Committee Details

About the Bill 

On 4 March 2026 the Hon Brent Mickelberg MP, Minister for Transport and Main Roads, introduced the Sunshine Coast Waterways Authority Bill 2026 into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee for detailed consideration.   

View: Explanatory speech
View: Bill 
View: Explanatory Notes 
View: Statement of compatibility 

The objective of the Bill is to establish the Sunshine Coast Waterways Authority (SCWA) as a statutory body. The Bill provides for the SCWA to be responsible for defined waterways from Pumicestone Passage in the south to the Noosa lakes in the north, including the Noosa, Maroochy and Mooloolah rivers. The Bill establishes a board for the SCWA as its governing body, and provides for the appointment of a chief executive officer and SCWA staff.

The proposed functions of the SCWA include to: 

• plan strategically for the management of the Sunshine Coast waterways by developing a waterways management strategy, that considers the benefits and impacts for the local community, local environment, and local marine industries, tourism and economy
• develop a waterways management program to implement the waterways management strategy
• install, manage and maintain infrastructure for the Sunshine Coast waterways
• manage navigational access to, and within, the Sunshine Coast waterways
• monitor and manage sand and sediment movement in Sunshine Coast waterways and adjacent coastal waters and land.

The SCWA will be required to consult with the public and with Maritime Safety Queensland and the Moreton Bay, Noosa and Sunshine Coast local governments to develop the waterways management strategy. 

The Bill amends the Transport Infrastructure Act 1994, the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995, the Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act 1994, and the Transport Operations (Marine Pollution) Act 1995 to confer certain powers on the SCWA. Staff of the SCWA will be employed under the Public Sector Act 2022. It is intended that an amendment regulation will implement components in subordinate legislation, including public marine facilities, including the Mooloolaba boat harbour, buoy mooring, aquatic event approvals, and tidal works development assessment.

Further information

Further information including written briefings, transcripts and submissions will be published, when available, under the Related Publications tab.

Call for submissions

The committee invites submissions on any aspect of the Bill, from all interested parties. Guidelines for making a submission to a parliamentary committee are available here: Guide to making a submission. Please ensure your submission meets these requirements.

Click here to make an online submission to the inquiry.

If you are unable to provide a written submission, please contact the secretariat to discuss other options.

The closing date for written submissions is Friday, 20 March 2026 at 12pm (midday). 

Submissions must include:

• the author’s full name
• if the submission is made on behalf of an organisation, the level of approval (e.g. a local branch, executive committee or national organisation), and
• at least two of the following:
• email address
• mailing address, and
• daytime telephone number.

Please ensure your submission includes the above or it may not be considered by the committee.

Please note: Your name and submission may be published on the committee’s inquiry webpage, which will mean it can be viewed on the internet. You can request for your name to be withheld from your published submission, or for both your name and your submission to be kept confidential (i.e. not published). Decisions about whether and how submissions are published are at the discretion of the committee.

PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS

The committee has scheduled a public briefing on the Bill with officers of the Department of Transport and Main Roads on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 and a public hearing on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. See timeline below for further information.

Committee’s report

The committee is due to table its report on Friday, 17 April 2026. The report will be published here.

Once the committee’s report has been tabled, the Government has three months to respond to the report’s recommendations (if any). At that time, the Government Response will be published here.

Timeline