The one thing population growth has going for it is employment, albeit short term, cyclical, relatively unimaginative, relatively unsafe, deadline and profit driven, generally without a career path unless you belong to one of the few large construction companies and it doesn’t employ a lot of women.

The construction industry, one of the biggest industries on the Coast and one of the biggest employers, also impacts heavily on the natural environment.  Employment in the tourism and health care industries are the other two substantive industries on the Coast and I think the Noosa Chamber of Commerce is right to be concerned about the lack of diversity and its consequences for economic sustainability in the region.

From a social perspective, peoples'  wellbeing is dependent on having incomes that allow them to live a reasonably comfortable and healthy life.  Earning money is a way to happiness.
With slower population growth, an aging population, an increasingly fragile environment and a great number of additional near-future impacts such as peak oil, rising power and water costs, peak seafood ( yes , that’s also in the science news) it may well be a challenge to keep the economy ticking over.

But people have needs and other people can meet those needs. 

People  with  leisure  time  want  entertainment, intellectual challenges, physical activity and most of all, to be engaged with others.  There are business opportunities, maybe not for astronomical sums of money made in breathtakingly short periods of time but then again it depends on what people are prepared to pay for what they want and able to pay for what they need.  If you think greed is good, then this might not be for you.  But if you think you're smart, it could be your niche.

Focussing on what your customers need or want rather than how you can make the most money is the essence of a social enterprise.  The service you deliver is your reason for being.  Your happiness is enhanced when your customers are happy.  Social enterprises contribute to wellbeing through embedding ethics in the business.  ‘Everyone’s a winner, babe’.

Is it time for the social enterprise sector to be given its rite of passage? These links are a good start:

How to set up a social enterprise

Finding Australia's social enterprises