‘On the front line’: Cairns’ trash problem prompts calls for more environmental reporting
Scrapped annual reporting on waste, recycling and emissions totals for Cairns Regional Council could be reinstated this week with a key sustainability group calling on authorities to be more transparent and accountable.
Scrapped annual reporting on waste, recycling and emissions totals for Cairns Regional Council could be reinstated this week with a key sustainability group calling on authorities to be more transparent and accountable.
The council handed down its State of the Environment report annually from 2009-2022 before controversially opting to ditch delivering the document yearly in favour of once every four years.
But it is understood that Division Five councillor Rob Pyne will raise a general business motion at an ordinary meeting on Wednesday calling for the report to be issued again annually.
Fellow councillors Rhonda Coghlan and Anna Middleton have also said that the document should be handed down every 12 months.
Meanwhile Mayor Amy Eden has declared that she supports less reporting along with Division Two councillor Matthew Tickner.
Far North councils had an obligation to prioritise sustainability given residents relied on its natural wonders to drive the region’s economy, Cairns and Far North Environment Centre director Bronwyn Opie said.
“Cairns sits between two World Heritage icons, the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics, and is on the front line of climate impacts,” Ms Opie said.
“In that context, cutting back State of the Environment reporting from every year to once every four years is a step backwards in transparency and accountability.”
Recent natural disasters, including TC Jasper and the ensuing flood showed that the council needed to deliver more reporting in easy-to-access ways for residents, Ms Opie said.
“Environmental change is not happening on a four-year cycle,” she said.
“Heatwaves, flooding, water security and habitat loss are playing out year-by-year. Our reporting needs to keep pace with that reality.
“Instead of scaling back to four-yearly reports, the council should modernise how it shares environmental data.
“Streamline the document, publish key indicators each year, or create a live dashboard.
“The community deserves regular, transparent updates on how we’re tracking emissions, waste and water.”
Last month, the Cairns Post revealed that the council had dumped 20,000 tonnes more waste into landfill in the last financial year than the last time the State of the Environment report was published.
The figures followed the blaze that destroyed the Bedminster Advanced Resource Recovery Facility in January.
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘On the front line’: Cairns’ trash problem prompts calls for more environmental reporting
