10 crazy Victorian laws you didn’t know about: annoying kite flying, blaring ‘obscene’ songs in public
Vacuuming before 7am, doing business with pirates and hitching a goat to your car are all illegal. Scrub up on our most bizarre laws.
Victoria
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From flying kites to vacuuming to goats, Victoria is home to some wacky rules and regulations.
Here are ten crazy laws in the state of Victoria you may not know about.
1. Flying a kite
It is an offence to fly a kite “to the annoyance of any person” in a public space in Victoria, with the crime carrying a maximum penalty of $777.30 fine.
Section 4, Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic)
2. Obscene songs
It may feel like a hit to Aussie spirit, but singing an obscene song or a ballad in a public space is also not allowed. The crime holds a maximum fine of $1,554.60 or two months imprisonment; $2,331.90 fine or three months imprisonment for a second offence; $3,886.50 fine or six months imprisonment for a third or subsequent offence.
Section 17, Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic)
3. Pirates
It may feel like an ode to times gone past, but Victorians are forbidden from corresponding or doing business with pirates. Those who do not comply risk a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. (
Section 70C, Crimes Act 1958 (Vic)
4. Vacuuming
The opportunity to get back at your noisy neighbour is here: it is an offence in Victoria to make unreasonable noise with a vacuum cleaner after 10pm, before 7am on weekdays, or before 9am on weekends. The noise is considered unreasonable if it can be heard in a ‘’habitable’ room in any other residential property – regardless of whether doors and windows are open or closed.
Police and the local council can stop you from making the noise for 72 hours, with a breach of their direction carrying a maximum fine of a whopping $18,655.20 – with extra fines of up to $4663.80 per day if you don’t obey the ruling.
Section 48A, Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic); Regulation 6, Environment Protection (Residential Noise) Regulations 2008 (Vic)
5. Pigeons
A homing pigeon may seem like a rare find, but interfering with one is a punishable offence in both Victoria and South Australia.
The summary offences act in both states outlines how “any person entering upon enclosed land or premises for the purpose of killing, wounding, disabling, ensnaring, taking, or in any way injuring or destroying a homing pigeon of which he is not the owner, shall be guilty of an offence.”
Pigeon-fuelled criminal activity is punishable by a maximum fine of $250.
6. Cat curfews
Nearly 30 local councils in Victoria have lock-in laws for our feline friends, with rebellious cat owners risking fines as steep as $750.
Cats are natural predators and are notorious for killing native wildlife, destroying native flora – but also, risking being killed themselves when out at night.
Agriculture Victoria and many animal welfare bodies favour cat curfews over allowing them to roam free, for their own good as well as the environment’s.
7. No goats or dogs
In unwelcome news for those seeking an alternative to a car or even bike, sadly it is an offence in Victoria to harness or attach your goat or dog to a vehicle and drive it through a public area.
People caught wielding a goat or dog in an improper manner are at the mercy of a maximum fine of $777.30.
Summary Offences Act 1966 (Vic) s 8(c)
8. Fortune telling
This regulation puts a stopper in anyone’s plans to whip out a crystal ball on the weekend.
In Victoria, it is against the law to pretend to tell people’s futures – or use any sorcery – to try and find stolen goods.
(Vagrancy Act 1966)
9. Electrocution
It is not exclusive to Victoria, but it can be considered a criminal offence to cause death or injury to people as a result of failing to maintain a safe environment on privately owned land.
In theory, you could therefore be fined $200 for your own death by electrocution in Australia.
10. Balloons
Punters hoping for a picturesque balloon release into the sky will be disappointed to learn it is a criminal offence.
Releasing balloons into the environment is considered littering – an illegal act in many countries, including Australia.
Currently, any person caught releasing a helium balloon in Victoria will be fined up to $991 for a person or $4,956 for a company.
Penalties for a series of balloon releases are more severe and will likely result in a payment of a fine for up to $16,522 for a person and $82,610 for a company.
(Section 115 of the Environment Protection Act 2017 for Litter and Pollution in Victoria)
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