Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less. Some of the opinions below are comments from SCN’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
- Read the story: Dog access criticised over impact on disabled residents
Grant, Coolum: It appears to me that there are plenty of designated areas for dog owners to enjoy the freedom of having their dogs off leash.
Some members of the community may feel disadvantaged, however council has the task of balancing the needs of interested parties, including the environment and wildlife. There’s nothing worse than seeing wildlife suffer either in attacks or nesting area degradation.
Personally, I would hope dog owners would take responsibility for the behaviour of their pets in public spaces and consider other beach users, including picking up after their dog defecates.
Chris Padgham: Thank you councillor Christian Dickson, you are representing the majority of the Sunshine Coast population, and have the courage to stand by your convictions, and for that we thank you.
Unfortunately, the remainder of councillors have not got the gumption to stand against this nonsense of barring a fun-loving, pet-loving group who used to love taking their dogs down for exercise and fun.
Unfortunately, Sunshine Coast Council is creating a division in the community that will potentially get them voted out next time round. More for the media than the tax and ratepayer.
Glynn Kelly, Maleny: Sorry, but there are just too many dogs on our beaches. I fully support council’s decision to restrict access.
Melinda Dodd: We live in Western Australia and off leash areas for dogs seem to be fewer and fewer, which is unfair and leads to behavioural issues in dogs and also in humans! Provided owners are responsible and socialise their dogs and are in control, then dogs should be allowed to sniff and play and have the freedom to enjoy activity… this world is not just for people and their needs. What a mess humanity causes in so many ways.
- Read the story: Waterfront site earmarked for apartment project
Graham Lockey, Coolum Beach: What? “Plans show the building would provide 32 car parking spaces across two basement levels, along with 18 bicycle spaces.” Two basement levels in a development along Picnic Point Esplanade, Maroochydore? I wish the new residents good luck with insuring their vehicles to park there. I cannot think of a more flood-prone street in Maroochydore. I have no doubt there will be some type of barrier to try to stop the floodwater, but will there be anywhere to moor your tinny so you can get out when the place floods? Does council have a risk assessment team in the planning department, or are they all “working from home” these days?
- Read the story: Multimillion-dollar shark study to guide beach safety
Baden Lane: The Queensland Government’s decision to allocate more than $2m for yet another shark research project raises an important question: what new information is expected to be gained that has not already been established through decades of research and operational experience?
The recently completed KPMG review of the Queensland Shark Control Program was the most comprehensive independent assessment of the program undertaken in recent years. It examined the program’s history, effectiveness, environmental impacts and future direction. Following that review, the government chose to retain and strengthen the existing Shark Control Program, recognising its significant contribution to public safety.
Queensland’s safety record is among the strongest in the world. For more than 60 years, the Shark Control Program has operated on the principle of reducing the abundance of potentially dangerous sharks in popular bathing areas. While no mitigation system can eliminate all risk, the program has demonstrably reduced the likelihood of shark attacks at protected beaches.
Importantly, this principle is not based solely on Queensland’s experience. Over many decades, governments, universities and marine research organisations in Australia and overseas have undertaken extensive research into shark behaviour, movement patterns, deterrent technologies and mitigation strategies. The scientific literature is substantial and continues to grow.
Despite differences in methodology and opinion on individual management tools, one conclusion has remained consistent: reducing the local presence of large dangerous sharks at heavily used swimming beaches reduces the risk of shark attacks.
Queensland has achieved this through a combination of strategically placed shark nets and baited drumlines, supported by ongoing operational monitoring and adaptive management. The existing body of scientific research is extensive and readily accessible.
Before committing additional public funds to further research, it is reasonable to ask whether the proposed work will genuinely address unanswered questions or simply revisit issues that have already been investigated.
Public investment in research should be directed towards clearly defined knowledge gaps that are likely to improve public safety or environmental outcomes. Research that duplicates existing knowledge offers limited value and diverts resources from the implementation and refinement of proven management strategies.
- Read the story: Historic sugar mill site set for transformation
Mrs JM Pedersen, Wurtulla: My sister, Mrs A Barker, and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Nambour hotel on Sunday after a very long enjoyable morning at the fabulous QLD Garden Festival. We look forward to seeing the rejuvenation of Nambour because, as children in the early 50s, we enjoyed holiday visits with the local Murray family at the time of the cross country car rallies.
- Read the story: Holiday parking plan heads to council vote
Mick Layt, Nirimba: The short and long answer is that the Noosa Council doesn’t have a public transport plan. They have never supported the changes that are desperately needed to take passengers on public transport vehicles. Holiday after holiday, year after year, it’s gridlock in and around Noosa Heads and the Hastings Street precinct! I’m a bus driver and it usually takes 35 minutes travel time from Quamby Place to the heads in the holiday season!
That’s just not good enough as that has a huge impact on people who want to enjoy their stay on public transport plus those tourists who visit the area. One solution is to run a shuttle service from Noosa Junction to Noosa Heads to cut down on the travel times. Also to build a two-way bus lane from Noosa Junction to Noosa Heads!
Bob, Caloundra: While Noosa is undoubtedly Queensland’s premier tourist beach town, it is a bit of a one trick pony. Well worth a visit (if your bank approves) but only once the council has sorted out the diabolical traffic and parking problems.
- Read the story: Illegal camping blitz continues
Jeniffer Ellem: Council caravan parks were once considered both an affordable place for travellers/backpackers to stop over for a night or two, or for lengthier holiday stays by individuals and families. They also provided safe, affordable, temporary accommodation to many local families. They even had a few sites for long-term residents (mostly elderly pensioners) at affordable weekly rates.
Management of each park was once leased out, by “expressions of interest”, to individuals (usually a couple) who had on-site accommodation and 24/7 responsibility for the running of their park. There were no bells and whistles expected, just well-maintained amenities and grounds, and quiet enjoyment of the environment. The popularity of council caravan parks, particularly in peak holiday periods for returning families, certainly attested to this. What changed?
Councils became very, very greedy. A few years ago, both Noosa Council and Sunshine Coast Council appointed the same large, for-profit, organisation to run all their parks. Every council-owned caravan park on the Sunshine Coast is run by one “entrepreneurial” mob with visions of grandeur, large profits and little/no oversight by councils. It seems this “management company” has been given carte blanche to do whatever they like. They have been allowed to demolish essential amenities blocks, build pointless fences and community halls, and have allowed commercial kitchens/caterers and entertainers to invade the parks. How/why have councils allowed this? How is it that both councils appointed this same company? Their fee “adjustments” are exactly the same for Noosa Council parks as they are for the Sunshine Coast parks. They are far from modest, they are extortionate!
Is $60 to $90 per night reasonable for somewhere to pitch your own tent or park your own caravan/car when you, essentially, are providing your own accommodation, sited cheek-by-jowl with your neighbours in often inclement weather and with a very long walk to the toilets and showers? Just a few years ago, $10 to $15 for an unpowered tent site was the norm, sites were larger and attentive, helpful and personal management was on-site and available 24/7. Maintenance issues were dealt with immediately. Any wonder that bookings have dropped dramatically?
There are no comparable holiday parks on the entire Sunshine Coast. So, the marketing-speak nonsense of the councils’ preferred park management company of “dynamic pricing” is rubbish! The very few privately run parks on the Coast, none of which enjoy prime beach-front locations that the council parks do, offer resort-like facilities with swimming pools, games rooms, restaurants, etc. They cater to a completely different clientele.
Councils made very good money from their caravan parks, consistently, over many years. And the reputation of the Sunshine Coast was enhanced by the affordability of them. Local businesses also benefited from the custom of park patrons. I doubt council is making any more money now from their parks than they did 10 years ago, but their preferred management provider certainly is.
- Read the story: Scores of e-bikes, e-scooters seized in clampdown
Daniel Paul: So they’re all back on their consoles and getting driven around in 3-tonne SUVs. Imagine spending decades trying to get kids outside and ending up here…
- Read the story: ‘Premium’ beachside retirement village moves ahead
Gail Podberscek: It’s unfortunate these properties – located anywhere in our region – are now so expensive… Market-driven, unfortunately for those with less financial resources.
- Read the story: TAB responds as Coast hotels drop services
Ravi Setu: Good on the Comiskeys!
- Read the story: New whale-watching venture brings large jet-powered vessel
Stephanie Mooney: We don’t need jet powered vehicles on our waterways. They should be banned to protect our marine life.
- Grandmotherly advice
Garry Reynolds, Peregian Springs: If you’ve ever been lucky enough to sit at a kitchen table with a grandmother you’ll know they dispense advice the way Italian nonnas dispense pasta: generously, confidently and with absolutely no regard for whether you’re full already.
You’ll be minding your own business when Nan casually drops a life lesson that rearranges your entire worldview. It’s never dramatic. It’s never prefaced with “now listen carefully”. It simply arrives – like a seagull after your chip – uninvited but undeniably effective.
Grandmothers have a particular genius for truth‑telling. They don’t sugar‑coat. They don’t hedge. They don’t “circle back”. They simply say the thing, often while buttering a scone, and somehow it lands with the weight of ancient wisdom.
My own favourite came from a friend’s gran who once told her teenage grandson: “Sweetheart, if you’re going to make a fool of yourself, at least commit to it. Half‑baked stupidity is embarrassing”.
On love, they’re ruthlessly practical. A mate’s once said: “choose someone who makes you laugh – looks fade – humour doesn’t unless she’s dull, in which case run”. On money, they’re even sharper: “if you can’t afford two, you can’t afford one”. This is usually said while slipping you a $20 note “for emergencies”, which you both know means coffee. Yes, a grandmother’s advice is usually delivered as a love letter addressed with a zinger punchline.
And if you’re very lucky, you’ll hear it while sitting at a kitchen table, sipping tea that’s far too strong, and feeling – just for a moment – that someone in the world knows exactly what you need to hear.
• Fractured country?
Margaret Wilkie, Peregian Beach:
I fear for my poor country,
Where nature weeps as coal waste seeps
to rivers and the sea,
To blanket reefs
And cause more grief
On agricultural plains.
The old growth trees and forests
Are bulldozed to the ground and
animals and small orchids
are nowhere to be found.
The sun-bleached reefs, the algal blooms
Are there for all to see; the floods, the fires, the rains
And droughts are here for eternity.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less. Some of the opinions above are comments from SCN’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
