Is pesticide spray on food leading to movement disorders?
Precautionary principle - ban paraquat

"Paraquat and the related herbicide diquat are fast-acting weedkillers that farming groups say are essential for controlling resistant weeds."

"Multiple epidemiological studies from different groups of scientists have shown that people exposed to paraquat have around a three times greater risk [of developing Parkinson's disease]."

'The chemicals have been under review by the APVMA since 1997 and they are banned in the EU, the UK and China due to their toxicity.'

"There are now multiple epidemiological studies or real-world exposure studies that have suggested that paraquat increases the risk of Parkinson's disease by around threefold...Like Australia, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to allow restricted use of the pesticide despite ongoing health concerns." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-08/neurologists-not-consulted-in-paraquat-weed-killer-review/106758882

Visualising the “blanket of agricultural toxins” from space
This Yellow Glyphosate Map Reveals Where Farmers in the Netherlands Spray the Controversial Herbicide >>
https://www.europeanpressprize.com/article/this-yellow-glyphosate-map-reveals-where-farmers-in-the-netherlands-spray-the-controversial-herbicide/
#food #pesticides #glyphosate #Roundup #paraquat #weedkillers #SprayDrift #volatilisation #neurotoxicity #MovementDisorders #toxins #harm #farm #workers #residents #councils #LoggingIndustry #science #APVMA #regulation #Australia #SoilDegradation #water

"The Indian myna
was released in Victoria in the 1860s to eat insects but has become one of the highest-ranking pests on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List."

"It competes with native birds and wildlife, damages crops, can spread avian malaria and cause dermatitis, allergies and asthma in humans."

"There are calls for more councils to offer bounties, or for the state or federal governments to implement a coordinated management program. Grassy lawns and leftover pet food sustain Indian myna populations."

"There are calls for more councils to offer bounties, or for the state or federal governments to implement a coordinated management program." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-05/frustration-indian-myna-bird-driving-grassroots-action/106651956
#birds #InvasiveSpecies #native #wildlife #councils #pets #lawns #BellingShire #Bellingen

Get a mayor

It is said that Australia is currently experiencing a nationwide pothole crisis, driven by the combustion of fossil fuel. (Extreme weather, flooding, and aging infrastructure)

Motorists (and other residents) could elect a mayor who actually acts on worn out roads as well as taking action to address issues of pressing public concerns.

* Potholes everywhere: how climate change is trashing Australia’s roads >>
https://theconversation.com/intense-rain-landslides-and-potholes-everywhere-how-climate-change-is-trashing-australias-roads-264328

* "Mamdani has also filled over 100,000 potholes. I’m no expert, but the data suggests that is a remarkable rate of hole-filling." >>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/19/when-i-look-zohran-mamdani-jealous-of-new-yorkers

* Here’s a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months , First Dog on the Moon >>
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/may/18/heres-a-list-of-things-zohran-mamdani-has-done-in-just-four-months

Image: First Dog on the Moon, Guardian
#councils #CivicLeadership #mayors #PublicConcerns #action #inequality #BellingenShire #climate #FossilFuels #MobilityDesign #housing

Free to roam - Councils are too poor to manage roaming cats that kill 96 million native animals each year in New South Wales

"Animal rescuers across New South Wales say they're struggling to cope with a surge in surrendered cats, warning legislative gaps are fuelling a growing stray "crisis"."

"Under the Companion Animals Act in NSW, cats can only be seized if found in a dedicated food preparation or wildlife protection area, otherwise they are free to roam. "This 'free to roam' is perpetuating a constant breeding cycle that all of us rescuers are overwhelmed with."..."Until cats are treated the same as dogs and have to be desexed and contained, this is just going to get worse and worse." "

"On average the Invasive Species Council estimates each roaming pet cat kills 186 animals per year...We need council and the government to step up."

"In September the NSW Greens introduced a bill proposing to introduce cat containment laws, which would require pet owners to keep their cats inside. The state government is expected to finalise its review within the coming months."

"We would encourage people to keep their cats inside all the time, especially at night." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-18/stray-cat-crisis-new-south-wales/106595620

"Cats kill approximately 96 million native animals each year in New South Wales, including millions of mammals, birds, and reptiles." >>
https://invasives.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Pet-cat-impacts-June-2023.pdf
#cats #pets #dogs #ContainmentFailures #biodiversity #wildlife #mobility #NSW #law #values #councils #Bellingen #Gleniffer #BellingenShire

It’s time for fair votes in English local govt

In #English local #elections, #voting system means #councils don’t reflect how people actually #voted

A small vote shift can completely change who is in control

Right now, millions of local #votes don’t help shape the final result

This leaves voters feeling powerless, because even when lots of people vote for change, final result can look nothing like the community itself

Sign:

https://action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/2401/petition/1?utm_medium=mastodon_fediverse

#DemocracyNow #ProportionalRepresentation

This could happen anywhere in Australia:
Biodiversity conservation going to the dogs

Somewhere in crowded suburbia is a small creek with a bit of bush left behind by accident. It is a refuge for swamp wallabies, blue wrens and many other species of the biodiversity kin.

‘User groups’, that is locals and their dogs demand that the last bit of green is for their ‘recreation’ and not Australian flora and fauna. Pet owners allow that their roaming dogs destroy the last small fragmented refuges where native wildlife can survive.

Recently a council voted to fence dogs out of the park "to manage the growing dog population in the municipality." There are “problems with dog behaviour…They (swamp wallabies) are threatened and chased and killed by dogs.”

Anger and vandalism followed. Local pet owners demand to "make the park off-leash for dogs.” The dispute requires 'conflict experts’ from outside to get involved.

In a place where everything is 'dog friendly’ and where half of Australian households own at least one dog, they implicitly ‘voted with their paws’ to be 'wildlife unfriendly'.

* Conflict experts called in following a dispute over a dog fence in Coburg >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-04-09/merribek-calls-in-conflict-experts-about-coburg-dog-fence/106541266

* A 'balancing act' as council votes to fence dogs out of park, sparking safety concerns >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-21/merri-creek-dog-fence-swamp-wallaby-coburg-victoria/105675854
#biodiversity #wildlife #conservation #UserGroups #dogs #pets #roaming #DogOwners #TheBush #recreation #parks #FOMC #fences #UrbanEcology #extinction #councils #WildlifeUnfriendly