MEETING OF COUNCIL - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTESTUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2013Council is constantly spraying outside my exclusion zone of 300 metres, and making mebe constantly ill, and confined to my home which cannot be air tight. Can you please stopdoing this? If yes, thank you, if not, why not?ResponseThe 300 metre radius buffer zone was established in May 2003 by the Council to assistwith the concerns Mrs Hondros had raised in relation to sensitivity to Glyphosate. Thezone was based on the location of Mrs Hondros house in terms of the Town's boundarywith the City of Nedlands and nearby parks. This is considered a reasonable buffer inlieu of any other scientific advice and is an area that is managed by the heated watercontrol method. This buffer zone provided by the Town is comparable in area to thoseprovided by other local governments.Question 9For Cambridge Council to give me an exclusion zone you must have had some idea thatthis poison is causing harm. Why did Cambridge Council keep using it? Why did theHealth Department not ban it? How did Council and Health Department arrive at yourconclusions and what information did you use and who did you consult to verify thisinformation?ResponseThe Town uses Glyphosate for weed control because it is a registered herbicide with theWA Health Department. This herbicide is used and applied in accordance with theherbicides Material Safety Data Sheet, the Health (Pesticides) Regulations 2011 andassociated guidelines.Mr Peter Dawson, 2 Branksome Gardens, City BeachQuestion 1A question was tabled at the Council meeting 18 December 2012 regarding theappropriate authority to investigate alleged financial and proximity conflict of interestsinvolving the joint owners of a property in Jubilee Crescent whom are also 2012committee members of Cambridge Coastcare. Council advised that the Minister of LocalGovernment was not the appropriate authority to investigate and I was referred toConsumer Protection WA (CPWA) under the Department of Commerce (DC) as thecorrect statutory authority to investigate. The DC website under external grievanceprocedures item 4.2 for CPWA reads that complaints between an individual and amember of the Incorporated Association will not be investigated. In this instance haveCouncil provided incorrect advice regarding the correct statutory authority to investigate acomplaint of this type?ResponseNo incorrect advice has been provided in answering the question in December 2012.The guidelines, INC. - A Guide for Incorporated Associations in Western Australia June2010, found on the Department of Commerce website outlines the process for grievancesand disputes (Section 8 pages 61-66). The guidelines state that Consumer Protection willonly investigate where it appears a possible breach of the Act or the Regulations hasoccurred.H:\Ceo\Gov\Council Minutes for Web Site\2013\February 2013\A Council Front.docx 5