“A little less conversation, a little more action, please.” That Elvis song should be playing on high rotation in our Council headquarters in Tewantin.

The current Council has inherited a mess of half-baked strategies and plans. What it needs now is strategic direction or priority setting. A little more action please, and a lot less half-baked plans.

This lack of direction is the cause of community complaints about the lack of implementation. The numerous plans also need to be linked to avoid conflicts resulting in inefficiency. 

As an example. in my opinion The Destination Management Plan should have been completed before yet another Noosa Foreshore Management Plan was undertaken.

The solution to every problem is NOT another new plan, especially when the problem arises because the last plan was not implemented.

Noosa Council needs to stop planning and consulting and start addressing the same priority needs the community has been raising in the consultations over many years. Councillors need to set the strategic priorities to meet residents’ needs.

On 17 February 2025, the CEO, with regard to operational initiatives, reported that “17 or 16% (were) experiencing a ‘minor disruption’ and 2 or 2% experiencing a ‘major disruption’.

He went on to say “The reasons for disruptions include resourcing constraints, a Council decision to defer, a congested community engagement calendar which has affected the scheduling of some projects, and competing priorities. 

Initiatives experiencing major disruptions will be closely monitored by the responsible Manager and Director and managed through improved project planning and risk management. The Executive team will also be regularly reviewing the progress of major initiatives to address any emerging issues.”

The role of council and of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is often misunderstood.

The Mayor and councillors have different roles and responsibilities to that of the CEO and his local government employees.

Councillors are elected under the Local Government Act to undertake their duties in the best interests of the people in the Shire by providing the overall policy and strategic direction. 

The fundamental role of each councillor is to represent the current and future interests of the residents of the whole local government area. Noosa Councillors represent all the community, not just a particular group of residents or those in the area near where they live.

In summary, the Mayor and councillors make local laws and determine policy and other matters at a strategic level. They are responsible for setting the overall direction of the local government, including setting its priorities.

Before another “plan” or program is considered, Council needs to evaluate the capacity of staff to implement their current priorities, but this requires Council to first set the priorities. 

The role of the CEO in Noosa Council is essential to the delivery of council services for the community. The CEO is accountable to the councillors, who are his employer, to ratepayers, the community and local industry and to staff. The CEO is also a crucial player in the council’s interaction with other levels of government.

Council employs the CEO and other employees to carry out the decisions councillors make in meetings. While councillors are responsible for setting the strategic direction for the local government, the CEO and other employees are responsible for delivering that strategy.

Councillors can have limited interactions with council employees. In most cases, the Mayor and councillors cannot direct or give instructions to employees, except the Mayor, who is able to direct the CEO only. If a councillor needs any information from an employee, they must follow the acceptable request guidelines of the council.

The Local Government Act gives the Mayor limited powers to direct the CEO and the Mayor can give strategic direction to the CEO in accordance with a resolution or document adopted by resolution of the Council.

One of the most important decisions a council makes relates to the employment cycle of their CEO, who is the only person the elected councillors employ. 

The CEO manages council’s operations and business including its delegated functions and powers, employs staff, delivers projects and implements council decisions including the budget and the Noosa plan in accordance with the plans and policies set by the mayor and councillors.

This is a unique and complex role given the political nature, service delivery and business imperatives.

Once the Council has approved the required funds for staffing, it is the responsibility of the CEO (and his senior staff) to allocate sufficient competent staff to each program to ensure that the programs are all efficiently and effectively implemented.

Ultimately, the elected councillors are directly responsible to the community for the local government’s performance but it is the CEO and Council staff who deliver or fail to deliver the required level of performance. 

Council frequently leaves it to the CEO and Council staff to provide the performance indicators by which the community can assess their performance or failure. The quality of these performance indicators is vital but often inadequate as they are mainly related to financial inputs rather than outcomes and satisfaction.

It’s become clear in recent months that the entire Council is aware it’s been biting off much more than it can chew.  The adjustment towards a more practical, achievable and measurable performance will not be easy.

And in the end, it will be the elected Councillors who wear the community’s anger if a choked planning agenda fails to deliver better outcomes for residents.