Short response notice time has Noosa residents fuming
NOOSA community groups are unhappy with the amount of time they were given to prepare a response to proposed government planning changes that could intimidate grassroots organisations from taking on developers in court.
A new amendment to allow the awarding of costs against unsuccessful challenges has groups like the Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association, the Noosa Waters Residents Association and the Eumundi Doonan and Verrierdale Residents Group, up in arms - not only about the perceived intent to pave the way for more development but the actual process.
"When we looked back at the Property Council's submission - the Property Council acknowledged they had six months to work through this with the government," NRRA spokesman Joe Jurisevic said.
"And residents have only had a matter of weeks to try and absorb all the changes and comment and to now make a submission before parliament.
"Groups around Noosa only found out about it by accident - it was only be sheer chance that we heard about and it gave us enough time to respond."
Even so, Mr Jurisevic said Noosa was extremely well represented.
Member for Noosa and Glen Elmes said the fact that Noosa had put in one quarter of all the submissions to a state parliamentary committee reviewing the changes, was "a great thing".
"There were local submissions from individuals, from couples from community groups right across the board," he said.
"When you look at the message they and everyone else who turned up sent, it was a message concerned about those costs."
EDV spokeswoman Johanne Wright said she satisfied with interest shown by the parliamentary committee.
