Open Council

Council Meeting 2024Noosa Council is committed to providing our residents with easy access to information on Council’s finances, decision making and performance to follow through on our commitment to openness and accountability to our community.

Our Open Council site collates key information sources on Council’s finances, purchasing, governance and decision-making as well as information on Councillor’s conduct and personal interests in one easy to access site.

For further information, click on your areas of interest below.

  • Budget papersCouncil's annual budget process runs from November through to June each year and is a significant annual project for Council, requiring considerable organisational and Councillor input to ensure that budget decisions align with Council's Corporate Plan objectives, Operational Plan targets and Financial Sustainability Policy requirements.

    View Council's yearly financial reporting through its latest Annual Report.

    View Council's yearly budget.

  • Customer satisfactionGovernance Framework

    On 21 July 2022, Council adopted a new Governance Framework which has been prepared to provide a holistic and strategic overview of our current governance practices across Council. The Noosa Council Governance framework consists of the rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and decisions are made and actioned within the organisation to optimise Council’s performance to achieve its objectives. To find out more, read the Fact Sheet.

    Council is required to report on a range of governance related matters in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009.

    Quarterly governance reporting

    Annual governance reporting

    Refer below for our annual governance statistics

    AAC

    Info Access

    Privacy

    Right to Information (RTI) Disclosure Log

    Council's RTI disclosure log provides details of non-personal documents released as a result of access applications made under the Queensland Right to Information Act 2009 (RTI Act). The disclosure log provides a summary of documents that are available and considered to be of interest to the wider public.

  • Council Meetings

    The Local Government Regulation 2012 requires local governments to meet at least once per month. Noosa Council has a Committee meeting system and holds three Committee meetings and one Ordinary meeting each month. View Council’s 2024 Council meeting dates.

    Council’s meeting agendas, reports and minutes are provided on Council’s website.  These documents are released to the public at the same time as they are provided to Councillors.  All Council meetings are live streamed and recorded.  View the meeting live stream  and move down to "recent events".  To access any recordings prior to April 2023 please visit Council's  YouTube page and go to the "Live" tab. 

    The Local Government Regulation 2012 allows Council meetings to be closed to the public to discuss particular matters if the Councillors consider it necessary.  Council resolutions (decisions) cannot be made while the meeting is closed to the public, the matter can only be discussed.  Decisions must be made in open session. The reasons for which a Council meeting may be closed to the public are:

    • the appointment, discipline or dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer
    • industrial matters affecting employees
    • the Council’s budget
    • rating concessions
    • legal advice obtained by the Council or legal proceedings involving the Council including, for example, legal proceedings that may be taken by or against the Council
    • matters that may directly affect the health and safety or an individual or a group of individuals
    • negotiations relating to a commercial matter involving the Council for which a public discussion would be likely to prejudice the interests of the Council
    • negotiations relating to the taking of land by the Council under the Acquisition of Land Act 1967
    • a matter the Council is required to keep confidential under a law of, or formal arrangement with, the Commonwealth or State
    • a matter relating to the consideration of an investigation report for a conduct breach matter given to the local government by the Assessor under the LGA chapter 5A, part 3, division 5. .

    Delegated Decisions

    The Local Government Act 2009 allows a Council to delegate some decision making powers to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who can then on-delegate those powers to another employee of Council.  Noosa Council reviews its delegations to the CEO annually.  

    Planning Decisions

    Not all decisions on planning applications are made by Councillors at Council meetings.  The ability to manage, assess and decide a range of development applications is also currently delegated to Council officers. Reports on the planning applications recently decided by delegated authority are provided each month in the Planning & Environment Committee Meetings. All meeting documents can be found on the Council Meeting, Agenda and Minutes webpage. 

    You can view or track the progress of development applications from lodgement through to determination at Planning Online.

  • Paying billCouncil procurement (purchasing) is guided by the Sound Contracting Principles set out in the Local Government Act 2009 which are:

    • Value for money
    • Open and effective competition
    • Development of competitive local business and industry
    • Environmental protection
    • Ethical behaviour and fair dealing

    Council’s Procurement Policy outlines Council’s policy for the procurement of all goods, equipment and related services, construction contracts and service contracts (including maintenance).

    View more information on how Council procures goods and services.

    Purchases worth more than $200,000 (excl GST) are released for open tender, unless an exception under the Local Government Regulations 2012 applies. All new tenders are published on Council’s Current Tenders website.

    Purchases worth more than $200,000 (excl GST) that have been awarded are published on Council’s Awarded Tenders website.

  • Councillor group shot 2024Noosa Council’s elected Council is made up of six Councillors and the Mayor.  The role of Councillors is to represent the community. They make decisions that benefit the whole Noosa Shire region, now and into the future.

    Councillors must at all times comply with the Code of Conduct for Councillors in Queensland which details the standards of behaviour Councillors must adhere to in the performance of their duties. Complaints about Councillors are generally investigated by the Office of the Independent Assessor.  The outcomes of complaints are recorded in the Councillor Conduct Register.

    Councillors must also declare their financial and non-financial particulars in a Register of Interests.  Registers provide transparency in local government decision making and must be amended within 30 days of any change to their interests.  View the current and past Registers of Interests for our Councillors.

    Councillors are reimbursed reasonable expenses incurred while undertaking Council business and are provided with appropriate facilities to assist them in undertaking their duties.  Noosa Council does not provide vehicles, mobile phones or home office supplies to Councillors however Councillors are provided with allowances to cover these expenses. For more information, view our Councillors’ Expenses Reimbursement and Provision of Facilities Policy.

    Annual Councillor reporting

    Details on Councillor remuneration, expenses and meeting attendance can be found in the latest Council Annual Report.

  • Cooroy butter factoryCouncil awards grants to a range of organisations throughout the year. 

    Council also publishes the details of each grant recipient once the grant round has been awarded. You can find the recipients at the following links:

About Council