This ad will be closed automatically in X seconds.

Australian Council Keeps Balloon Releases Legal

Councillors in Stirling – a district in Perth, in Western Australia – have opted not to support a proposed ban on the release of helium balloons.

The council will instead amend the relevant guidelines to simply advise the public not to release helium balloons at events hosted or supported by the city.

The decision was made after a report presented at a meeting about whether to amend current guidelines or implement a local ban. The council was discussing the issue because a member of the public had reported finding a Stirling City Council-branded balloon on the local beach.

The report said releasing balloons was generally seen as not having an impact because they disappear from sight but that recent beach litter surveys showed the number of balloons and balloon pieces found on beaches had tripled in the last 10 years.

“There is an increasing body of research showing that rubber balloons and hard plastic balloon ties can have detrimental environmental impacts,” it said.

“Accompanying this research is a growing level of community pressure on state and local governments to significantly reduce these ecological impacts.”

Concerns around a ban were cited as difficulty in monitoring and enforcing it as well as needing infringement officers to witness intentional releases.

The report said a local ban would not provide the same ‘consistency’ as a statewide ban and could create confusion because of disparities between councils.

“The Government has no current plans to legislate a statewide ban on the release of balloons, however, it supports efforts to raise public awareness of the unintended consequences of releasing balloons during celebrations,” said environment minister Stephen Dawson.

Stirling will join seven other Perth local governments that have policies relating to the release of helium balloons.

MORE NEWS
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (19)
 
Progressive Party looks at the importance of licensing in the sector and what the latest trends are....
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (18)
 
Spring Fair 2025 is on track to sell out at its 75th anniversary edition. ...
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (17)
 
Rubies has been recognised at Walmart's Sustainability Milestone Meeting as one of 10 vendors working towards more sustainable practices....
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (16)
 
Essex-based balloon shop, Heartfelt Balloons, has relocated to a new premises in Hadleigh....
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (15)
 
Customers can now shop from over 700 Party City stores across the US on Instacart for same-day delivery in as fast as an hour....
Copy of Progressive Preschool featured image (3)
 
Research by Vypr has shown that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting how UK consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year. ...
Get the latest news sent to your inbox
Subscribe to our daily newsletter