Rory Mulcahy

Natural disasters pose significant challenges to communities worldwide, requiring effective information dissemination and access to support preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. In the City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, the impact of disasters such as severe storms and flooding is profound, with approximately 20% of the city's land area at risk of flooding and an estimated 470,000 residents potentially affected during extreme weather events.

As a rapidly growing area with diverse urban and rural communities, the city's vulnerability highlights the critical need for robust information-seeking strategies during disasters. This report presents a systematic literature review examining how and why individuals and communities seek information in the context of natural disasters that could enhance disaster communication strategies for the City of Moreton Bay. By synthesising global and local insights, this review aims to inform evidence-based policies and tools to improve resilience and safety for the city's residents as well as support disaster managers before, during, and after emergencies.

This research draws on qualitative insights from three focus groups comprising 19 residents of City of Moreton Bay. One group consisted of participants recruited from the Moreton Says in Focus candidate pool, while the remaining two were sourced through a market research agency to ensure broader demographic representation. Notably, the Moreton Says focus group was conducted in the week preceding Tropical Cyclone Alfred, whereas the agency-recruited sessions occurred in the aftermath of the event. While this variation in timing introduces complexity in making direct comparisons across groups, it also enhances the richness of the data. In particular, the post-cyclone participants were able to reflect on a recent lived experience, likely reducing recall bias and allowing for more accurate accounts of their information-seeking behaviours, perceptions, and responses during the emergency.

This research analyses survey responses from 2,253 City of Moreton Bay community respondents in 2021 and 3,723 from 2024. These sample sizes are statistically robust, capturing sufficient variability to provide reliable and generalisable insights about a population of 510,104 (City of Moreton Bay local government area population). This sample size allows for more accurate predictions of population behaviour, reduces sampling error, and improves confidence in identifying significant trends or patterns within the larger population. It also ensures representation from different areas of City of Moreton Bay, as well as from diverse and unique populations within the community. Of further note, these sample sizes are significantly larger than nearly all works conducted both nationally and internationally on disaster preparedness and information seeking as identified in the separate but related desktop review conducted as a part of this project.

This paper presents findings from the Building Sustainable Night-time Economies in Regional Australia research project. The research focused on the Sunshine Coast region’s night-time economy (SCNTE) and comprised a series of in-depth interviews with local industry practitioners, followed by surveys of Sunshine Coast residents (n=577) and visitors to the region (n=298). The research findings indicate the SCNTE is changing in ways that require careful consideration and additional research. While some components are declining, others are stable and in recent years, while some venues and events have closed others have proved resilient. To help understand these transformations, a range of local infrastructural, cultural and psycho-social elements were isolated for in-depth investigation. Various barriers and enablers, such as steep cost of living increases post-Covid, and provision or lack of provision of transport were investigated to get a sense of ‘what‘s going on’ with the SCNTE.

Digital marketing has become a necessity for many of Australia’s 2.6 million small businesses,

exacerbated by the unpredictability of the recent global pandemic (Australian Bureau of Statistics,

2022). The increased demand for digital marketing services by Australian small business owners

has also resulted in an increase in enquiries and complaints received by the Australian Small

Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) by small business owners against suppliers

of digital marketing services. Since 2020, the ASBFEO has reviewed 96 cases, approximately four

cases per month, relating to digital marketing services. This highlights an emerging issue in the

Business-to-Business (B2B) relationship between small business owners and the providers of

digital marketing services, which is the focus of the current report.

While previous research has focused on B2B service relationships in the Australian advertising

industry, limited to no research to date has explored the relationship between small business

owners and digital marketing service providers. This study undertaken by researchers at the

University of the Sunshine Coast in collaboration with the office of the Australian Small Business

and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, is among the first both nationally and globally to investigate

the relationship challenges between small businesses and digital marketing service providers.

Specifically, this research provides novel findings and insights from a mixed-methods research

project involving a series of semi-structured interviews (20) with Australian small business

owners and digital marketing service providers and an online survey of 420 Australian small

business owners.

Results in this study have identified four key stages of the B2B relationship between small business

owners and the providers of digital marketing services:

• Pre-Relationship: Attitudes About and Experience with Digital Marketing

• Beginning the Relationship.

• Mid-Relationship

• Exiting the Relationship (relationship termination).

The findings presented in this report are categorised by each B2B relationship stage. In addition,

fact sheets for small business owners and digital marketing service providers with advice on how

to navigate each stage and to overcome or mitigate potential relationship challenges with a

digital marketing service provider.

Overall, the research suggests challenges arise in the B2B relationship when parties:

i. Are “not a good fit” (in terms of budget, nature of appoin tment, and level of input

expected),

ii. Do not understand the needs of the small business, and the services provided, and/or

iii. When expectations surrounding return-on-investment (ROI) are not managed

transparently.

This research report has been prepared by a research team from the School of Business and Creative Industries (SBCI) of the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC). The report presents findings derived from an initial qualitative phase of a research project investigating the Sunshine Coast night-time economy (SCNTE).

Australian Bureau of Statistics data indicate that core night-time economy businesses – those directly working in hospitality and entertainment venues -make up 8.63% of the Sunshine Coast labour force, while various non-core support workers (e.g. transportation) night-time economy businesses make up a further 21,75% of the labour force in the region.

This first phase of the research project comprised a series of face-to-face interviews (n = 10) with industry practitioners involved in the live entertainment industry of the Sunshine Coast region. Analysis of the interview scripts showed nine emerging themes around the “state of play” for the SCNTE. For perceptions of the SCNTE the themes are:

1.       The covid factor – how the lockdowns affected consumer behaviour and post-pandemic business

2.       A lack of vibe – perceptions there are limited entertainment opportunities on the Sunshine Coast and venues close too early

3.       Sunshine Coast culture – perceptions of an early to bed, early to rise culture amongst locals

4.       Zoomer culture – how Generation Z values and behaviours appear to differ from previous generations

Five additional themes, which revolve around various barriers or constraints emerged. These included:

5.       The cost of living – rising inflation impacts the overall cost of doing business as well as consumer spending habits

6.       Transport – lack of reliable and efficient public transport appears to be a major constraint

7.       Safety – although not highlighted as a prominent issue, remains a consideration given the lack of public transport

8.       Community permissions – noise complaints and the complexities for operators of permits and compliance

9.       Venues – a disconnected array of venues with significant capacity gaps and no clear pathway for fostering emerging artists

Initial conclusions and corresponding recommendations to be drawn from the industry interview findings include:

Village hub development - adapt the example of Noosa Junction (provided as a case study) whereby local business collectives, commercial property owners and lessees are encouraged and supported to create smaller precincts across the string of ‘villages’ that make up the Sunshine Coast.

Boutique festivals and events – the Sunshine Coast’s plethora of community parks and rural spaces could better serve what appears to be some demand for smaller boutique style ‘camp and play’ music festivals.

Industrial Spaces – A novel opportunity exists to reconceptualize various industrial spaces as entertainment spaces.

A centralised 2,000 capacity performance venue –the establishment of a dedicated mid-sized pub rock style performance space as part of the Maroochydore CBD cultural precinct development would fill a gap in the market that sees the Sunshine Coast missing out as a destination for national touring bands.

Review entertainment policies and procedures – while the rights of communities should be protected, the current policies and procedures around entertainment permits are not conducive to the SCNTE.

The results from this phase of research offer insights as to how the Sunshine Coast region can expand and improve its night-time economy, while maintaining its unique regional character. Building on these findings, the second phase of research, which includes developing and administering a quantitative instrument to calibrate the qualitative findings on a larger scale, will now commence. Collectively, both phases of research will provide an evidenced based foundation to help guide SCNTE decisions and strategies moving forward. These findings might also prove useful to other regions in Australia.

This study investigates the competitiveness drivers in the Sunshine Coast region, as perceived by employers and potential employees. Staffing shortages, surpassing pandemic challenges, and hindrances like housing costs and limited nightlife impact the business and employee landscape. Conducted with the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce, the University of the Sunshine Coast analysed data from 633 respondents (179 employers, 454 employees) through methods like correlation, ANOVA, and thematic analysis.

Insights emerge across three dimensions:

LIVE: Sunshine Coast's appeal faces affordability hurdles.

Takeaway: Addressing housing supply, affordability, and urban planning is vital to sustain attractiveness and draw residents.

WORK: Fostering an adaptive workforce.

Takeaway: Tackling housing and transit challenges and upskilling with digital literacy and emotional intelligence are crucial for sustainable business growth.

PLAY: Cultivating inclusive "Third Places."

Takeaway: Introducing diverse social hubs, cultural venues, and recreational spaces enhances social cohesion and regional allure.

This research unveils Sunshine Coast's multifaceted competitiveness dynamics. Understanding housing, workforce, and social interplay can guide stakeholders in nurturing a thriving region with livability and economic vibrancy.