What Sunshine Coast Council's coastal hazards line tells a Mooloolaba owner about concrete cancer, and what it does not

What the Council's page says

Sunshine Coast Council publishes a page for each local plan area in its Proposed Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme. The one for Mooloolaba and Alexandra Headland says: Constraints to further development primarily include flooding associated with the Mooloolah River, coastal hazards and current transport infrastructure capacities.

The page is consultation material for a proposed scheme, read on 31 October 2026, not the scheme in force. It does not mention concrete, steel or any building's condition.

Why it matters to a slab owner

UNSW explains concrete cancer from the steel outwards: if there are cracks or pores in the concrete then water may seep in and react with the steel reinforcing to form rust. As rust forms it opens bigger cracks, and each crack lets in more water, so the concrete degrades further over time. A coastal setting does not change that order of events as UNSW states it, and the Council's line is a planning constraint, not a finding about any slab.

In Queensland, QBCC says building work valued over A$3,300 needs a QBCC licence, and the Professional Engineers Act reserves professional engineering services to practising professional engineers. The body corporate regulations say the body corporate must maintain common property in good condition.

What the sources add

For a balcony, the body corporate guidance says: If the balcony is part of the lot, in other words it is within the boundaries shown on the survey plan, then the body corporate is responsible for the maintenance of only parts of the balcony. This includes balustrades or railings on the boundaries, roofing membranes if the balcony provides protection to lots and common property below and structural maintenance of the slab, joists or other supporting framework.

None of these sources says which Sunshine Coast buildings have concrete cancer or what repair costs, and this site sets no price.

What to ask

Ask the body corporate manager who is responsible for the slab, ask the provider which licence the quote is under and who is responsible for any design, and ask Sunshine Coast Council whether the work needs consent for your property.