Maroochy River Estuary Consultation Group membership established

Community associations, surf club representatives, environment and water quality experts will work with State Government agencies, the Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce, the University of the Sunshine Coast and Surf Life Saving Queensland to provide feedback to council regarding the renewal of the Maroochy River groyne field.

As part of its ongoing consultation with the community, council resolved to establish the Maroochy River Estuary Consultation Group (MRECG) to canvass a wide spectrum of views and expertise to provide collective and balanced advice to council to assist in its decision making on the management of the Maroochy River estuary entrance.

Standing members of the MRECG include representatives from:

• Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP)
• Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF)
• Department of Local Government, Infrastructure and Planning (DLGIP)
• Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ)
• University of the Sunshine Coast
• Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce
• Surf Life Saving Queensland
• Division 8 Councillor, Jason O’Pray

In addition to the standing members, the following non-standing members have been invited to join the group following an expression of interest process:

• Susie Chapman – representative of Organisation Sunshine Coast Association of Residents (OSCAR), Honorary Senior Fellow with University of the Sunshine Coast with significant experience working with SEQ Catchments and local community groups.
• Peter Dews –practicing engineer including coastal engineering and longstanding member of Maroochy SLSC
• Cerran Fawns – Current CEO of Ecollaboration (formerly Maroochy Waterwatch) and a member of the original ‘working group’ regarding the sand replenishment of Maroochydore Beach and dredging of the Maroochy River in 2013. Cerran has worked on many community and commercial projects to monitor and improve the health of the Maroochy River over the past 17 years.
• Derek Foster – the current chairperson of the Friends of the Maroochy Wetland, international facilitator of community development.
• Kerry Jones – Representative of the peoples of the Kabi Kabi First Nation, the  traditional owners of the area that encompasses the Maroochy River estuary
• Peter Taylor – A retired local community member with a professional background in civil engineering and advocate for sustainable communities.

The group will be independently chaired by Professor John Martin, with their first meeting proposed to be held on Monday, September 4.

“As the chairperson of the group, I am delighted to have such excellent community members putting their hand up to be a part of this process, as I’m sure council is as well,” Professor Martin said.

“There were a number of very high calibre people who expressed their interest in being involved in the group, which made the selection of members difficult.

“Community members also have the ability to make submissions directly to the MRECG as part of the consultation process, and we look forward to hearing from as many people as possible.”

Following sessions in Coolum and Caloundra, three further community consultation sessions will be held over the coming weeks.

Maroochy Surf Club, Maroochydore 22 August 2017           6pm - 8pm

Maleny RSL Sub Branch, Maleny      24 August 2017           6pm - 8pm

Nambour RSL, Nambour                   29 August 2017           6pm - 8pm

The community is also encouraged to visit council’s website and take part in an online survey to share their views on the options for the Maroochy River entrance.

Feedback from the MRECG will be compiled, along with feedback from the survey and the five community consultation sessions, in a report to council in December this year.

Further information about how the community can be involved in the consultation process is available by visiting council’s website www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.