Listening, honesty and authentic community consultation: Sunshine Coast CEO John Baker shares his vision
By Sonia Isaacs
THE Sunshine Coast Council is set to introduce ‘citizen panels’ in a bid to better engage with a growing and diverse population. Anticipating “difficult conversations” about future development across the hinterland, new SCC chief executive, John Baker, said it was more important than ever to consult more deeply with residents. With experience in both public and private sectors in Australia and the UK, Mr Baker said his focus was on fostering genuine community engagement, managing growth responsibly, and protecting the region’s unique appeal. “We have to learn to listen in a different way,” he said. “If we do that, we can be more sensitive in our approach, but we also need honest and trusting conversations with our community about what we can and can’t accommodate.”
Mr Baker said he wanted to move beyond traditional consultation methods to more deliberative models. “I think there’s a need for a lot more community consultation—not just cursory engagement,” he said. “Genuine involvement is critical, and I’m particularly interested in reaching beyond the loudest voices to include diverse perspectives.” Citizens’ panels, one of the initiatives under consideration, would offer a statistically representative cross-section of the community, including varied age, gender, and location profiles. “We have an incredibly well-informed community here,” Mr Baker said. “The challenge isn’t just listening; it’s harnessing the innovative solutions our residents already have. If we get better at extracting those solutions, we can accommodate growth while preserving what makes the region special.”
Mr Baker said Council needed to strengthen ties with the state government. “The Mayor has already been very effective at building these connections. We need to keep developing them so we can influence decisions more effectively than we have in the past.” Hinterland communities have often felt overlooked, Mr Baker acknowledged. “There’s a tendency to focus on high-density areas because they need infrastructure and services. That means the hinterland can sometimes miss out,” he said. “Rebalancing resources is a long-term challenge, but one we need to address.” He said supporting economic diversification was also critical. “It can’t just be about tourism, weddings, and markets,” he said. “We need jobs up there. But where do we place development without compromising what makes it so special? That’s a difficult conversation we need to have.”
He also wants to foster respectful dialogue between differing views. “We need to learn to disagree respectfully. That means being honest and transparent about the challenges we’re facing,” he said. “Growth is coming, and it won’t stop at the coast—it will impact the hinterland too. The key is to plan ahead and be clever about how we handle it – then we’re able to grow while protecting what we love about our region.”
Beerwah East has long been earmarked for development, and recent state directives have led to changes in zoning within Council’s draft planning scheme. Despite the adjustments, Mr Baker remains confident in the area’s role as a key growth precinct. “Beerwah East continues to be identified as a high-growth area due to its proximity to road and rail transport infrastructure along the CAMCOS corridor,” he said. “While I do have concerns about managing the risks of rapid development, I’m not disappointed with the state’s decision. It was a pragmatic one.”
He stressed the need for responsible planning. “Like it or not, growth is coming. If we don’t plan for it properly, it will happen to us,” he said. “If Beerwah East doesn’t accommodate this growth, it will be forced into areas that may be more sensitive.” Mr Baker said developments already underway in Maroochydore, including the former golf course acquisition, were strategic steps to enable structured expansion. “By 2040, we’re expecting a population of 500,000 on the Sunshine Coast. Some projections suggest that’s an underestimate,” he said. “The challenge is ensuring that growth is well directed to protect what we all love about the Sunshine Coast.”
Game-changing Transport
One major development is the state government’s commitment to ‘The Wave’—a transport initiative including long-awaited rail links. “We’ve been hearing promises about rail to Maroochydore for years, but this time it’s different,” Mr Baker said. “The key is that there’s now money behind it.” “Both federal and state governments have pledged funding, and there’s a firm deadline—2032. That’s a game-changer.” He said the project’s reach—linking Maroochydore, the airport, and the university—marked a fundamental shift in transport planning. “The open acknowledgment that this is happening, combined with funding, makes it real. It’s a huge opportunity for the Coast.”
However, the changes have prompted a need to review Council’s planning scheme. “One of the challenges is the impact of ‘The Wave’ on our planned development areas,” he said. “With heavy rail no longer reaching certain locations, we need to reassess: are these still the right places to develop?”
