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Surf dogs triumph The sun shone on Noosa Main Beach last Saturday afternoon as 14 teams of talented surfing dogs and their humans manoeuvred their way through an excited crowd of spectators at low tide for the 2025 VetShopAustralia Surfing Dog Championships. Competitors in the much-loved event of the Noosa Festival of Surfing were vying for the coveted Best Wave Award and just having a great time thrilling the crowd with their impressive tricks and enjoying the perfect dog waves at First Point. This year’s winners were red cattle dog Bear and his 16-year-old owner Isaac. Team Bear first entered the competition in 2023, bringing his natural ability to the team. Before hitting the waves the versatile Bear hones his balance and coordination on a skateboard. The event met VetShopAustralia lead veterinarian Dr Mark Perissinotto’s expectations to be one of the most exciting championships yet, celebrating the incredible bond between dogs and their owners while raising awareness about pet health and wellbeing. Continued page 4
Duke hangs 10 in his second year in the Surfing Dogs Championship with Paul ‘Jonesy’ and Huey. (Rob Maccoll)
Workers strike By Margie Maccoll
After negotiations since October have failed in obtaining an acceptable result, members of The Services Union (TSU) working at Noosa Council took strike action on Wednesday in pursuit of a fair Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA). According to the TSU, which is representing about 100-150 “indoor“ council workers, the action comes as the council has failed to offer adequate pay increases that properly reflect the hard work and dedication of its members, who provide essential frontline services to their local community each and every day. However council chief executive officer Larry Sengstock said council had made a “fair and
reasonable” offer that tackles the cost-of-living pressures, recognises the efforts of staff and was financially responsible. Mr Sengstock said negotiations with the unions had been productive to date and council remain committed to finalising a new enterprise agreement that strikes the right balance for our staff and the community. “We’ve listened to feedback from our staff and tabled a generous package of conditions, including an offer of 13.5 per cent over three years,” Mr Sengstock said. TSU lead organiser Tom Rivers said council workers were dealing with Noosa’s high costs of housing and rentals that had forced many to move outside the area in addition to increasing costs of
living expenses and were asking for pay increases that not only kept up with the cost of living but also aligned with what other councils were offering. “Every day, employees at Noosa Council go above and beyond to provide vital services to their local community,” Mr Rivers said. “They deserve to be compensated fairly for their frontline work, especially given the rising cost of living because council’s current offer of 6.5 per cent, 3.5 per cent, and 3.5 per cent simply doesn’t cut it.“ Mr Rivers said TSU was asking for increases of 9.5 per cent from February 2025, 4.5 per cent or CPI (which ever is greater) from February 2026 and 4.5 per cent or CPI (which ever was greater) from February 2027.
“Our members are committed to the local community, but they also need to be paid in a way that acknowledges their high levels of productivity and their significant contribution,” Mr Rivers said. Mr Sengstock said ultimately, council had an obligation to their staff and a responsibility to deliver services and functions to their ratepayers and to spend money wisely. “We value our staff and the role they play in delivering services to our shire, so it’s disappointing the unions are seeking wage increases that simply are not financially sustainable for the organisation or our ratepayers,“ he said. Continued page 2
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