Resort connections raised as campaign end nears

Questions have been raised about Noosa Cr Brian Stockwell’s holiday rental connections, after advice he sent to voters.

ELECTION FORUM: Noosa Council candidate Brian Stockwell. Photo: Caitlin Zerafa

QUESTIONS have been raised about Noosa Councillor Brian Stockwell’s holiday rental connections, after recommendations he sent to voters.

An email sent out by Cr Stockwell advised voters now was the time to “keep the door closed” and keep out candidates who would “go through the new Noosa Plan like a virus”.

His recommendations were based on two key questions to be asked of candidates.

They included: Can the candidate truthfully say they have no links to developers, real estate or holiday property management interests?

He said half the total candidate pool would be eliminated if answering no was a “deal breaker” to one or both of the first two questions.

He added if a response of “no” to the question of whether a candidate had made a public commitment to support the New Noosa Plan was “also not to your liking” then voters would be “down to nine councillor candidates and one mayoral one” to choose from.

Manager of Twin Quays in Noosaville, Tim Rook, and Noosa resident and businessman Phil Bradford both raised concerns with Cr Stockwell’s approach, given his connection to the Noosa Lakes Resort.

Cr Stockwell confirmed he was currently chairman of the committee of the body corporate for the Noosa Lakes Resort, and had been for about a year, having previously served in the role some years ago.

“I’m not involved in property management,” Cr Stockwell said.

He said he was in a letting pool with a unit he’d had for 15-20 years, which was partly permanent and partly holiday rental, which he’d always declared.

“There is no conflict,” he said.

He said he could’ve been more specific in his email to voters that he was referring to candidates motivated by the short-term letting debate in the new planning scheme.

Mr Rook said he didn’t understand the negativity associated with connections to the holiday rental or management rights industry, and said tourism remained a major source of new money in Noosa.

Mr Bradford said he had “huge reservations” about Cr Stockwell’s connections, given the stance he’d taken in the advice to voters, and his involvement in the new town plan.

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