Redland City Council is the target of many petitions.

Petitions seeking change in laws, government policies or spending priorities are a popular way of getting communities engaged in the political process.

Social media has made it possible for people to easily have a say about issues of concern by signing on-line petitions.

Redland City Council is currently the target of petitions including eating dogs, Toondah Harbour, bushfire management and a bridge over Eprapah Creek.

There’s also a petition seeking $110 million in funding for North Stradbroke Island which was instigated by the Council in an attempt to put pressure on the State Labor government.

Petitions to Redland City Council

Redlands2030 President Steve MacDonald with the Toondah petition

People can submit petitions to Redland City Council about any matter of concern.

Petitions must be presented on paper using a standard form, with a minimum of ten signatures. Here is a link to Redland City Council’s petition procedures.

Petitions can be presented at general meetings of the Council. They are normally tabled by the responsible divisional councillor.

At a community rally in September 2017 Redlands2030 launched a petition asking Council to withdraw its support for Walker Group’s proposed Toondah Harbour project.

This petition, signed by 1,163 people, was tabled before Council on 22 November by Cr Murray Elliot.

Interestingly, people are continuing to sign this petition. It’s understood that the number of signatures is now about 1,300.

If you wish to sign this petition you can download a form, sign it and return it to the Principal Petitioner or directly to Redland City Council’s offices in Bloomfield Street, Cleveland.

There are two versions of the form:

Petitions to the Queensland Parliament

Petitions

Large scribbly gum next to Eprapah Creek

People can petition the Queensland Parliament using on-line petitions or traditional paper petitions.

A request to stop Redland City Council from putting a bridge over Eprapah Creek is the subject of a current on-line petition which has so far attracted 254 signatures.

The issue is discussed in: The Eprapah Creek bridge puzzle.

Here’s the No Eprapah Creek bridge petition.

Change.org on-line petitions

Change.org is a widely used platform for on-line petitions with at least three current petitions which may be of interest to Redlands residents.

Don’t leave Straddie Stranded

The “Don’t leave Straddie Stranded” political campaign was initiated by Redland City Council following the State Labor Government decision to end sand mining on North Stradbroke Island by 2019, according to a Redland City Bulletin report.

Documents leaked to the Redland City Bulletin revealed that the campaign would seek to put pressure on candidates at the 2017 State Election to support increased funding for the transition from sand mining.

The Council proposed that the State Labor Government’s commitment of $28 million should be increased by $110 million.

Detailed costing justifying the need for an extra $110 million does not appear to have been done by the Council.

As part of this campaign, the Straddie Chamber of Commerce initiated a Change.org petition: Don’t Leave Straddie Stranded

The petition has 371 signatures.

So far the Council’s political campaign, which cost ratepayers at least $12,000, appears to have been spectacularly unsuccessful.

Prior to the recent State election Redland City Mayor sought meetings with the 15 candidates for four electorates which include Redland City to discuss issues such as the $110 Straddie funding request. Only five candidates turned up for meetings with the Mayor and none of them were winners.

The State Labor Government was re-elected without having made any additional funding commitments to North Stradbroke Island.

Don’t eat Dogs

Following the Mayor’s Asian jaunt this year animal rights activists noticed that Redland City is a friendship city with Yongin in South Korea.

As part of a global campaign against the dog meat trade in South Korea, Redland City’s Mayor Karen Williams is being asked to tell Yongin City that we are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats. Here is a link to the petition which has attracted more than 13,000 signatures:

Tell Friendship City, Yongin, Korea, That We’re Opposed to the Torture/Consumption of Dogs

The campaign against eating dogs in South Korea is targeting many other city, state and national leaders around the world.

Rural Fire Brigade

A small number of residents in southern Redlands around Mt Cotton want to have a rural fire service established.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services have told Redland City Council that a mainland rural fire service is not necessary and the majority of councillors have agreed with this assessment.

But some residents and Division 6 councillor Julie Talty have continued to agitate for the formation of a Rural Fire Service for Mainland Redland City.

This petition has so far attracted 227 signatures:

Redland City Fire Management, Planning and Mitigation – support Rural Fire Brigade

Other petitions

If you know of other petitions which may be of particular interest to people in the Redlands, because they deal with local issues or involve decisions by Redland City Council, you can let us know by making a comment to this post and/or sending details to Redlands2030 at:

thereporter@redlands2030.com

 

Redlands2030 – 19 December 2017

 

4 Comments

Julie Elliott, Jul 05, 2020

Keep up the great work guys. Could you please add the petition questioning the Ministers Decision re the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation for the Yalingbila Bibula Whale Interpretive Centre at Point Lookout. The petition questions the MID process and the flawed Ministers Decision Notice which takes away the people’s right to object to the development. There are a significant number of Aboriginal people, including many Elders who oppose the building of the whale centre and have organised and led 12 actions in the past 24 months opposing it. They have developed a facebook page titled ‘Save Straddie 2020 Rally’ where they post updates about each of their events including media releases, images and videos. The petition was developed and endorsed by an Aboriginal Elders group on the island. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/petition-details?id=3363

Harbinger, Dec 24, 2017

Great letter Dennis, however you may care to frame another one for all of us. Everyone has missed the new diabolical Commonwealth Government SEAP and ” Common Assessment Methodology” to potentially downgrade some of the 1700 threatened species and communities particularly those with fragmented status and distribution. This will potentially and deleteriously affect existing State and Local Protected Listings of koalas ,plants , fauna and invertebrates ,some of which should be reclassified as endangered . So many marine animals, crustacea and invertebrates remain uncollected ,unidentified and unclassified.
Immediate questions should be asked of the new State Department D.E.S. as National Parks NPSR has been folded up into DES.
This has implications for Toondah Harbour and Marine Parks .
Minister Steven Miles signed off on the agreement in March 2017. Where was the notification, consultation, white paper and disclosure?
Thanks to Sue Arnold from Australians for Animals (AFA) for this discovery.
http://www.environment.gov/biodiversity/threatened/cam

Dennis Tafe, Dec 21, 2017

Josh Frydenberg
Federal Environment Minister, Australian Federal Government.
As an Australian Marine Biologist I can assure you that the way I vote at the next Federal Election will depend very much on what the current government does in terms of existing marine national parks and the environment decision on the commercial development, which has been proposed by the Walker Development Corporation for Toondah Harbour in SE Qld. If you, as Federal Environment Minister, allow this proposal to pass the huge environmental concerns that many hundreds of residents have, including irreversible damage to the Ramsar Migratory Shore Bird Protection Zone, I will retract my support of the Coalition, along with many others. It is up to you to listen to your voters.

Yvonne Beckett, Dec 20, 2017

You forgot the petition by Margaret Kemp of Russell Island re the Rocky Point barge ramp, Russell Island. 1061 signatures were collected This petition was presented to RCC at a Council meeting, handed to Matt Mc Eachan and emailed to Kim Richards before the State Election. Still waiting for acknowledgement from RCC , State and positive results to the petition.

Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net

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