Businesses tell MPs fear is hurting Nambour CBD

Brian Bugenhagen: “Some people actively avoid coming to Nambour. A safe Nambour CBD isn’t just good policing policy. It’s essential economic policy for the future of our town.”

Nambour Chamber of Commerce vice-president Brian Bugenhagen has told a parliamentary hearing that some workers are now afraid to go to work and some customers are afraid to come into town, as businesses continue to grapple with anti-social behaviour in the CBD.

Speaking at the March 30 public hearing in Nambour into the proposed Expanding Adult Crime, Adult Time and Taking a Strong Stance on Drugs and Anti-Social Behaviour Amendment Bill 2026, Mr Bugenhagen said stronger police powers were needed to restore safety and confidence in the town centre.

“Right now in Nambour, some workers are afraid to go to work and some customers are afraid to come into our town centre,” he told the committee. “That is why these stronger police powers matter.”

Mr Bugenhagen, speaking on behalf of the Nambour Chamber of Commerce and the many small businesses operating in the CBD, said the problem had become a regular part of daily trading conditions.

“For a number of years now, businesses in our town centre have been dealing with increasingly confrontational, aggressive, and substance-affected behaviour in public spaces,” he said.

“This behaviour is not occasional. It has become a regular experience for many businesses, their staff  and their customers.”

He said retail workers were being exposed to verbal abuse and intimidation, while incidents outside shops and workplaces were making it harder for businesses to operate normally.

“Business owners report incidents occurring outside their premises that make it difficult for them to operate normally,” he said.

“Customers have told us they feel uncomfortable or unsafe visiting the town centre.”

Mr Bugenhagen said the issue was now affecting not just amenity, but the economic life of the town itself.

“Unfortunately, this situation has reached a point where some people actively avoid coming to Nambour because of these experiences,” he said.

“That is damaging for the entire community. It affects local jobs, local businesses, and the confidence people have in our town centre.”

“That is damaging for the entire community. It affects local jobs, local businesses, and the confidence people have in our town centre.”

The hearing in Nambour was part of a parliamentary inquiry into proposed laws that would allow police to establish designated business and community precincts, issue move-on directions, and ban repeat or serious offenders from key public areas for up to a month.

Mr Bugenhagen said the business community understood that many of those involved in troubling behaviour were dealing with serious social and health issues, including substance abuse and mental health problems. But he said compassion alone could not come at the expense of public order.

“Support services and community programs are essential and must continue to play a role,” he said.

“However, there must be also a clear ability to maintain safety and order in public spaces.”

In one of the clearest messages from the business sector during the hearing, Mr Bugenhagen argued police had too often lacked the practical tools to step in before situations escalated.

“For too long, many businesses have felt that police officers responding to incidents have not always had the practical powers needed to intervene early enough to prevent situations from escalating,” he said.

He said the proposed changes would help police “respond quickly and effectively when behaviour becomes threatening, aggressive, or unsafe”.

Police Beat thanks

Mr Bugenhagen also publicly thanked Nicklin MP Marty Hunt for helping secure the new police beat in Nambour, describing it as an important step for the town.

But he made clear that the business community believed more was needed.

“Workers should feel safe coming to work. Customers should feel safe and comfortable bringing their families into the town centre, and businesses should not have to manage behaviour that would not be tolerated in any other workplace,” he said.

Backing the bill, Mr Bugenhagen said the stakes for Nambour went beyond policing.

“A safe Nambour CBD isn’t just good policing policy,” he said. “It’s essential economic policy for the future of our town.”