The Sunshine Coast Council CEO has spoken about the need for “decisive action” including proposed job losses to address the organisation’s financial woes.
John Baker told Sunshine Coast News that the council had a responsibility to reduce costs, with about 130 roles proposed for removal.
“Council is facing a significant financial challenge that needs to be addressed now,” he said.
“Costs are rising, service demands are evolving, and parts of our organisation are no longer set up to efficiently deliver what our community needs now and into the future.
“The Budget 2026–27 process has highlighted the impact of sustained operating deficits, reinforcing the need for council to make some difficult decisions.”
His comments come after the council revealed a budget that included a 9.7 per cent rates hike and a vow from Mayor Rosanna Natoli that the council “will tighten its belt” after years of “beyond its means spending”.
Mr Baker said the community expected the council “to make every dollar count”.
“Particularly in times when many people are experiencing cost-of-living pressures,” he said.
“We have a responsibility to make sure we have looked closely at every part of our organisation and reduced costs wherever we can”.
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He said some moves had already been made to reduce costs within the council.
“We have already implemented a range of savings measures, including a recruitment pause, streamlining teams to remove duplication, and on-going reviews of non-workforce expenditure, all of which have required careful consideration of workforce impacts.”
He said there could be scores of job cuts.
“Without further action, the current financial position is not sustainable,” he said.
“This is about addressing today’s financial pressures and taking responsible, decisive action so we can build capability for the future.
“We are positioning our council to stabilise our finances, simplify how we work, and strengthen our ability to deliver priority services to the community now and into the future.”
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He detailed what the proposed cuts could look like.
“To align our workforce with our budget and future service needs, council has identified a number of current and vacant roles that, subject to consultation, are proposed to be removed from the organisational structure and forward budget.
“This includes approximately 130 proposed roles, of which around 40 per cent are vacant positions. The final numbers will be informed by consultation outcomes.”
Mayor Natoli had said on June 1 that the council’s financial performance “needed to lift”.
“Significant operating deficits were identified over the past five years. Put simply, council had been spending beyond its means.”
She said, in an interview after the budget was released, that there was a $13 million deficit in the 2025-2026 financial year and a projected $7 million deficit in the 2026-2027 financial year, “increasing (from a combined $20 million) to $30 million-plus if you’re looking at depreciation”.
“The construction costs, the fuel costs, the geopolitical climate we find ourselves in now, we couldn’t have planned for that.”
She said that the council was “looking at being leaner and looking at being more disciplined.”
“That is what the CEO (John Baker) will work with the organisation to deliver. All of those details will be to light in the next days, weeks and throughout the year.”
