A Sunshine Coast Council motion calling for better management of caravans, trailers, boats and mobile homes being stored long-term on local roads has won overwhelming support from councils across Queensland.
The motion, presented today (Wednesday October 22) at the Queensland Local Government Association (LGAQ) Annual Conference, urges the State Government to investigate and develop options to help councils address the growing issue.
The aim is to tackle rising community concerns about safety, parking capacity and neighbourhood amenity, with councils saying the current laws leave them without practical tools to act.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli, who spoke to the motion, said residents were frustrated by the ongoing problem. “This is an issue impacting our council and others across the state with residents complaining about safety concerns, a lack of available parking and neighbourhood streets that are clogged and ugly,” she said.
“We receive 700 complaints a year plus thousands of signatures on petitions and we are not alone. We are calling for the State Government to assist us with legislation to manage this for our communities.”
The motion was supported by the membership and will now form part of the LGAQ’s advocacy platform for the year ahead. While there will be no immediate policy changes, the move opens the door for State-level consultation and possible legislative reform.
“There is a long way to go and there will be opportunity for public consultation before any changes are progressed,” Mayor Natoli said.
Mayor Natoli and Deputy Mayor Maria Suarez were the Council’s voting delegates at the meeting, where all five motions presented by Sunshine Coast Council were supported by an overwhelming majority.
Other Sunshine Coast motions endorsed by the LGAQ included: funding to provide supported accommodation models to address homelessness; managing the storage of recreational vehicles on roads (a composite motion with Gold Coast City Council); enhancing Federal funding for local biosecurity efforts against fire ants; improving State and Federal support for roadside litter management; and developing technical design guidance for climate resilience for Queensland councils (a composite motion with Fraser Coast Regional Council).
