost $435.10 – FOR x 2 hr EXCLUSIVE USE of the area , with use of undercover gazebo, (we note: Noosa permits provides there is NO exclusive use of the area for the $799)
• Douglas Shire: Charge $76 for parks, beaches and reserves, with $150 for ceremonies at their Little Cove location where for $664 you can also hold your reception.
• State Govt. National Park – a permit for a wedding will be issued by the State Government Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovationat no cost for up to 40 people. This includes Laguna Lookout, Entry to Noosa National Park, Tea Tree Bay etc.

Noosa’s fee is:

• Almost 10 times higher than Sunshine Coast
• Infinitely higher than Gold Coast
• Not aligned with regional norms
• Not supported by service delivery
• Not supported by cost-recovery evidence

Noosa council’s cost recovery for one wedding permit is therefore 86.68% higher than Brisbane City Council

Economic Impact on Noosa Businesses

The wedding sector contributes millions annually to Noosa’s visitor economy. However, the $799 fee and NO REFUND policy is:

• Discouraging couples from choosing Noosa
• Redirecting bookings to Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast & Byron Bay – (who have a scale of fees dependent on the number of guests, recognising impact variations.)
• Reducing income for local Wedding related and Tourism businesses.
• Creating reputational harm for Noosa and impacting the Noosa Brand as an accessible and welcoming wedding destination

Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages data shows Noosa weddings have fallen from 781 in 2014 to 563 in 2025, a decline of 218 weddings a year, while Sunshine Coast Council uses its funding of Visit Sunshine Coast to actively attract the wedding market through dedicated destination promotion and events such as the Maleny Wedding Festival Trail, while Tourism Noosa, despite being Noosa Council’s equivalent publicly funded tourism body, has provided our local wedding sector with no comparable investment or targeted promotional support.

The concern is simple: Noosa is discouraging one of the most economically valuable and DMP-aligned visitor segments we have. An average stay for a single wedding is 3-4 nights. Including Accommodation, wedding expenses, Dining, Guest activities, (golf, fishing, surf lessons, kayak hire etc.), shopping and beauty treatments. Low spend is $2600 per person with 1 wedding with only 50 guests = $130,000 per wedding. 200 more x 130,000 = would bring an additional $26,000,000 per annum to our Noosa Business Economy.

We believe a lawful fee is likely to fall between $40 and $100, based on standard administrative processes, for parks and beaches and a scale of fees for the Groves and Botanic Gardens should be in place based on the number of guests in attendance and impact.

Closing

The Destination Management Plan is very clear that Noosa does not need more tourism for the sake of volume. It needs the right kind of tourism. Weddings are exactly that. They are low-volume, high-value, planned well in advance and deeply connected to place. This is not mass tourism. It is values-over-volume tourism that directly supports a resilient local economy. Yet at the same time, Noosa is making it harder for couples to choose us by charging a $799 non-refundable ceremony permit, with no exclusive use, no ceremony-specific servicing and no transparent cost-recovery model.

Weddings also sit very well with Councils ‘Events’ portfolio as a high value visitor segment that meet all criteria for ‘sustainable events’ being low-impact and economically significant.

If Council is serious about the DMP, and serious about a commitment to the Noosa Brand, then the wedding permit fee needs to be reduced to a fair, transparent, lawful cost-recovery amount so Noosa can compete for this valuable market rather than lose it.

We are not asking Council to subsidise weddings. We are asking Council to not price Noosa out of a high-value, low-impact visitor market that the DMP itself says we should be attracting.

I listened to the councillors’ budget speeches and support your comments. Councillor Nicola Wilson who stated in her budget speech she would like to see a ‘full review of operations’.…… of Cr Jess Phillips with her support of the latest budget ‘conditional on a commitment from the organisation to undertake a full-service review’, and Cr Tom Wegener who ‘looks forward to a full review of the budget fees and charges’; Mayor Frank Wilkie who stated ‘we are always open to reviewing our processes’.

We value Council’s stewardship of our public spaces and we are committed to working constructively with you. Our goal is simple: A fee structure that is lawful, transparent, and supports local businesses, while ensuring Council recovers its genuine costs.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

The Olympics and our Region Noosa 2032 - Opportunities for Business & Community

The Sunshine Coast is on the world stage for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and for local businesses now is the time to be inspired and start the conversation about the opportunities ahead.

Gateway Brisbane 2032

Destination Management Plan - How it affects Business & the Business Residents of Noosa

Attention Members - have your voice heard.

NCCI DMP Response Digital.pdf

DMP -NCCI Presentation -.pdf

If you unable to attend the DMP Event we have prepared a short summary of Council's 43 page document. Please click the link below and take a few minutes to red it, consider how your business may be impacted and make your voice heard.

DMP._Noosa_Chamber_of_Commerce.pdf

Chamber calls for action to lift the Economy

Noosa’s ageing population, housing too expensive for its “productive workforce” and a low gross regional product (GRP) growth are strongly impacting Noosa’s economy and need urgent action, Noosa Chamber of Commerce president Ralph Rogers told guests at a chamber event hosted by Noosa Today last week. Mr Rogers told attendees these were some of the findings from the chamber’s recently completed economic and social impact study, a document prepared annually by the chamber from a range of data to understand what is going on in the local marketplace, with a comparison to neighbouring council regions. “We put it in a document so it’s easier to digest, to understand and to be there to assess it and use it in your own business plan,” he said “It’s important for Noosa to not only understand the economic consideration but what’s happening from a socio-economic point of view. The 40-page study is used to advocate on behalf of our members and the community, based on fact not fiction.”  Mr Rogers said among key takeaways from this year’s report was the fact the GRP (a measure of the total value of goods and services produced in a region) of the shire hasn’t got above 4 per cent in the past four years, except during Covid “when government threw a whole lot of money at the community.

What that demonstrates is the community is somewhat dependent on social payments,” he said.  

“Of the three councils we closely monitor – Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Noosa – we have the lowest GRP growth out of the three shires. There’s a couple of reasons why this is happening – 36 per cent of our population is over 60 compared to the Queensland average of 22 per cent, 25-34 year olds are only 7 per cent of the population when the Queensland average is 14 per cent. Our average dwelling price is $1.3 million when the Queensland average is $690,000. What else needs to be considered is annually all we’re doing is approving on a 10-year-average, 336 residential dwellings a year with half of them knock downs and rebuilds.  So what you can see is 25-34 year olds can’t afford to buy a place to live here, therefore they’re not here, therefore we’re losing our productive workforce.  From a council point of view between 2014-15 through to 2019-20 the difference in operating expenses in council grew 25 per cent. From 2019-20 to 23-24 it grew 44 per cent. That’s from $78m in 2014 to $132m. “Council’s got a 20 per cent vacancy rate in jobs and it’s got 16.2 per cent turnover of staff. Staffing costs 36 per cent of total revenue that comes to council. You need to say to yourself what does this mean. I’ll tell you what it means. Noosa Council is 2.55 per cent GRP every year, that’s what we pay to council, compared to 1.86 for Gympie and 1.64 for Sunshine Coast.  The impact of not developing residential dwellings anywhere close to the average Queensland price means our productive workforce (25-34 years) can’t afford to work here.  The key takeaway is for Noosa’s economy Noosa’s realities can’t be ignored. 

• Council’s financial capacity does exist with $123m in the bank. 
• Housing affordability will provide for our economy, 25-34 year olds can’t afford to live here.

“The only way we’ll get out of this is with collaboration, leadership, with government and the private sector working together to deliver a product of residents that can be afforded and we’ve got to take those bold steps now.  Mr Rogers said the chamber would be taking their findings to state and local governments.  “All we can do is advocate, all we can do is put the facts in front of them. We will do that, hopefully they’ll listen,” he said.  Mr Rogers said the Noosa chamber was independently funded, receiving no support from Noosa Council, state government, or anybody else.  With 170 members the chamber is two and a half times the average-sized Queensland chamber.  Having completed its 2024 business plan and exceeded all goals and objectives, the chamber committee would be working on its 2025-28 strategic plan which would be shared with every member for consideration on its completion, he said.

State Facilitated Development for affordable housing

Queensland Parliament legislated changes to the Planning Act introducing State Facilitated Development (SFD) which means the Minister for Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works can declare a development application for affordable housing to be assessed by the Department's Chief Executive, instead of by local governments.

In light of lack of worker accommodation in Noosa resulting in small businesses having difficulty recruiting employees, Noosa Chamber made this Submission to the Minister, the Noosa MP and similar letters to the Leader of the Opposition, relevant opposition shadow ministers, and the Planning Department's SFD Team in support of state facilitated development as appropriate.

Noosa Today published Noosa Chamber's editorial State overrides Council brakes on Economy .

On 30 September 2024, the Minister declared two development applications will be assessed via the SFD pathway.

Proposed Noosa Council changes to Standing Orders

In September  2024, the Council meeting agenda recommended changes to give the Council CEO the power to veto Councillor-initiated Notified Motions and to constrain such Councillor motions to the already Council-approved Corporate Plan. Noosa Chamber was concerned that these changes were undemocratic and would diminish the ability of Councillors to be a voice on behalf of the business community.

Noosa Chamber wrote advocacy letters to the Mayor and Councillors and similar letters to the Council CEO, the State Minister for Local Government, the Noosa MP and LNP candidate, and to Chamber members and non-members.

Draft Noosa Plan Amendment 2024

During Noosa Council's public consultation in June and July, Noosa Chamber submitted this Noosa Chamber Fact Sheet and this Noosa Chamber Submission.

The key feedback provided in the submission includes:

• The proposed amendments lack detailed financial viability assessments and do not align with key strategic documents, particularly the Economic Development Strategy
• The consultation process for the proposed amendments was rushed and flawed.
  
• The proposed amendments do not adopt a locality or precinct-based approach, failing to recognize the unique characteristics and needs of different areas within Noosa.
  
• Provide for diverse housing solutions with a range of dwelling sizes and types to meet the varied needs of the community.
• Increase the height limit from 14 meters to 15 meters to allow for sensitive design and economic viability.
• Introduce flexible car parking solutions, such as contributions in lieu, shared parking arrangements, and off-site parking options.
  
• Rezoning tourist accommodation to permanent housing could negatively impact tourism and local businesses.
  
• The focus on 75 sqm units is too narrow. Allow unit sizes from 50 to 120 sqm, remove car parking requirements for small units, and provide incentives for diverse accommodations.

In July Noosa Chamber also held an event for Chamber members and non-members where Chamber President Ralph Rogers made this presentation  and Russell Green of RG Strategic made this presentation about context and issues with the Noosa Plan amendments.

Noosa Council's Draft Destination Management Plan Discussion Paper

Click to read the Noosa Chamber Submission which was submitted in response to Noosa Council’s public consultation about its draft Destination Management Plan discussion paper. 

Chamber's submission stressed that the Destination Management Plan should take into account:

• Noosa’s ongoing economic sustainability in the context of global uncertainty, South East Queensland population growth, Noosa Council’s UNESCO Biosphere and Queensland Small Business Friendly Charter commitments, and the vulnerability of Noosa’s economy.
• Tourism being a major economic driver that has a flow on effect throughout the Noosa economy.
• Noosa’s gross regional product (GRP) not keeping pace with inflation making small businesses vulnerable.
• UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere program's strategic objective “Contribute to building sustainable, healthy and equitable societies, economies and thriving human settlements in harmony with the biosphere.”
• Council’s commitment in the Small Business Friendly Charter to  “Actively engage and be mindful of small businesses, their issues and priorities when making decisions.”

Noosa Chamber also recommended that Council's Destination Management Plan include:

• Improve the road network to facilitate safe and efficient movement along main thoroughfares with linkages to park and ride sites and public transport to popular destinations.
• Facilitate construction of barely visible multilevel parking stations along transport corridors instead of sprawling tarmac car parks detrimental to the environment and visual amenity.
• Encourage and support development of five star tourist accommodation in line with the ‘value over volume’ policy.
• Exempt tourist resort unit owners from the Short Stay Letting and Home Hosted Accommodation Local Law to incentivise owners to not permanently let resort units.
• Support development of affordable housing for workers, taking innovative action such as releasing public land to community housing providers.
• Amend the Noosa Plan to allow relevant worker accommodation in industrial zones.
• Not proceed with limiting Tourism Noosa marketing to only certain businesses
• Not proceed with proposed Council interventions in the free market and the Noosa economy. 

Addressing the affordable housing crisis

At Noosa Chamber’s September 2023 Sunset Drinks networking event, Rob McCready of Altum Property Group gave an interesting fact-based presentation urging ways to increase housing supply and build more affordable housing.

As context, Rob explained, “Noosa is the most expensive local government area (LGA) in the State. The median price of detached houses is $1,295,000 and units $960,000, and little is available for rent. Key workers, who are the backbone of our community, are unable to afford or find accommodation in Noosa Shire. Many employers face challenges attracting and retaining staff due to lack of affordable housing.”

Rob McCready offered a range of approaches for addressing the critical affordable housing shortage. On the Noosa Chamber website, you can read details of Rob McCready’s presentation

You can read Noosa Chamber’s media release  Affordable Housing Supply Solutions  and Rob McCready’s presentation slides Noosa Affordable Housing and Current Housing Crisis

Statement on continuing holiday car parking at Lions Park

In April 2023

The Noosa Chamber of Commerce and Industry strongly supported Tewantin Noosa Lions Club's ongoing management of paid parking in Noosa Heads Lions Park during school holiday periods, public holidays and long weekends, as originally recommended by Council staff and reject 4-3 by Noosa Council.  more

Statement on the 2022-2023 Noosa Council Budget

The Chamber called for our local economy to be taken seriously, for effective implementation of the local economic plan. It called for bold leadership, the empowering of our shire’s business ecosystems, putting in place enabling infrastructure and encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation. Read more

Recent Business Chamber Queensland Advocacy

Noosa Chamber is a member of the state’s peak chamber body Business Chamber Queensland (previously CCIQ) which advocates about business matters vis-à-vis the State and Federal governments.

You can read about Business Chamber Queensland advocacy initiatives here:

https://www.cciq.com.au/business-voice/

You can read Business Chamber Queensland submissions to governments here

https://www.cciq.com.au/business-voice/submissions/

Recent ACCI Advocacy

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) members include state and territory chambers of commerce (such as CCIQ), national industry associations and a council of business leaders from individual enterprises. You can read ACCI submissions about Federal matters here:

https://www.australianchamber.com.au/publication_taxonomies/submissions/