Yandina businesses briefed on Olympics, pathways, parking & business support
by Cameron Outridge
Local business owners turned out for Tuesday night’s Business Yandina meeting at Club Yandina, where Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli, Division 10 Cr David Law and Nicklin MP Marty Hunt laid out their vision for the region and reaffirmed support for small business and community infrastructure.
Mayor Natoli highlighted the development of the Olympic-grade mountain biking facility at Parklands, which will host the Olympic Mountain Bike Brisbane 2032 event. “Yandina will have an Olympic event delivered right here. That means more visitors, more events, and more opportunities for our hinterland areas,” Mayor Natoli said. She predicted long-term tourism benefits, with visitors keen to “ride the Olympic trail” both before and long after the Games.
She also detailed progress on the “Wave” public transport system connecting coastal hubs to rail, and shared the council’s push for a seat on the Brisbane 2032 board. “As a co-host city, we need to be at the table,” she said.
The Mayor praised Yandina’s charm, active community and unique identity. “Yandina has so much to offer—charming shops, beautiful cafés, and a real sense of ownership of your town,” she said.
Connectivity, parking and pathway upgrades
Cr Law gave updates on connectivity, parking and pathway upgrades, including improved footpath connectivity along Steggalls Road and Farrell Street. “I’m hearing a lot about the speed of traffic on Steggalls Road and the footpaths happening at the corner of Steggalls and Farrell Street will help pedestrian safety. A lot of work has been done there. And when the over 50s retirement space by Stockland starts to get built, they will have a requirement to improve and make better the connectivity to the rest of the town. And that will include having to provide safe crossing points for people to get across Steggalls Road, which then will also encourage people to drive more appropriately along Steggalls Road. In the meantime, QPS are aware of the issues there and they will do what they can to encourage car drivers to behave correctly.”
Cr Law said Council had been working hard to create footpath connectivity in all of the railway towns and specifically Yandina where there are missing links. “So we’ve worked with a lot of community organisations to identify where are the gaps, and which gaps will make the biggest difference to improve connectivity for people. And obviously that’s really important around school time and there’s a strong focus of how can children and families get from home to school and from school to home without having to get in a car. And so you’ll have seen around town a lot of footpaths under construction and being made and sorting out crossing points.”
Cr Law said line marking on Pioneer Road was proceeding to lay out parking spaces and improve safety. “We’re doing what we can to sort that (Pioneer Road) area out,” he said.
He also flagged progress on a new off-leash dog park for Yandina and parking expansion near the School of Arts. “We are currently working on the design process,” he said.
Backing small business
Member for Nicklin Marty Hunt reinforced the state’s renewed focus on backing small business which was the backbone of the economy. “Government services don’t create wealth—we need small business to thrive,” he said. He urged attendees to share feedback on red tape via the state’s business website. “Give us that information, because I can tell you—we want to help,” he said.
He highlighted upcoming grants, including $75,000 for specialised equipment and $7500 for emerging businesses, and announced new Secure Communities Partnership grants to improve safety. “Petty crime is a concern—this fund will help with things like CCTV and lighting,” he said. “People should be able to feel safe in their communities.”
Payroll tax out of line
In question time Mr Hunt agreed with local businessman John O’Leary that the State’s Payroll tax was detrimental to small businesses and employment, but said there was little chance of it being abolished because it was essential for the State Budget.
Mr O’Leary had said he was annoyed at having to fork out between $11,000 and $15,000 every month “just for the pleasure of employing all the people that we employ”.
“You won’t get an argument from me,” Mr Hunt said. “(But) you’re talking tax reform and we would have to take that to an election.”
Mr O’Leary asked whether there had been any progress on the proposed service station for Yandina and whether there had been any update on the IGA development. Cr Law said the latest service station operational works application had been submitted but had yet to be approved and wasn’t aware of any news on the IGA development.
Marie Reeves, Tracey Tucker and Hali Elmustufa.
Cr David Law, Mayor Rosanna Natoli and Nicklin MP Marty Hunt with three Yandina Heritage Trail plaques to be placed at significant historic sites around town.
Jill Kuramoto, Mayor Natoli and John O’Leary.
Jennifer Fielding, Myshell Hyde and Gail Ferguson.
Dennis Sutton from Feather’s Nest Creations and Sean Hennessy from Historic House.