New Local Laws on the menu

January 23rd, 2011

Now is the time to get into some reading and peruse our draft Local Laws. Council needs to turn all the “old’ Local Laws into a streamlined version for the Fraser Coast. Yesterday over 80 people met at Aldershot to consider the impact on the draft proposed Animal Management Local Law”and Subordinate Law in relation to bird keeping. The discussion was very sensible and I learned more about bird keeping than I did prior to the meeting.

If you would like changes to the times and/or places we can take our dogs for a walk, now is the time for action. If you want to see how Council proposes to control car parking and signage and a myriad of other issues now is the time to attend a public meeting and learn more. The aim of the Laws as far as I am concerned is to ensure we have a fair system of dealing with issues. Not forgetting that Laws need to be enforceable and as straight forward as possible.

Information meetings are scheduled throughout the district and all the information that you need to know regarding making submissions etc is available via the Council web site. While many of us think we have too many Laws already the approach being taken by the State Government is to reduce the overall number of Local Laws and to try and bring some uniformity to the Laws across the State. We can tweak ours to suit us locally but we need your help to ensure we tweak them correctly.

Take care, Sue

10 Responses to “New Local Laws on the menu”

  1. Colin Burton 23 Jan 2011 at 10:05 am

    A quick initial perusal of some of the matter available on council’s website suggests that it is designed to baffle, obfuscate, and generally bore to tears any ratepayer brave enough to tackle it. Why does this not surprise me ? Burial in verbiage of the nineteenth century variety may be necessary in formulate the ‘laws’ themselves, but a much clearer precis of the nuts of the matter is needed if informed comment is expected. But then, maybe that is exactly why it is so offered. Comment is a nuisance and ignoring it and doing what council wants to do anyway is facilitated this way.

    The insurance industry has reluctantly moved slowly towards ‘plain English’ explanations of arcane concepts. Maybe council could do the same in the matter of curtailing personal liberties ?

    Like ” we are going to shorten times of parking and charge you for it”, if that is the intent. Or “apart from the middle of the night in one or two places you will not be able to let your dog off the leash “, if that is the intent. Or ” fines will be doubled for most things and called penalty units so we can easily increase them regularly”, if that is the intent.

    This of course is ‘progress’ in the way of which one cannot stand.

  2. Sadmanon 24 Jan 2011 at 2:31 pm

    Colin Burt,

    While I agree with many of your posts, you seem to have missed one important point!
    This council was elected (sorry, re-elected), by the people. If they have failed? We have failed and we have haven’t we?

    We have over the last few years had many reviews, hired many consultants, had many reports, but sadly little action!
    I’ll bet you now, over half of the current councillors will be re-elected if they stand and the whinging will continue.

    As long as people can blame some one else, get a government handout and still have a fag and a beer. Nothing will ever change, the old money in this town has the system all sewn up.

    Sad really, isn’t it?

  3. Sue Brookson 24 Jan 2011 at 5:06 pm

    Could I suggest Colin that it is the legal system that is more likely the reason for the wording being the way it is. The subordinate laws are where the procedural info can be found. Updating all the Laws at once is a challenge but most of us will focus on the sections that matter to us. I hope there is a good spread of such interest. Sadman, what on earth are you trying to say? We have had no enquiries etc re the Local Laws that i can recall. It is a process required by the State Government. Council is simply following directions. The Laws are modelled on templates made available by the State. There is a lot to digest but when completed at least we will all be living under the same set of Laws throughout the Fraser Coast!

  4. Sadmanon 25 Jan 2011 at 6:07 am

    Sue,

    My comment “many reviews, hired many consultants, had many reports”, was about council. It was not specific to “local laws”, sorry if that was not clear.

    I was always lead to believe “you do one thing, you do it well and then move on”. Sadly council seems to have many irons in the fire, with few, if any ever being finalised!

  5. Marc Brometon 26 Jan 2011 at 4:27 pm

    Sue

    Do not know who threw this conglomerate of papers together but it appears to be “takes” from every where which the FCRC is expecting the public to fix?

    It seems to me a very good top down index by FCRC management and councillors is required; secondly a very good search engine to find what you are looking for is then necessary.

    For example could you refer me to information on Dump Points and council camping areas and the by-laws that apply?

    Council might be better served taking a complete set of model laws with a search engine from a regional council with fairly similar issues to ours and then amending consistently?

    The above are meant to be pro-active positive criticicisms. Regards

  6. Sue Brookson 26 Jan 2011 at 6:42 pm

    The new Laws are based on model Laws produced by the State Government. It is a handful bringing in all the Laws at once but it will be much easier for our community to deal with less than 10 Laws compared to the 80 odd that we currently have after amalgamation. If you look at the contents or first few pages of the Laws it gives you a good indication of where to find specific bits. I will endeavour to have a look Marc, and post links to the sections that you are interested in.

  7. Marc Brometon 27 Jan 2011 at 6:04 am

    Thankyou…good luck

  8. Colin Burton 13 Feb 2011 at 8:03 am

    Belatedly as a comment on this section of your blog Sue, but in drafting new or amending old local laws I feel that attention should be given to liquor licensing of ‘night clubs’.

    The terrible incident at 1am on Saturday 12th Feb reported in the Sunday Mail of today concerning the bashing of a 32 year old constable by a pack of youths whilst on his way home from a night club and a Macca brings Hervey Bay into the twenty first century of street violence. Vale, safety on our streets at night.

    Whilst one cannot blame the specific night club, nor the young man for patronising it, it is obvious that extended liquor trading until the not so small hours of the morning puts large numbers of less than sober victims either into cars to kill themselves and us or on to the streets to become prey for marauding gangs of youths – another separate problem. Where there is prey predators will gather. Do we want Hervey Bay to become a ‘safari park’ where only the foolish walk in the darkness amongst the man-eaters ? Great for tourism – “come to Hervey Bay and get bashed” .

    ‘Night club’ is a euphemism for shebeen. They exist only to generate profit for the liquor industry. Drinkers can get in a social evening of drinking before midnight. Or even ten o’clock. Or at home.

  9. Patriciaon 14 Feb 2011 at 4:30 pm

    I know that this question isn’t going to be popular, but what was the 32 yr old constable doing being out on the town just a couple of hours before starting his early morning Sunday shift? Is this normal behaviour for an ‘off duty policeman’ to be out in the small hours and only getting 2 or 3 hours sleep before his shift? ‘…’ = edited slightly by Sue

  10. Sadmanon 15 Feb 2011 at 7:05 pm

    Patricia,

    The only difference between our police and the general public is the uniform. So ask why any one is out drinking in the early hours of the morning?

    I am reminded of the northern bards words “I wish to god the gift was gee us, to ourselves as others see us”. Think on it Pat.

    Sadman

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