Gerald Lynch
A petition to cease fireworks in Brimbank has been knocked back by council, in a win for light show lovers, and a loss for wildlife and people with disabilities.
A petition was tabled at Brimbank council’s February 20 meeting, with 368 residents urging council to stop granting permits that allow the use of fireworks at events in the community.
Council’s city futures director Kelvin Walsh said in a letter to petition organiser, Shanon Meilak, that council has a strict set of guidelines when granting fireworks permits, to ensure safety is at the forefront.
“Permits currently issued by Brimbank council are minimal and strict guidelines are enforced with regard to the use subject to Victorian Dangerous Goods Act 1985 (DG Act),” Mr Walsh said.
“Should any changes in state legislation occur, council will ensure the permit system and Brimbank Local Laws are amended accordingly.
“Council is not proposing to cease granting permits that allow the use of fireworks at events in our community at this stage nor review the permit process. However, this may be reconsidered at a later stage, such as during a review of the Brimbank Local Laws.”
Ms Meilak said that after waiting months for a response to the petition put forward, she was extremely disappointed as she felt that council missed the point that the petition was making.
She and the other petitioners were campaigning for an end to permits being distributed for fireworks shows, and said council handballed the responsibility to the police for illegal shows, when legal ones can cause just as much harm.
“The main reason to really consider alternatives to the legal ones are the fact that they can harm and even cause death to our wildlife. As well as impacts to people with breathing conditions such as asthma or COPD,” she said.
“They can negatively impact neurodiverse people, so for example, people that are autistic, or can cause impacts to refugees and war veterans who suffer from PTSD, and they also leave toxic residue in and around our environment, including pollution of our waterways with toxic chemicals.
“I’d really like to see us transition to something like drone shows, for example, which are just as entertaining and popular but do not have the same negative impacts as fireworks.”
She also said that council outlined that when a fireworks show is legally permitted, warnings to nearby residents are supposed to be issued, but she has received no warnings for several shows that took place this year.
