Gympie council to stop water fluoridation on back of My Place-tied petition

A Queensland council is jamming the brakes on fluoridating its drinking water following a petition to the council by 650 people, led by a controversial ex-candidate and including names from as far abroad as Israel, Argentina and Belgium.

Gympie Regional Council is jamming the brakes on fluoridating its drinking water following a petition to the council by 650 people, lead by a former election candidate (Marcel Claassens, pictured) and including names from as far abroad as Israel, Argentina and Belgium.

Gympie Regional Council has rejected plans to continue fluoridating its drinking water following a petition against the program carrying 650 signatures, some of which were from foreign nationals.

Councillors voted at Wednesday’s meeting against a staff recommendation to continue the program following the petition, which was first lodged back in December, 2023.

The petition was put to the council by Marcel Claassens, who stood for election in March for Division 2 but lost to incumbent councillor and deputy mayor Dolly Jensen.

Mrs Jensen was one of three councillors to vote to keep the program, joined by Mick Curran and Warren Polley.

Mr Claassens is a member of My Place Gympie’s Facebook page, a national group which sparked controversy at the 2024 March election amid claims members were secretly trying to infiltrate Queensland councils.

Notes published on My Place Gympie’s website say a petition pushing for the removal of what it called a “class two poison” was first flagged in October 2023, two months before it was formally lodged with the council.

Fluoridation of the Gympie region’s drinking water was started by the state government in 2010.

The council voted in 2013 to keep the program after responsibility for it was passed to local governments by the state.

The petition accuses the council of failing its “duty of care” to ratepayers by informing them “there is industrial waste fluoride added into our water supply”.

Residents of Glenwood, in the Fraser Coast Regional Council area, Pomona in Noosa Shire Council, and Nambour in the Sunshine Coast Regional Council area were also signatories to the petition.

Several claims in the petition were refuted by council staff in their report given to councillors at the Wednesday meeting.

These included that fluoride used was not “industrial waste fluoride” and instead “specifically produced and regulated to be safe for human consumption”.

The petition was put to the council by Marcel Claassens, who stood for election in March for Division 2 but lost to incumbent councillor and deputy mayor Dolly Jensen.

Staff added there was “no reliable evidence of any direct association between community water fluoridation at current Australian levels and other human health conditions” and “for every dollar that is spent on fluoridation, between $7 and $18 is saved in avoiding treatment costs for dental health related issues”.

This meant the council’s current annual spend of $255,000 amounted to a $2.5 million – $3 million health benefit for Gympie’s residents.

“Every reputable medical, dental and scientific agency in Australia, every federal, state and territory health department, and leading social support agencies strongly endorse water fluoridation,” the staff report said.

Gympie councillors were told at Wednesday’s meeting fluoridation of drinking water was supported by the Australian Dental Association, Australian Medical Association, and the World Health Organisation. Photo: iStock

Mr Curran, a former Gympie mayor, said councillors were briefed by health experts about ahead of the meeting.

Fluoridation was supported by the World Health Organisation, the Australian Medical Association, and the Australian Dental Association, Mr Curran said.

“I look around the table and there’s not too many people with postnominals after their name, as experts either medical or dental or health in general,” Mr Curran said.

He also queried the interest in the region’s drinking water from further abroad than neighbouring councils, particularly from signatories who lived in Israel, Belgium, and Argentina.

Mrs Jensen said she did not support such a large decision on the back of a petition containing “misinformation” and supported by a small sample size.

Councillor Mick Curran, a former Gympie region mayor, said none of the councillors were themselves medical experts and as such the organisation should be listening to those who were. Christine Schindler

“One per cent want it removed,” Mrs Jensen said.

“The other 99 per cent are probably just learning about this now.”

Allona Lahn pushed back saying “the people have spoken” and the council had made decisions on other matters carrying “many less signatures”.

“Many people haven’t seen the petition, it hasn’t reached the wider community … to actually get 600 (signatures) … I think that’s really big,” Ms Lahn said.

“I had fluoride as a child and I have a mouth full of fillings … my daughter on the other hand … who has never had fluoride, doesn’t have any fillings.”

“In my experience opinion the science is never settled, although the experts have come we haven’t had the other side of the story.

“At no given time have we been given any different opinions … it should be a choice.”

Councillor Allona Lahn said the petition, which carried more than 600 signatures, meant “the people have spoken” and voted against continuing fluoridation. The motion to continue fluoridating the region’s drinking water was rejected by a six-to-three vote, but the technicality of its wording means councillors still need to vote on its removal from the water supply in the future. Picture: Christine Schindler

Jess Milne challenged Ms Lahn’s claims on its impact on dental care saying “my kids (are) costing me a fortune with their teeth and it’s got nothing to do with their fluoride”.

She ultimately voted against the motion saying she needed “further information”.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said “people should have the freedom to choose” and there were options out there for people who wanted to use fluoride.

The council was stopped short of fully pulling the plug at the meeting after hitting a technicality on the wording of the motion: The council had voted against continuing it, but had not actually endorsed removing it which would cost ratepayers about $100,000.

Ms Lahn wanted to vote to remove it at the meeting, but Mr Curran said council policy required seven days’ notice to make any such a decision.

There was a chance they would be doing a swift U-turn too “depending on how many phone calls we receive for taking it out”

“There’s a silent majority out there,” Mr Curran said.

CEO Robert Jennings will provide a report to councillors “in relation to other options and community consultation” on the future of the region’s fluoridation program.