How Council is Supporting Our Sunshine Coast Business Ecosystem with Mayor Rosanna Natoli

Full Transcript

Note: the following transcript was generated by AI and therefore may contain some errors and omissions.

We know that people want to come and live here. We know that the state government says that our population will grow by 150,000 in the next 20 years or so and then further beyond that. So, you know, there is a lot of work to be done. There are a lot of people coming here, but that is also an incredible opportunity. So you have to look at it as much as it’s a challenge for planning and building and all of those things.

It’s also an incredible opportunity for business. we get started, the team here at the Coast and Commerce podcast want to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land where this podcast is created, the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara people. We honour their rich culture of storytelling as we share the inspiring stories of business leaders across the Sunshine Coast. We pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. Let’s get on with the show.

G’day and welcome back to the Coast and Commerce podcast. I’m Ben Amos from Innovate Media and this is the show where we bring inspiring business leaders across the Sunshine Coast to you to help you in whatever you do in business on the coast. Now today’s a little bit different. It’s not exactly an inspiring business leader, but it is the leader of the Sunshine Coast, Mayor Rosanna Natoli. Thanks for joining me here on the show today. Good morning and hello and welcome. This is a much requested guest or you are a much requested guest for the podcast here.

You’ve only been in office here as the mayor since March of 2024. So I think there’s still an opportunity for many people in business to kind of get to know who is our mayor as well. So that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to bring you on the show. But before we get into that, can you maybe give me a little bit of your backstory for people that haven’t heard that before? Like what led to you being on the Sunshine Coast and now on to mayor? Okay, well, great.

I have been on the Sunshine Coast for 35 years. I came here married, just married and moved here. And then after a little while, I really wanted to do that TV thing. So I hadn’t done what I really felt I wanted to do and went back to university again. And then I started working for, it was then Sunshine Television News.

and Seven News and I stayed there 29 years and I also lectured in journalism at the University of the Sunshine Coast for nearly 25 years. So I had those two jobs at the same time, those two parallel careers, they worked really well together. And then I got to a point where I was like, well, is this it or what’s next? And I think you get to a certain point in your life where you go, what is the future?

looking like for me. And my children were at a time where they needed me in a physical sense less. They still always need you, right? They’re always needing support or cash to be honest, something like that. They still always need you, but they didn’t need me day to day. So my children are now 22, 20 and 17. So they can get themselves places and, and, know, let themselves in at home, all of those things. So

It was my time. It was time for me to do something I really wanted to do. So all of those things aligned. It aligned with an election. And I thought, you know what? I am going to blow up my life because it’s a risk. It takes courage to be out there, to put yourself out there to the public and say, this is what I offer. Trust me. Put your faith in me. Vote for me. So that was an enormous leap.

for me because what I’d been doing was safe, right? It was safe, it was easy, I could have kept going there. And I decided, no, there was something more I wanted to give, more I wanted to do for this beautiful Sunshine Coast that I had called home for those decades. And I just really wanted to make a difference to my community. And I thought this was a really strong way to do that. So I took the leap and here I am. Yeah. Well, congratulations. And it was a…

you know, fairly, I think strongly contested mayoral election. It definitely was. there any stage during the election process where you were like, you know, I think I might be successful here or not until the very last minute? Well, I was the first candidate to nominate. So at that point, that was really good. You got it in the bag. I was the only one. Yeah. And not knowing how many people would along the way. Then as we went through the process and there were lots and lots of

different debates and events where we were all speaking. And you you’re always trying to judge the crowd, the audience, the people who speak with you, knowing that while people are saying positive things to you, other people are saying positive things to other candidates. So even after the voting was counted, I was still like, am I far enough ahead? Could someone else catch me? Could they swap preferences and catch me? So.

Really until it was fully definitively announced, I was always just not allowing myself to celebrate until I knew it was there. how did you feel when you were confirmed as mayor? Like what was going through your head? Was it like a fantastic kind of moment or was it a, what have I done? No, no, it wasn’t what have I done? It was definitely like a, I’ve done it, I can’t believe it’s happened. And interestingly, I was at a Brisbane Lions game.

in Brisbane with the family. We were sitting there and in the afternoon the head of the Electoral Commission that had looked after our booth had said to me, I can’t confirm anything officially, but our computers at the moment look like there’s no way for anyone else to come close and you will be declared mayor. But I don’t know when that will be. It’s the Thursday night before Easter. So I’m imagining it’s going to be Tuesday, right? Because

It was already 6pm. It was going to be public holidays. I thought it would be ages. And then that evening at 10 o’clock, it’s announced and it’s put up on the website and I was declared. So it was like 10pm, we’re in traffic on the way home from the Lions. The Lions had lost. And I was sitting there going, I can’t be sad because I knew that maybe it was going to be the moment. And it was, so that was really exciting. Well, and then the real work began, I assume.

So you’ve now been in office there in Sunshine Coast Council for a number of months. Six months, yes. What highlights have there been for you in that short amount of time so far? Okay, so I guess change takes a long time, but every little change puts us in a different direction. So I really like that we’ve been able to change a bit of the focus on some of the community consultation, on listening to community. So that’s obviously something that was very dear to my heart.

So it’s something I stood for. So that is something that we will continue to work on to build that trust with our community because that is central and core. And the council, one of the things I’ve learned since being in there, does all of these amazing things. And how do we ensure that our community sees that, holds us accountable if there are any times where that’s not the case, but recognises and

appreciates and values the great work that is done in the community around us and in the council itself. So that’s one of the questions that I’ve definitely asked. When I had my first 100 days, I had a list of how many meetings and how many events I’d been to and how many different things I had achieved in that 100 days. And, you know, it’s an exhaustive list. I’ve made sure that if I am invited to an event, if I can, I say yes.

So if I don’t have another engagement, some kind of conflict in the calendar, then I say yes, because I promise to be available and accessible and accountable. And I’m out there and I am definitely, you know, really proud of being able to go out and meet with people. And I’m absolutely delighted that people want to meet and talk with me. So it’s great. Yeah, excellent. you know, I guess the other highlight potentially is

you know, some of the people that maybe you get to impact as well in that time. Can you think of any particular, I don’t know, moments that you’ve had or any people that you’ve met that you maybe weren’t aware of before that’s kind of opened your eyes to something? So there are a couple of different things and obviously it’s difficult to get into specific examples because, know, we’re governed by privacy and all of those sorts of things. But

There are things that are happening within our community and sometimes it might be in the space of homelessness where you can make a small decision that has an enormous impact on people’s day-to-day lives. So that’s rewarding. It might also be a business or a community group that has been constantly trying to get something to happen and by shining your light.

or adding your weight to a particular call, it might come through. So there’s been a few of those sorts of things that I have found really rewarding to know that I can have an impact on people’s lives in a way that makes a real difference every day. And that’s the thing. When you’re in a council and it’s far reaching and there are nearly 2000 staff at council and

every one of them, whether it is mowing the lawns or whether it is approving development or whether it is high level executive, everyone is having an impact on the day-to-day lives of our business owners and our residents. So if you are mowing the lawns, you are ensuring that that park is perfect for that family that wants to play there. If you are approving developments, you are ensuring

that anything that is going to happen on the Sunshine Coast fits within our planning scheme and our community expectation. If you are supporting businesses through our economic development strategy, you are ensuring that people have jobs now and into the future, and you are therefore feeding families. So all of those things flow through to the people of the Sunshine Coast. And you have to think of it that way to understand the enormous impact

that the council has on the community and that every little decision from the top all the way down has that impact. Yeah, that must feel very rewarding. Yeah. So that is incredibly rewarding and also a big responsibility, right? Because if I’m leading on the political arm, then I have to lead by example and I have to be sure that everything I do is true to my values and those values as well.

So that’s a challenge and one that I’m up for. Yeah. So the Coast and Commerce podcast is, we are focused on speaking to business owner audiences across the Sunshine Coast here. So I’d love to now just move into talking a little bit about the role that you think council plays in supporting business here on the Sunshine Coast. And for those that maybe can hear a bit of background noise there, we’re getting one of those classic Sunshine Coast rainstorms right now. We sure are.

I’m glad we’re inside, that’s for sure. Let’s hope we can clean that up in the audio. anyway, let’s push through. tell me about how you believe the Sunshine Coast Council can support and is supporting businesses across the coast. So that’s been one of the really interesting things to learn about from being inside and in this position. So one is the Regional Economic Development Strategy, REDS. So that has been updated and that underpins all of the different strategies that council has.

So one of the things that we do is support major events and we look to attract them here because one, that brings people here, but two, it tells people about the Sunshine Coast and puts us on the map for whether people are coming or whether they’re just hearing about it. So there are multiple flow on effects from major events. So that’s one. There’s also supporting minor and emerging events as well. So that’s another way that we do that.

On top of that, we are part of the Small Business Friendly Charter. So we look at trying to make sure that our processes are friendly for small businesses. So that’s another way. We also offer one-to-one support for businesses. So I would encourage any business owner to contact our Economic Development Department and just find out what we can do to help you.

because there are all sorts of different things. There are different days, workshops, training events that we can help you to leverage more skills that they’re on offer. And you can follow along on socials or through the website or be advised through emails. There are lots of different ways that you can get on board. So that’s one thing that I would say. There’s also, for example, the Thriving Through Change Business Expo.

That is on October 29th, Maroochydore RSL 2 until 8 p.m. And that’s free. And that’s for business owners to go along and engage with the different people there, listen to different workshops and just, you know, learn a bit more about thriving through change. We understand there are all sorts of different headwinds facing, you know, business and industry here on the Sunshine Coast and broadly in Queensland and Australia. So we do understand that that is coming and we’re looking at

arming our businesses with the tools to take that on. We also support the Sunshine Coast Business Awards Program and it’s in its 29th year. So I started, I presented some of the early ones of those and have been reporting on it for all of those decades. So that’s 29 years this year for those awards. And we support that because that supports our businesses right across the region.

from small up to large, from all different types of businesses that you can possibly imagine. And so that is fantastic. I always love going and seeing and hearing that because people have such innovative ideas. And you think, wow, I would never have known that that could be a business. And someone is turning that into, you from seeing a need to finding a way to fill it and then turning that into a business. So I always, always, you know, that’s remarkable. I’m always

awe struck when I see what other people think about and do. And the Sunshine Coast Business Awards, 29 years, I didn’t realise it had been going on that long. I know. It always really shines a light on those businesses that maybe are going under the radar and that otherwise aren’t really heard about on the Sunshine Coast, least those that enter the awards. And yeah, I mean, we won the award in 2015. So ages ago now we’re finalists again this year. Well, congratulations. Another great year. Look forward to seeing you there and all the other finalists.

winners business awards this year. It’s excellent. I want to circle back on economic development and the resources like the workshop that you referred to, the expo, sorry, on the 29th of October. So, where’s the best place just for people, even if they’ve missed that data the 29th of October, but by the time they listen to or watch this episode, where’s the best place to send people to find out what some of the resources are that council have for small businesses? Is the website the best place or where should we go?

Yeah, and the program at Council is called Level Up Your Business program. So that is, it’s a resource platform that collates that information and support from the chambers of commerce, the industry groups, all levels of government. So that’s sort of like a one-stop-shop place there. So that it’s got business planning and networks and continuity planning and permits and regulations. Cause you know, if you’re looking at the council side of it as well.

Digital upskilling. That is called Level Up Your Business. So that is available through the website or you can get the Business E-newsletter from that and at levelup.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au. So Level Up, that’s the one there. So get onto that guys. If you’re feeling like you need more support in your business, the council is there to support you.

There’s resources there. There are people there that are willing to do one-on-one support as well. there are 36,800 businesses on the Sunshine Coast alone. So that’s a lot of people who need support and who are really, you know, driving our economy here on the Sunshine Coast. And we need that. So we need you. And so, yeah, please absolutely do reach out. Yeah.

I mean, as you mentioned that small business really is the backbone of the Sunshine Coast economy and has been for probably forever. You know, probably as, as mayor, like what, what do you think is the role for small business on the Sunshine Coast? So, you know, what role does that have in making the Sunshine Coast a better place for anyone to live and work? the first thing, obviously small businesses provide jobs and without jobs, then we don’t have

anyone with having money and supporting the economy more broadly. And we know how that goes round and round. So that’s one of the things that we are obviously in a small business when we support a small business, we support that particular business owner or people or whatever it might be and their family, but we’re supporting more broadly the families of the flow on effects from that. So that’s something we understand and supporting people.

so that they can live prosperous lives here is really important. So, you know, the other side of that is they have to be able to afford to live here too. So that’s the other angle that, you know, council is obviously looking at in terms of housing and supply. And we know that people want to come and live here. We know that the state government says that our population will grow by 150,000 in the next 20 years or so.

and then further beyond that. you know, there is a lot of work to be done. There are a lot of people coming here, but that is also an incredible opportunity. So you have to look at it as much as it’s a challenge for planning and building and all of those things, it’s also an incredible opportunity for business. And so is the other thing coming our way in 2032 with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, incredible opportunity as well as

Currently our challenges for planning and making sure we’ve got everything in place and everything right. And obviously that comes under the state government and the different authorities taking care of that with council support. So a lot going on Ben, a lot going on. lot going on. Yeah. And so you mentioned some of those key things like the regional economic development strategy or REDS, Brisbane 2032 Olympics, and obviously some of the bigger infrastructure and projects that are state and federal kind of.

responsibilities and things like that, combined with that, all of the population growth of the Sunshine Coast. And then you’re coming in relatively new now and however long you’re going to be mayor for, you’ve got that responsibility ahead of you to kind of support as much as you can, all of these things. you know, REDS, for example, I think was a 20 year plan created in 2013. So it takes us up to 2020, 2033. So there’s a lot of, there’s a lot of forward thinking.

here that needs to go into it. So yeah, lot of planning, a lot of thinking and that that has been updated that REDS plan as well. So that, you know, we can’t rely on what happened in 2013. I think it was updated last year, 2023. So that was prior to you being in the role. you know, talking about that Reds update specifically, is there, do you believe that council would be looking at updating that further now that there’s new leadership in council or is

Are you pretty happy with where you’re sitting? No, no, I’m pretty happy with how the Reds looks and the strategies that are, you know, really underpinning that economic growth. Cool. Yeah. So let’s talk a little bit about the bigger picture here. So, you know, we’ve talked about the growth, we’ve talked about the future vision. So if you were to, you know, I guess, paint a picture of where you think the Sunshine Coast Council and where you think the Sunshine Coast as a region potentially could be in

let’s say in 2030 and 2032, in those sorts of timeframes. What’s your vision of the future of the Sunshine Coast? I really am confident that by then we will have better public transport. And that will make a big difference to everybody’s lives because every time we get someone on a bus or a trackless tram or a train or whatever that ends up looking like for us, they’re off the road. So

definitely we need that public transport. That will change lives. It will change the way we move around the coast and the way we look at it. And when I say the coast there, that means we need to connect to hinterland and coast. need to, it needs to be north and south and it needs to be east and west because that is one of the other challenges of the Sunshine Coast is we are a collection of all of these communities that have built up across the region.

and then we are all one Sunshine Coast region. So then you add to that Noosa and Noosa Council for which I’m not responsible, but fits under that Sunshine Coast umbrella if you’re looking at the full region. So there are lots of different challenges and opportunities for that. So I see that we have better public transport. I see that the way we live will change because if we have 150,000 people coming here,

we are going to have some areas that will need higher density. So we will either need to have people living in more apartments. And I think there is an appetite for people to change. You know, certainly in that Maroochydore CBD, there will be opportunities there for more apartments. We are also looking at, know, Beewah East will be a master planned community that will have up to, you know, 50,000 people.

living there and that in itself is going to start from scratch. So we have the opportunity to envisage that and imagine it and create a community there that will be higher density in parts and will be beautiful to live in. Because if you look at European cities, they’re high density, but they have beautiful avenues with trees and parks and playgrounds and, you know, green spaces. So

That’s where the planning and they have great public transport. It all relies on that to be how it all works in together. So, mean, they’re potentially a vocal minority, but there is that population of the Sunshine Coast that I think perhaps they’re a little bit resistant to change and the idea of, we move to the Sunshine Coast or we live on the Sunshine Coast because we don’t want it to be comparing to any other place. Right. What would you say?

to those people who, you know, maybe don’t really want this change on the Sunshine Coast. Change is hard. And I get it. When I came here 35 years ago, it was beautiful. I still think it’s beautiful now. And when I came 35 years ago, there were tall buildings here. So it’s not that that has just happened now.

I lived on a sixth floor apartment back then. So, you know, I look at the change and we’ve grown up and that was needed and people are coming here and will continue to grow up. You know, we will continue to, I remember at that time there was no department store and I had come from Brisbane and I was like, there’s no department store. That’s the big top.

Just the big top. no, wasn’t. I think it was butt still. So maybe the big top had been put over the top, but there was no Sunshine Plaza. There was, you know, the Sands shopping centre. Some people will remember the Sands and it had, you know, a Coles or a Kmart and then other smaller shops around it. yeah. And I think, you know, personally, like you say, change is hard. Change is also inevitable. But I think, you know, having a council that is.

Approaching change responsibly and sustainably and with the best. sensitively. Sensitively and with the best of the coast in mind, think that’s valuable for anyone on the coast, whether you’re in business or not. Yeah. And as you said, that change is inevitable. We know that people are going to be moving here and we need to be sure that we have enough housing stock when people come in, that we don’t price our children out of the market forever.

because how impossible is that with more people coming here, if there is not more development to cater for them, to live, to work, to have businesses, all of that, then, you know, not only our children are being priced out of the market, but so are we, so are our workers, so is everyone. So that is the challenge, the responsibility, but…

You know, I think it’s achievable. And it’s about making sure that the community does trust those elected representatives, that council, to make that change and to make that future a reality. And for that, we need to be able to move around. As I said, we need to have places to live. We need to have places to play. So we need to have our beautiful spaces. We need to have our beautiful beaches, our parks. That’s all.

Absolutely vital. So protecting what makes the Sunshine Coast special, that is what we must hold firm to initially and then have all of those other things in place to make sure that the reasons we love the Sunshine Coast remain. Yeah. You mentioned transport is one of those key things that kind of underpins a lot of that, which I totally agree, and many people listening and watching would agree, needs work on the coast.

What can you share with us that is coming or that’s in progress here? So, well, we know that we are going to have the Sunshine Coast Direct Rail. How far north that comes is still open to debate and by when. So we know that it’s funded to Caloundra, you know, will it get to Birtinyaor Maroochydore also by 2032 is still up for debate between various

political parties and you know, I really don’t know about that. I’d like it to get to Maroochydore by 2032 because it underpins our city centre and the development and plans that we have for that there. So that aside, so that is that sort of north, south and into Brisbane. Then we have our bus rapid transit plan. So we are developing an almost done on the business case for that. And that then will work.

perhaps a trackless tram or something like Brisbane’s Metro, which will launch shortly as well. So that is the public transport that will take us from Caloundra to Maroochydore, potentially across to the university. And then we need feeder bus networks.

that will feed to that spine up and down the Nicklin Way. And so those buses need to make sure, you know, I hear from people in the hinterland, like business owners in Malaney, who say, I can’t get staff to work here on a weekend. They can’t come up from the coast because there’s no public transport to get them here. So that’s shameful that we don’t have an adequate public transport system to get people east and west as well.

that they have to jump in their car for that to be a reality. So, and that then goes with, well, we are running a lot of buses that aren’t full because people are not using their public transport. And we know that one of the barriers to public transport is if it’s not reliable or if it’s not at a convenient time. So those are the things they all need to happen to be able to change thinking. And that change of…

what we call a mode shift of people getting out of their car and riding their bike, getting out of their car, walking if they can, getting out of their car, catching a bus or hopefully a train, then that is what we need to make sure that people are moving around that way. And if you look at cities anywhere in the world, that’s how people move around. So that reliance on the car is something that we’ll need to change over the next.

10 to 20 years, and I’m sure that it will, because if it doesn’t, the traffic jams, the clogged roads, nobody wants to live like that. Nobody really wants that to be their future. Nobody wants to look like Los Angeles in a car sense, you know, so we definitely need to do that smarter. And that is the plan. Yeah. And obviously has a real flow through impact into business as well, as you mentioned here using that Maleny example. So

When we think about now the vision for business on the Sunshine Coast, where do you see the role for small and medium business on the Sunshine Coast continuing into the future there? Like with the regional economic development strategy, a lot of that is about attracting some major play to the Sunshine Coast as well, because that feeds through to benefiting small business, right? What role do you see small business having into the future on the Sunshine Coast? Well, one of the big ways is innovation.

So you say innovation, you don’t know what that means. There are so many people operating businesses here on the Sunshine Coast that are working internationally, let alone across the country. And obviously we have the submarine cable that comes into Maroochydore that allows us to have good connectivity. So, you know, we need to build on that, continue through that so that we are supporting those businesses with that capacity to expand.

We all know that AI is going to emerge as an even greater force going forwards. We need to ensure that we can empower our businesses to look outside of the box, look at different ways of doing business, of operating, so that we can encourage that, we can use that, we can develop that, so that when you look around on the Sunshine Coast, a lot of what is really exciting that’s happening in the business world

is not immediately visible. It might not be bricks and mortar and shops and those sorts of businesses. It is that innovative creative side as well. And let’s not even start on the creative industries and businesses there because that’s another passion of mine about empowering people in those creative industries. Well, we’re sitting in one right now, right? We’re looking at innovation and creativity and all of those things. This kind of business didn’t exist five or 10 years ago. And people might not have even…

been able to imagine it. So it’s about supporting the people with the ideas because we don’t know what might be a great business in five years or 10 years because it is moving that fast. Yeah, I 100 % agree. So I want to finish with, guess, a bit of a personal question of, know, however long your tenure will be as mayor, what sort of legacy do you personally want to leave behind on the Sunshine Coast having spent that time?

When I was elected and people asked me this, which is six months ago, I said I wanted to make people proud. I wanted people to say, there’s our mayor. I’m so proud of where we’ve gone, of where we’ve come, where we’re going. I’m so proud that the Sunshine Coast has moved and changed and evolved. So I guess I’m still really hoping that bringing the community along and being able to encapsulate

what people want and love about the Sunshine Coast to keep that, to move forward and to have a legacy that we are thriving, that we are vibrant, that we are a community that is happy, that we are a community that is successful, that we are able to innovate, that we are able to grasp all of these opportunities and then translate them into the lifestyle that we love, right? We want it.

be here because it’s livable, because it’s beautiful, because we can combine business with environment and keep all of that that is true to our biosphere and keep all of that alive as well and do all of that and wrap all of that up and put a bow on top of it and that’s what I’d like to deliver. How about that? I love it. That’s a great legacy. Yes, I think so too.

Mayor Rosanna Natoli, it’s been great and I want to thank you for coming on and your openness to share and to come on a small podcast like this for the Sunshine Coast business community and share your vision for the future and for Sunshine Coast business as well. Just in closing here, if someone listening and they’re in business, they’re trying to grow or develop or innovate their business here on the Sunshine Coast and they’re looking to get support from council or to reach out to you, what’s the best way for people to engage with council?

Okay, so there are a number of ways. There is obviously through the website. There is also our app, which is in the process of being transformed. So there is an app where you can contact and it’s got contact details there. You can easily find my email contacts there as well. And then also through obviously the economic development section of council as well. So all of those avenues are open.

We also have two counsellors that are on the economic development portfolio that you can find through and contact. And then we have all of our offices as well who go out to different events as well. And so you can run into them there. So open, honest, accessible, available. Here we are just here to help you. I love it. Really good to hear. And thanks again for joining me on the show. And for you guys listening, hopefully the rain hasn’t been too crazy for you.

But yeah, reach out, connect with council, attend the events. If you’re listening or watching to this episode before the 29th of October, attend the workshop that we mentioned earlier. Just shout out again the name of that workshop. I know you’ve got your notes in front of you. Yes, I do. That is called the Thriving Through Change Business Expo 29 October, Maroochydore RSL.

two until eight p.m. How is that for a plug? There we go. And thank you. I have just been so enjoying our conversation. So thank you for the opportunity. Excellent. And for you guys listening and watching, hit subscribe, follow on YouTube and don’t miss another episode of the Coasting Commerce podcast. See you in the next one. Bye.