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 page.
Read the story: Dog owners rally against ‘complex’ rules
Rob Rich: I want to comment on the increased policing and fining of dog owners across the Sunshine Coast Regional Council area. In a recent response by council, it mentioned that animal management was to cost $4.4m this year and the increased dog registration was to collect $3.4m. The $1m shortfall was to come from fines and other infringement fees, for example, the pound etc.
In an online discussion I asked a councillor why the council has $500m in debt and is continuing to borrow $40m this year. He stated that as council has $9b in assets $500m wasn’t a lot. Yet the road outside your house (classed as a council asset) is not an asset unless you see ratepayers as the income source. This is a very different attitude to the one I think they should have – that council is here to serve ratepayers.
It appears council is now paying enforcement officers to work at 5am on Sundays to fine dog owners for the smallest infringements.
Do we really want to live in a place where council tries to enforce every little rule? Most are irrelevant – what is the difference between having a dog off-leash on the path, to the off-leash dog beach, to letting them off 20m further down the path at the beach itself? To squeeze dollars out of ratepayers for every little thing, just so council can pay enforcement officers to work on a Sunday?
We need a council that works for ratepayers, which doesn’t run up massive debt for ratepayers to pay and tries to create a surveillance state where enforcement dominates public service.
Gayle Akmentins, Coolum Beach: I totally agree with the current restrictions and rules for dog owners. As a resident living at Coolum Beach I walk the boardwalk every morning and you need to constantly be aware of where you step as there is always dog poo smeared on the boards where some poor person hasn’t noticed and stepped in it.
It’s very disappointing and inconsiderate as there are bags located everywhere in the area. I’ve also seen dog poo just left on the beach near Stumers Creek. It’s frustrating as while the majority of dog owners do the right thing, there are still those who just don’t respect the environment and other people.
My mother-in-law who is 79-years-old has had to step onto the road at Mt Coolum shopping centre to get to the IGA as dogs are often laying all over the path at the cafe not leaving enough room for pedestrians to pass. It’s upsetting as she has mobility issues and we’re concerned that she could fall just trying to do her shopping. She has also encountered a dog owner bring two dogs into Marcoola Chemist Warehouse which almost knocked her over.
I think it’s about time peoples’ safety and the environment become the priority over dogs. There are plenty of parks and dog parks where people can exercise their dogs. It’s not the dogs. It’s the entitlement shown by a minority of owners.
Len Jones: The issue is simple – they’re taking too much of a hard line with dog owners for minor infractions. Sunshine Coast Regional Council could readily operate a more liberal system which warns dog owners, if during their walks, they missed the signs about on/off leash areas. Or areas where dogs aren’t allowed. The wardens could readily record any failures as first time offence. And view it as ‘educating the pet owning public on local by-laws’. Instead, we find them eagerly issuing unreasonably costly fines, for minor transgressions. More indicative of a revenue gathering initiative.
Lance Vercoe: Look the biggest issues are people failing to pick up after their dogs and unruly dogs annoying people. Council has put in place the most basic rule to address this – being no leash, you get a massive fine. Why can’t council increase penalties for breaches, which really impact other beach users and stop labelling everyone who are with their dogs respecting others and the environment?
- Read the story: Petition challenges data centre expansion
Kit Adran: I just read your article about data centres and infrastructure development. According to my observations and research, there are two key areas of deep concern.
Firstly, transparency of impact and of vested interests of politicians and businesses involved: the money trail does not indicate an improvement to local standards of living at all.
Secondly, water and electricity consumption impacts are central to data centre operation and maintenance. This consumption, protected in policy in many cases, ensures people have lower priority access, which must be stated clearly and repeatedly in reports. We regularly have droughts here. Your report notes these two concerns in passing but does not contextualise the severity or impact to people’s lives where water and electricity supply is restricted, salient facts about which to educate the public.
Perhaps a third point is the lack of long-term employment offered by data centres is also salient. A comparative analysis of other local areas, which now support extensive data centre infrastructure may be revealing.
Shane Gingell: The reality of the ‘AI factory’ label. In the broader tech world, an actual AI factory refers to hyperscale facilities specifically built to house massive, multi-megawatt clusters of specialized hardware (like NVIDIA DGX systems) dedicated exclusively to training large language models.
At just 6 MW, SC2 Sunshine Coast does not have the sheer power volume to act as a global AI factory. NEXTDC uses the phrase ‘AI-optimised’ because the building is physically engineered to support high-density power distribution and liquid cooling. It is built so that if a local bank, hospital, or enterprise wants to rent space to run their own heavy AI hardware, the data centre won’t overheat or trip the breakers.
The branding as a revolutionary regional ‘AI hub’ is highly advantageous political and corporate marketing for both NEXTDC and Sunshine Coast Council to showcase economic innovation.
The true purpose: a high-speed global link. You are spot on regarding its location. The real value of SC2 isn’t its size; it is its exact geographical placement directly adjacent to the Sunshine Coast International Broadband Network subsea cable landing station. By sitting right where major subsea data highways (like Google’s Tabua cable) plug into Australia, SC2 functions perfectly as a high-speed international gateway. Its primary job is to catch massive streams of global data coming off the ocean, process or cache it instantly with ultra-low latency, and push it back out or route it down to Brisbane and Sydney.
What the marketing says: a revolutionary 5-story ‘AI factory’ transforming the Sunshine Coast into a global artificial intelligence capital. What it actually is: a highly secure, incredibly well-built, high-density edge connectivity hub (6 MW) that serves as a vital bridge between Australia and international networks.
Ray Page: Data centres are the future. They should be supported.
Jo Irving: If the government needs these AI data centres, build them well away from our townships and residential areas. People deserve to live in peace. No one will live in peace if the government gets its own way. It has to also supply its own water and power. Not taking it away from the Australian people. They will only increase our electricity and water bills. That’s why we don’t need them! It’s hard enough now to survive in today’s world.
Farran Gilbert: AI (or hyperscale) data centres require regulation. There are concerns regarding electricity demands, water withdrawals, waste such as heat, constant low frequency noise, chemical waste in coolant water, ewaste from hardware upgrade, where data centres are situated (industrial zones not residential or rural etc) uncontrolled internet access, intellectual property, tax and site rehabilitation when outdated.
Legalisation should require all AI data centres to be self-sufficient energywise with their own solar wind battery or pumped hydro etc. Backup ought to be batteries, they should also be self-sufficient for water with contained cooling or alternative water such as desalination plants or alternative water storage and create their own supply such as reclamation of mine pits as dams. A environmental bond (such as 10 per cent of company value) for removal of waste and reclamation of site.
Put all voluntary ‘data centre expectations’ into legislated binding obligations for all new large-scale data centre developments so that all Australians benefit. They also need to be appropriately legislated, regulated, taxed and monitored with binding, enforceable commitments.
Expectations should also include employing and upskilling local people (minimal ongoing employment) and meaningful community engagement (including siting and the impact of resources).
A large, 100-megawatt AI data centre generally supports only 30 to 50 permanent, on-site employees. These core roles include facility engineers, IT hardware technicians, security personnel and site management.
AI data centre building is also projected to exacerbate construction industry shortages during the construction boom (only positive for employment) adding to the housing crisis driving up construction costs (thus house prices) especially for electricians.
There is also a need for stronger legal protection of intellectual property of writers, journalists, musicians and artists as AI uses their material without acknowledgement, permission or compensation.
A standard data centre uses moderate power levels and is often cooled using standard air-cooling systems. An AI hyperscale facility draws extreme amounts of electricity per rack and requires advanced liquid-cooling setups or massive water withdrawals to stop high-density chips from overheating.
India and China have seven times more internet users but 10 per cent of US data centres (approximately 7000) are not essential.
Benefits: if all issues are resolved (electricity and backup energy storage, water, waste, increased house construction costs, site, intellectual property, tax etc) we (the country as these are mostly foreign companies) get a construction boom and an appropriate tax revenue stream.
Ideally: independent power (backed up with battery) and water (closed loop cooling with own dam for treatment and supply), sited in an industrial area (community approved) paying its share of tax and intellectual royalties.
- Read the story: Flying club proposal revised as public feedback opens
Damo Ferrito: Suncoast Model Flyers has been part of the Sunshine Coast community since the 1980s. Over the years, the club has supported local communities, charities and RSLs by putting on air shows and demonstrations. There’s a good chance many of you have attended one of these events over the years and seen first-hand what the club and the hobby have contributed to the local community. It’s more than just flying model aircraft – it’s a hobby with a long history on the Coast and a strong connection to the local community.
Gavan Sexton: My family and I always visited the club when we we’re on the Sunny coast.
It was totally loved by the locals and they put on some of the best public displays in Australia. The crowds were huge. Also, a fantastic Men’s Shed for local oldies who just wanted to watch the planes and sit around and chat. I cannot for the life of me see why some would despise that. Really hope it gets its legs.
- Read the story: Work starts on new route into CBD
Andrew Moran, Battery Hill: Traffic on the Caloundra Road corridor has exploded from around 20,000 vehicles a day in 2021 to more than 60,000 today. This isn’t normal growth, it’s a warning sign.
Duplication will help but it won’t solve the underlying problem: the Sunshine Coast is using a transport network designed for yesterday’s population, not today’s density or tomorrow’s growth. Every duplication simply pushes congestion to the next choke‑point – town centres with limited parking, intersections never built for this load and corridors already under strain.
We need a modern transport‑resilience plan that reflects the real Sunshine Coast – fast‑growing, densifying, and increasingly connected. Shared modelling, shared priorities and early investment are essential if we want to protect our lifestyle, our household budgets and our future mobility.
The Coast is changing. Our planning must change with it
- Read the story: Councillor blasts development plan for airport’s old runway
Robyn Deane, Nambour: Is it a case of here we go again? A few decades ago, Sunshine Coast residents rose up and voted out the ‘white shoe brigade’, who were endeavouring to destroy the many natural attributes of the region in the name of progress and development.
Today, we are faced with the North Airport Precinct development. Councillor Taylor Bunnag has said the proposal was not suitable as the area was “in a relaxed beachside location that is serviced by already-stretched infrastructure” and that is just one of many valid points he outlined about this proposal.
However, since the Sunshine Coast Airport is classed as a Priority Development Area, the proposal will be assessed by Economic Development Queensland.
Even if there are numerous objections from residents and the Sunshine Coast Council, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie can use his powers to call it in and pass it anyway, just as he has done elsewhere.
Bill Hoffman: Will federal member Ted O’Brien and state representative Fiona Simpson now also stand up for the community and local economy? The new runway alignment and deal that shifted ownership to a corporation was sold as securing aviation as a pillar of the local economy. It’s now looking very much like the land grab many feared it would be.
The Me You We Key: For anyone interested in knowing what is going on – controversial new borrowings. In response to escalating construction costs and the deficit, council recently voted to nearly double its new loan borrowing – raising them from $21.1m to $41.1m. According to online information the community backlash – to cover the deficit and manage the debt, council passed its toughest budget in a decade, hitting ratepayers with a 9.7 per cent rate hike for most owner-occupiers. At the same time, council has had to defer or push back $86m worth of community capital works projects, leading to intense debate among local residents and divided votes among the councillors themselves.
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 page.
