Shire's new laws: You can't do this, and you can't do that

YOU know there’s problems with a new council initiative when one of the councillors points out its shortcomings.

And that’s exactly what Cr Scott Rae did at the South Gippsland Shire Council meeting last week, saying there appeared to be a lack of understanding about the needs of the shire’s biggest employer and wealth creator, the farming sector, in the shire’s proposed new ‘General Local Law 2024’.

If these local laws go ahead, he claimed, it would become illegal for farmers to grow grass over 300mm in height (or one foot in the old measure).

“Cows eat grass and sheep eat grass, (also) silage, fodder production,” he said, referring to Section 33 ‘Unsightly and Dangerous Properties’, specifically 33(2)d where it states: Any structure on private land may be made unsightly or detrimental to the amenity by the presence of “excessive vegetation, including grass exceeding 300mm in height”.

Noting that he had a range of others concerns, he also claimed that farmers would be in breach of the new Local Laws if they controlled weeds on council’s roadside.

Cr Rae said he expected there to be quite a few other concerns for the shire’s agricultural committee to deal with, also reminding the community afterwards that they had only until Thursday, November 2 to object.

Among the new local laws causing angst are:

* No “unsightly” structures on private property including farms, such as a disused dairy or shed, made unsightly by the presence of old machinery or 300mm of grass etc.

* Must not allow a building located on the private property (including farms) to become dilapidated. (A building is dilapidated if the exterior of the building is in a state of disrepair or has deteriorated or fallen into a state of partial ruin as a result of age, neglect, poor maintenance… etc). For the purposes of this clause, a building includes an outbuilding, fence and any other capital improvement on the land.

* All animal food for consumption must be stored in a vermin and fly-proof receptacle (appears to include hay and silage).

* The owners and occupiers of private property, including farms, must ensure that animal waste is not offensive and does not cause a nuisance to any other person.

* Must ensure that any animal odour emanating from private property does not interfere with the immediate amenity of the area.

* Must remove any poop left by an animal on a road and be able to demonstrate to a council officer how they would remove the animals waste.

* Can’t move cattle between paddocks, across or down a roadway without a permit.

* Can’t put you rubbish bin out more than a day before collection or leave it for more than a day after collection day.

* Must destroy European wasp nests.

* Can’t park a truck in a residential areas.

* No busking without a permit.

* No political signs on a road or in a municipal place.

* No selling, collecting or distributing materials door-to-door including by religious groups. ‘Junk mail’ is still allowable. Collection of signatures for a petition also allowed.

* You can’t have more than two dogs or two cats on a residential or rural property without a permit.

* No indecent, insulting, offensive, threatening or abusive language in a municipal place.

* You can’t destroy, damage, remove, prune, lop, or otherwise interfere with any tree or allow any person to destroy, damage, remove, lop, or otherwise interfere with any tree or vegetation in a municipal place or beside any roadway.

* Without a permit, a person must not place, permit to be placed, or allow to remain on a road or in a municipal place anything that obstructs the ordinary use of the road or municipal place including animal fodder.

* Without a permit, a person must not conduct or allow filming for commercial purposes on a road or on or in a municipal place.

* There had been some concern about restrictions being placed on horse riding but turns out, horses can be ridden on a nature strip so long as it’s not “in a manner that causes damage to the nature strip”. Horses can still be ridden along the road, or when crossing roads to access the rail trail.

* A person must not paint, service, carry out maintenance on, dismantle or repair a vehicle, caravan, boat or any other thing on a road or municipal place, or authorise another person to do so, except in an emergency and only then for the purpose of removing it.

Any comment, concern or objection to the new Local Laws must be received by the South Gippsland Shire Council by Thursday, November 2.