Clear local laws and commonsense needed

THE fact is that most of the South Gippsland local laws that caused a meltdown on social media last week are similar to laws that already exist in municipalities across Victoria.

At Bass Coast, for example, they have the same 300mm height limit on grass, that may be “making private property unsightly or detract from or not complement the amenity of the surrounding area” as South Gippsland.

Of course, as South Gippsland Councillors said, in answer to the criticism they received, it doesn’t apply to grass, silage or hay for livestock and commonsense would tell you that’s true.

Bass Coast also has a local law in place where, without a permit, a person must not place, permit to be placed, or allow to remain on a road or in a municipal place a bulk rubbish container that has also caused some angst with the South Gippsland Shire’s new General Local Law 2024.

Technically, what it means is that you can’t pick up your bulk waste bin with the tractor and take it out to the farm gate for the truck from J.J. Richards or another contractor to collect or empty.

And even roadside letterboxes could breach the local law about not obstructing the roadway.

Strangely enough, though, there’s no sign of the weeds local law in South Gippsland’s new set of laws that you’ll find in Bass Coast’s Local Law No. 1 Neighbourhood Amenity 2022, as follows: “An owner or occupier of land must not allow any noxious weeds to be present on that land.”

Meanwhile, in Bass Coast’s set of laws there’s a local law where a person must not, without a permit, plant or remove vegetation from a nature strip or undertake any landscaping on a nature strip, road or municipal place.

However, unless there’s a complaint, it’s a rule that’s rarely enforced, the result being a complete free-for-all on nature strips across the shire.

And the same goes for some of the other local laws at both councils. They’re only there to provide a basis for managing any problems that arise.

But it doesn’t excuse councillors from reading the material and deciding if the rules, or any other policy put forward by the administration, is clear and fit for purpose. That’s what you are there to do.

It’s also a symptom of not using monthly council meetings for the purpose they were intended, proper debate and discussion, explanations to the community where needed and the opportunity to bring the collective knowledge of the community to bear on good decision making.