Nambour leaders continue push back on poor budget allocation
Nambour business leaders say the town’s allocation in the Sunshine Coast Council’s recent budget falls well short of what is needed – but they are determined to be heard.
Nambour Chamber of Commerce President Mark Bray said the hinterland needed stronger recognition from decision-makers. This follows council’s decision to remove from the budget a long-promised upgrade of Nambour’s Eddie De Vere administration building and library.
Speaking at the Chamber’s Coffee Catchup on August 7, held at Nambour Grown Community Garden, Mr Bray said there was “a lot of background” to the budget outcome, including constraints, but stressed that Nambour and surrounding towns remained an important part of the Sunshine Coast.
“We are relevant, we are here, and Nambour and our friends at Woombye, Palmwoods, Yandina, Mapleton, the hinterland are part of a big community out here. It’s not all down on the Coast,” he said.
Mr Bray said attracting people into Nambour to buy products and services would support local businesses and help the town stay in front of decision-makers.
Guest speaker Rhonda Billett from I am Nambour said the budget outcome had been “really bad” for the town but reassured attendees that action was being taken.
“We certainly have not taken it lying down,” she said. “We’ve gone to the new CEO, we’ve gone to Mayor Rosanna Natoli and said, ‘Hey, listen guys – you made us a lot of promises and we just need those to be fulfilled’.”
Ms Billett said Nambour’s promised streetscaping project was one of several priorities being pushed and that federal and state MPs had also been brought into discussions.
Mr Bray said that while the coast’s CBD growth in Maroochydore was positive, Nambour needed to draw Council attention to remain relevant.
“My personal view is that we’ve already got infrastructure here. Nambour was historically the centre of the Sunshine Coast,” he said. “As we now come a full circle and more people are coming back… I’d like to see Nambour come back as a hinterland hub.”
