Summary of the roundtable meeting held 3rd March:

  • Total fines to the value of $133,450 have now been issued by Noosa Council to the quarry operators over a 6 month period for non-compliance with the Quarry Management Plan. Although the operators are appealing these, Noosa Council will continue issuing fines whenever the QMP is breached and they have the supporting evidence.
  • Noosa Council have requested the quarry operators to avoid truck movements though Cooran during school drop off and pick-up times due to safety concerns involving children and a large increase in trucks through town. Noosa Council reported they received a negative response.
  • Evidence gathering continues throughout the region by residents on behalf of Noosa Council in preparation for their court case against the quarry operators. Whilst the impacts are increasing and affecting residents badly, this information is being recorded and collated.
  • In response to questions regarding Native Title implications, we have been advised that any determination by the Federal Court in relation to Native Title claims in the region would not include this land as Native Title is already taken to be extinguished on all validly granted freehold land. The quarry is situated on private land.
  • TMR (Dept of Transport & Main Roads) are receiving mixed messaging from impacted communities regarding potential road upgrades. This puts both TMR and this MP in a very difficult position when advocating for funding allocations to improve safety. Consultation will need to be undertaken in the coming weeks to clarify as any position taken can have long lasting consequences.
  • TMR have updated that while they do not yet have the actual figures to disclose, the funds spent on maintenance of the Kin Kin Rd has increased over the last 5 years, and more so since early this year.
  • TMR will be following up with their maintenance contractor regarding the problematic potholes that fail the same day work is done, with upcoming edge strengthening works (start date not yet announced) will also decrease incidence of potholes on outer edges of the road.
  • The engineer assessment of the timber bridges along Kin Kin Rd have all been completed, and they have been deemed suitable for the current truck movements and tonnage. There have been some general deterioration noted to form part of future maintenance efforts. Currently they do not consider load limits as necessary.
  • TMR is currently considering special signage in various areas to assist with safety, and a copy of examples is to be provided for community to discuss.
  • Local police are remaining vigilant assisted by traffic police, which we will see more monitoring. Please remember that police need to apply fines fairly and cannot target specific types of vehicles for speeding.

Please be assured that all stakeholders continue to spend considerable efforts outside of these roundtables, working on the impacts to residents and our road networks as a result of this.

For queries about Council’s processes regarding the quarry, the Project Co-ordinator is Ian Williams, ian.williams@noosa.qld.gov.au or 0437 071 835.

In addition, if there are any urgent issues regarding the maintenance of Pomona Kin Kin Road, please  contact TMR via northcoast@tmr.qld.gov.au

Questions sent to our office are forwarded to the relevant State Department with responses compiled and reported to the Roundtable. These can be viewed at https://www.sandybolton.com/state-government-kin-kin-qas/