Help end Queensland's tosser safe status

Butt no excuses...

Queensland is the only State in Australia where concerned citizens can't make a litter report on someone thet've seen littering a cigarette butt from a vehicle.  Despite the fact that littering cigarette butts is illegal, dangerous, destructive to the enviroment, and just plain rude - and not a good look - there's nothing you can do about it - just yet anyway.

The QLD Govt is considering changing the current legislation to bring it into line with every other State, and give concerned citizens the abilty to dob in the morons they see that think it's ok to flick their butts out of their vehicle's windows.  But typically, these proposed changes are moving ahead at glacier pace. 

If you'd like to see these proposed changes enacted as soon as possible, there is something very simple that you can do let them know how you feel - and give the State Govt a little prod in the right direction.  Lord knows they need it...

Send them an email.

At the urging of literally 1,000s of Queenslanders (many of whom are smokers) we've set up an easy way for you to to tell the Govt to pull its finger out and allow us to make citizen litter reports on those 'Ash-holes' we all see littering their butts.  Simply fill in your contact details and click submit, and the two relevant Ministers in the Queensland State Government - and the Premier - will all receive the following email: 


To:
Hon Kate Jones, MP - Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability
Hon Stephen Robertson, MP - Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade
Hon Anna Bligh, MP - Premier of Queensland

RE: Public (citizen) reporting of litterers

Dear Minister(s),

As a concerned citizen of QLD who cares about our environment I would like the same right to make a citizen litter report on those people I see littering their cigarette butts out of their vehicles - as is provided to the citizens of all other Australian States.

Despite the fact that littering cigarette butts is illegal, dangerous, destructive to the enviroment, and just plain rude, there's currently nothing that I as a responsible Queenslander can do about it - and I find this to be absurd.

The current situation is a complete underutilization of an increasingly concerned public that could otherwise be put to good use, and in good faith assist the authorities to stamp out this environmentally unacceptable and socially reprehensible behaviour.

I do of course understand the need to be fair, and to eliminate any malicious or fictitious reporting, but if all other States in Australia can find a way to do it, surely so too can Queensland.

I am aware that the QLD Govt is considering implementing changes to make citizen reporting of offenders possible and I urge your Department(s) to expedite this important amendment as soon as possible. This is even more critical in the high fire danger season.

There are many enourmous challenges facing our environment such as climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and water conservation, etc, and they are going to take decades and cost billions to resolve - that is, assuming that it's still possible to reverse these current and unsustainable situations.  At best, any positive action by individuals on these issues can result in tangible, although virtually imperceptible improvements to the situation.

However with cigarette butt litter, the actions of one individual can (and will) result in the direct behavioural change of individual offenders. Compared to the ultimate cost of addressing the issues of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and water conservation, the costs and resources required in allowing the public to contribute to the elimination of cigarette butt litter are microscopic.

After all, if we don't have the will to enact simple changes that can have an immediate and beneficial effect on the easily solvable environmental problem of cigarette butt litter, there's not really much hope that we'll eventually achieve solutions to the 'bigger environmental problems' confronting our society and our planet.

For these reasons I urge your Government to introduce citizen littering reports - that can be used as the basis for the prosecution of offenders - as soon as possible.

Yours faithfully,

Email *
Name *
Phone *
[ Not readable? Change text ]
Please enter characters above here
Yes, please keep me in the loop

All emails received by Govt Depts are read and considered - and this one will be too.  You might not receive an immediate reply or a personal response, (though in most cases you will receive an acknowledgement of their receipt of your email shortly after submitting it) but all emails are considered and compiled together - and if the Govt sees that enough people care about this issue, they will inevitably act.  It's grass roots democracy in action and that's a beautiful thing.  Equally as beautiful, especially from the environment's perspective would be the elimination of cigarette butt litter.

Alternative methods of contacting the relevant Ministers

You can also fax or snail-mail these two Ministers and the Premier - and if you feel as strongly as we do about this issue, you can even call  

If you think it's time to end QLD's tosser safe status, tell the Govt how you feel!

Ultimately, we're going to have to change the littering habits of individual smokers to eliminate cigarette butt litter.  We're going to have to do it smokers by smoker, but it's not that hard and the journey is well underway. 

Research from other States and locations around the world show that once a litterer receives a fine, or even a warning from the authorities that their butt littering has been reported by a concerned citizen and that any further report of a 'repeat performance' will result in a fine, etc, they almost always stop littering their butts from that point on.  That's good for all - and great for the environment.  And it's environmentally responible participants like you who are making the difference. 
No Butts about it. 

We thank you for your support and for your interest in the issue of cigarette butt litter reduction.

Minister Contact Details:

Hon Kate Jones, MP
Member for Ashgrove
Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability
Level 17, 160 Ann Street 
Brisbane QLD 4000
PO Box 15155, 
City East QLD 4002
tel: (07) 3336-8032
fax: (07) 3227-6309
sustainability@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Hon Stephen Robertson, MP
Member for Stretton
Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade
Level 17, 61 Mary Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
PO Box 15216, 
City East QLD 4002
tel: (07) 3225-1861
fax: (07) 3225-1828
nrmet@ministerial.qld.gov.au

Hon Anna Bligh, MP
Member for South Brisbane
Premier of Queensland
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002
tel: (07) 3224 4500
fax: (07) 3221 3631
thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au