By Tanya Steele
The ongoing impact of environmental weeds across Australia has resulted in a local council’s unanimous motion to take action.
After recent attention from local community groups and recent media attention and declaring the need to take a more ‘responsible’ action against weeds, Knox City council Mayor Jude Dwight put forth the motion at their mid-monthly meeting on Monday 12 August.
Mayor Dwight’s motion acknowledged the serious impacts of environmental weeds and was supportive of effective regulation to stop the sale of environmental weeds from nurseries and online.
“You will have heard comments and seen posts from me over the years relating to the impact of environmental weeds on our reserves and tree canopy, including agapanthus, ivy, and wandering trad, all of which are available through nursery outlets,” Cr Dwight said.
The motion proposed writing to elected representatives, including Environment State Minister Steve Dimopoulos, Agriculture Minister Ros Spence, Environment and Water Federal Minister Tanya Plibersek MP and Agriculture Minister, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins MP, to call on the Federal Government to develop a threat abatement plan for escaped garden weeds and aquatic plants.
“While I recognise that it’s it’s obviously not up to councils to regulate against the sale of environmental weeds, the cost that it is bringing on to council justifies our involvement,” Cr Dwight said.
Finally, the motion called for council officers to prepare a budget submission for an environmental weed officer for consideration as part of the 2025/26 budget process.
Cr Dwight said the council needs to have this discussion when considering their budget priorities.
“We’re requesting that that budget submission be present, be prepared, and the new term of council will make that decision,” he said.
Cr Dwight said billions of dollars goes into biosecurity for this country, and millions of dollars are invested into biological control methods and trials for eradicating weeds like trad from waterways.
“While it can be sold in nurseries, we’re investing millions and millions of dollars into time to get it out of our reserves and waterways,” he said.
“The culprit plants are still available for sale to a lot of unsuspecting customers, it doesn’t make any sense.”
“Our environmental volunteers regularly meet to remove garden escapee weeds from our bushland reserves and waterways.”
Member of Greening Knox Darren Wallace came before the council on 22 July to highlight issues with the weed ivy in the Knox region and previously on 21 June the Environment and Water Federal Minister, Tanya Plibersek chaired a meeting of Australia’s Environment Ministers in Sydney and ministers agreed to ‘ambitious national targets for Australia’s environment.’
Cr Dwight said that if for no other reason than to continue work towards Knox’s somewhat elusive tree canopy targets, the council needs to have discussion when considering budget priorities.
“It will, of course, be up to the new term of council,” she said.
Seconding and supporting the motion Cr Yvonne Allred said she thought the motion highlighted Knox’s commitment to protecting the environment from the harmful effects of environmental weeds.
“We recognise the financial burden these weeds place in our maintenance budgets and support stronger regulations to stop their sale,” she said.
Cr Susan Laukens said she commended the proactive approach and commended Mayor Dwight for bringing it to the council’s attention.
“Council have heard from friends groups and heard on multiple times through our public questions that this is an issue for our community,” she said.
“We need to advocate to these other levels of government.”
“It takes legislation, but this will also send a message to hopefully, corporations and other communities to really effect change. With these corporations, like Bunnings nurseries, wholesale nurseries, that we shouldn’t be even propagating this for our community.”
The motion was carried unanimously.
