Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House litter is out of control in Queensland. Local areas, major roads, our beaches, parks and waterways, around fast food outlets and major shopping centres are polluted with litter.

Our oceans and waterways are litter dumps, LITTERally, with more plastic than fish predicted in oceans by 2050. The 2021 #loveourclontarf #100daylittercampaign litter audit data is frightening, 8,313 pieces of litter (3,307 cigarette butts – 40%) collected on a 1.6 kilometre stretch of Snook Street, Clontarf, in just eight weeks, imagine what this equates to across the 226,600 kilometres of roads across Queensland.

Local Queensland scientific research shows the impact of fragments of hard plastics and soft plastics in deceased hatchling turtles. A 2019 Moreton Bay study reported that 33% of local deceased turtles studied between 2006 and 2011 had ingested up to 329 pieces of debris.  Plastic bags, plastic packaging and plastic sheeting are deadly to whales, dolphins and sea turtles. A turtle has a 22% chance of dying if it eats one piece of plastic. Soft plastics, eaten as food, block marine animals gastrointestinal system, causing a long, slow death from starvation. Sharp pieces of debris pierce the gut wall, causing septicaemia and ultimately death.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to:

• undertake a statewide litter awareness and education campaign
• increase litter fines 
• strengthen litter laws to allow Council Rangers to issue on-the-spot fines, and
• adequately resource local government to enforce litter legislation devolved to them by the State.