By Gabriella Payne
The Cardinia Shire Council have proposed some new changes to local burning laws, which has left some community members feeling ‘fired’ up over the matter.
The new plan, which is detailed in a 27 page public document on the council website, is currently open for community consultation until Friday 17 September and proposes a number of new changes to the laws, which are set to come into effect as of 1 February 2022.
Some of the key major changes include a total ban of open-air fires during the months of July and August, no open-air fires on public holidays, no burning on Saturdays and no burning within 25 metres of any structure or fence.
On top of that, the council is proposing to classify different areas into one of three new ‘zones’, which will replace the existing ‘bushfire prone area’ classification.
These zones have been marked on a map of the shire for community consultation and include the ‘urban and township’ areas (red), ‘bushland and peri-urban’ (yellow) and ‘rural’ (neutral).
In a public statement on Facebook, Cockatoo CFA Captain Chris White said that his brigade had been contacted by a number of hills residents about the matter and like them, he shared some “concerns”.
“I have read the document and like many residents I have concerns,” he said.
“If it goes through as is, there will be no burning at all in July and August, no burning on Saturday and no burning within 25 metres of any structure or fence.
“This rules out the majority of Cockatoo town and only larger properties will be able to comply.
“There will be no green waste disposal alternatives provided either.”
Mr White encouraged local residents to read the document and get in touch with the Cardinia Shire Council so that their worries and thoughts were heard before the consultation period was over.
“The more noise that’s made, the more chance of changes being done,” he said.
Mr White told Star Mail that he also planned to have a meeting with the Cardinia Shire Council in early September to voice his concerns.
These proposed new changes were discussed by councillors at the most recent council meeting and Bunyip Ward Councillor Graeme Moore said that while this was a controversial topic within the community, it was important to hear what locals had to say as the new laws should cater to everyone.
“I would encourage the community to put some thought into what they want in this policy,” Cr Moore said.
“We want the community engaged and we want to hear what they want.
“There’s a lot of controversy for and against this policy.
“[Personally], I do like the idea of not burning in the July and August months… because burning green waste causes a lot more smoke and achieves very little,” he said.
“But as councillors, we need to make sure our community knows what these policies mean.
“Having a policy is one thing, but having awareness of those policies is another.”
For more information about the proposed burning law changes and to have your say, head to https://creating.cardinia.vic.gov.au/openairburningreview
