Sunshine Coast Region

Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi, Cabbee, Carbi, Gabi Gabi) is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken on Gubbi Gubbi country. The Gubbi Gubbi language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Sunshine Coast Region and Gympie Region, particularly the towns of Caloundra, Noosa Heads, Gympie and extending north towards Maryborough and south to Caboolture.[3]

Prior to 2008, the new Sunshine Coast Region was an entire area of three previous and distinct local government areas:

• the City of Caloundra;
• the Shire of Maroochy;
• and the Shire of Noosa.

At the establishment of regional local government in Queensland on 11 November 1879 with the Divisional Boards Act 1879, most of the area was part of the Caboolture Division, while the northernmost part around Noosa was part of the Widgee Division centred on Gympie. The Maroochy Division split away from Caboolture on 5 July 1890. All three divisions became Shires on 31 July 1903 under the Local Authorities Act 1902.

In 1910, the Shire of Noosa split from Widgee, and on 22 February 1912 the Shire of Landsborough split from Caboolture.[4] The two new entities together with Maroochy were to remain fairly stable for almost 100 years.

On 19 December 1987, the Shire of Landsborough was granted City status, and was renamed the City of Caloundra,[5] reflecting the population boom in the coastal section of the City.

In July 2007, the Local Government Reform Commission released its report and recommended that the three local governments amalgamate. While it noted all three were "functioning councils with moderate to strong financial performance", it argued that they covered a self-contained region in a geographic, social and economic sense and that the advantages of coordinated planning in a high-growth area and the avoidance of duplication of facilities were arguments in favour of amalgamation. The councils opposed the amalgamation, and the Commission itself noted that the bulk of statewide individual submissions came from this region reflecting a "depth of feeling" regarding the issue.[6] On 15 March 2008, the City and two Shires formally ceased to exist, and elections were held on the same day to elect twelve councillors and a mayor to the Regional Council.

In the 2011 census, the Sunshine Coast Region had the 4th largest population of any local government area in Australia (following City of Brisbane, City of Gold Coast and Moreton Bay Region).[7]

In 2012, a proposal was made to de-amalgamate the Shire of Noosa from the Sunshine Coast Region.[8] On 9 March 2013, Noosa residents voted to de-amalgamate Noosa from the Sunshine Coast Council.[9] On 18 March 2013, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council decided its new planning scheme should not apply to those areas that were part of the former Noosa Shire (different attitudes to planning and developments having been a major objection by residents of Noosa Shire to the amalgamation).[10] The Shire of Noosa Shire was re-established on 1 January 2014.[11][12]

The Region is divided into 10 divisions,[13] each represented by one councillor, plus an elected mayor who represents the entire Region. The council is elected for a four-year term.

The populations given relate to the component entities prior to 2008. The next census, due in 2016 and will not include the Shire of Noosa's census figures.

Map of Sunshine coast

The Sunshine Coast economy is dominated by two sectors – Healthcare (including age-care) and Retail, which provide 30% of the regional employment.[14] Other significant areas are accommodation and food services, education, construction, manufacturing and professional services.[14] Efforts are being made to diversify the regional economy by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council.[15]

Local educational institutions, government and community groups have funded a number of initiatives to encourage entrepreneurial and innovative businesses to the area.[16] The University of the Sunshine Coast's Innovation Centre acts as an incubator startup companies, as does the Spark Bureau. The University site at Sippy Downs is designated as a 'Knowledge Hub' as part of the Queensland Government's South East Queensland Regional Infrastructure Plan and is master planned as Australia's first university town based on the UK models with the potential for over 6,000 workers in knowledge-based businesses.[17] Sippy Downs was highlighted as an 'Innovation Hotspot' in July 2010, by top European Business magazine CNBC Business, with the potential to be 'Australia's no-worries-answer to Silicon Valley'.[18]

There are several newspapers which cover the Sunshine Coast region. Sunshine Coast Daily is published Monday to Saturday by APN News & Media. Free distribution weekly community newspapers published by APN include: Buderim Chronicle, Caloundra Weekly, Coolum & North Shore News, Kawana Weekly, Nambour Weekly, and Range News. Independent weekly newspapers include Glasshouse Country News and Hinterland Times.[23][24]

While much of traditional media has an online presence there has also arisen media organisations that are exclusively online. View News is one such organisation operating a news site for the Sunshine Coast concentrating on local news from the various Sunshine Coast communities.

Sunshine Coast is served by publicly owned television services (ABC TV), (SBS) Television and three commercial television stations (Seven Queensland, WIN Television and Nine), which are the regional affiliates of the Seven, Ten and Nine network stations in Brisbane. The Sunshine Coast is also in the television broadcast licence areas of Brisbane (metro), enabling most areas of the Sunshine Coast to receive the commercial Brisbane stations. Subscription television services Foxtel and Austar are also available.

All three main commercial networks produce local news coverage - Seven Queensland and WIN Television both air 30-minute local news bulletins at 6pm each weeknight. Southern Cross Nine airs a regional Queensland edition of Nine News from Brisbane, featuring local opt-outs for the Sunshine Coast.

Seven's bulletin is produced and broadcast from studios in Maroochydore, from where six sister local news programs for regional Queensland also originate. WIN News is also produced from a newsroom in Maroochydore, but broadcasts from studios in Wollongong.

The Sunshine Coast region is served by commercial, community and government radio stations. Commercial stations 91.9 Sea FM and 92.7 Mix FM are owned and operated by the EON Broadcasting, one of Australia's last independent broadcasters. Rival commercial operator Grant Broadcasters runs 91.1 Hot FM and Zinc96. The Government-owned ABC services the region with 90.3 ABC Coast FM and ABC NewsRadio on 94.5 FM, Triple J on 89.5 FM and ABC Classic FM on 88.7 FM. Many community access stations, as well as some Brisbane stations, can also be received.

As of March 2016, the Sunshine Coast Region has the following sister cities:[31]

• Tatebayashi, Japan
• March, Fenland District, Northeast Cambridgeshire, England

As of March 2016, the Sunshine Coast Region has the following friendship cities:[31]

• Xiamen, China
• Mont Dore, New Caledonia

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sunshine Coast Region.

• Queensland Electoral Commission Interactive Map
• Sunshine Coast Regional Council