Jamieson said that “after nearly 12 years serving the communities of the Sunshine Coast and vigorously representing the interests of our residents to the other tiers of government, I have decided that it is time to put my family and my personal interests first.

“For this reason – and this alone – I have decided not to contest the next election for mayor of our great Sunshine Coast Council on March 16, 2024,” he said.

Jamieson, 65, had an instrumental role, with other mayors, in securing the Olympics and led the council in developing a central business district and getting the undersea broadband cable connection at Maroochydore.

He told In Queensland that he thought his biggest achievement was getting the council to endorse his vision for the region.

“If we had not done anything back in 2011-12 the Sunshine Coast economy would still be a basket case. We were always a good place for a holiday but the global financial crisis hit us for six.

“We had to restructure the economy.”

He said back then the average household income on the coast was more than 20 per cent below the state average and now it was about par.

Jamieson said he had no other ambitions than to spend time with his family and with business interests that had been put to one side while he was mayor. He has property interests including a farm and a shareholding in the Duporth Tavern.

“There’s plenty of things to do and it seemed like the right time,” he said.

“I know this may come as a surprise to some people, but there comes a time when we all re-evaluate our priorities and recognising the importance of our nearest and dearest has to be priority number one.”