A tropical fruit grower from East Feluga, Keith Noble is also a qualified Rural Planner, and provides a consultancy
service in association with his architect wife Tania Dennis through their company Insideout Architects.
Why I’m standing
"Having lived and worked throughout Australia, my wife Tania and I appreciate how special our region is. We made the decision
to move here because of the FNQ lifestyle, rural values, and community. We want our son Jim to grow up here sharing those
qualities and values."
"But having grown up in SE Qld, I can appreciate how vulnerable our natural and community assets are to unplanned change
as our region enters an era of rapid growth and development."
"My life experience tells me that rural communities that have retained their beauty and developed to benefit local residents
haven’t happened by chance. They have been the result of a strong community that makes the right decisions."
"We have an opportunity now to benefit from other regions’ experiences and ensure our development provides a future
that retains the values and places we hold dear and provides improved quality of life and a wide range of work opportunities,
particularly for young people."
"Change is inevitable – we need to manage it to achieve the best possible outcomes’.."
Qualifications
Keith has a degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Queensland, a Master of Science from James Cook University,
a Graduate Diploma in Agriculture from Gatton College, and is a Certified Practising Planner with the Planning Institute of
Australia. Keith is also a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, which has developed his corporate governance
skills.
Proven skills to build Industry
Keith (in partnership) established the tropical fruit industry’s first central packing shed (Australian Tropical
Fruits P/L) in Tully, and a grower-owned marketing company successfully exporting rambutan to Japan (Australian Tropical Marketing
P/L) until Cyclone Larry destroyed the industry’s capacity in 2006. Keith is a member-elected Director of Growcom –
horticulture’s peak industry organisation, which has a regional office in Tully.
Following Cyclone Larry, Keith spent 6 months assisting industry recovery, an experience that demonstrated to him the value
of industry/government/community partnership to produced immediate financial assistance and on-going regional support.
Broad experience around Australia
Prior to buying their farm in 2000, Keith worked 20 years in natural resource management (NRM) throughout Australia for
federal and state government and an Aboriginal Council, culminating in declaration of Australia’s largest terrestrial
protected area – the 97,000 sq. km Ngaanyatjarra Lands Indigenous Protected Area in Western Australia’s Gibson
Desert.
Moving agriculture forward
As a Growcom Director, Keith continues his NRM involvement to protect agriculture from unjustified environmental pressure
and to ensure opportunities are provided for industry change to meet community expectations. Keith’s involvement includes:
Chairing Queensland Farmer’s Federation (QFF) Farm Management Systems taskforce and Sustainable Agriculture working
group;
Steering Committee member for the Cardwell Shire Floodplain Program (addressing Reef Plan);
Horticulture representative to Terrain NRM - our regional NRM body;
QFF representative to FNQ2025 – the Queensland government’s regional statutory planning process;
Member of DPIF’s Farmbis State Planning Group;
Growcom’s Banana Waste to Energy project at Kennedy, where waste banana will produce methane gas for powering vehicles
and generators
Commitment to local community
Keith is also involved in broader community issues including:
the FNQ Regional Communities Ministerial Forum, where he has championed provision of additional services to the Tully Community
Support Centre, and the need for dialogue between the commercial tree planting industry and the sugar industry;
A member of Johnstone Shire’s Economic Planning Committee;
Community reference member for Cardwell Shire’s Inundation Study;
Appointment as a Local Government Review Commissioner;
the tropical fruit industry’s contribution to Innisfail’s Feast of the Senses.
Keith Noble
0427 189 160
keith@insideout-architects.com
