Serving

REQUEST A MEETING

If you live in the Ward of Walter Taylor, you are welcome to request a meeting with Councillor Mackay. As well as formal meetings in the office please consider chatting to the Councillor at one of his regular community information sessions.

BORROW A MARQUEE

Councillor Mackay has marquees available for schools and organisations to borrow as needed. Just fill out the form below and someone will get back to you shortly.

Brisbane City Council offers a range of different grants and funding programs to local non-profit community groups to help develop and improve services and facilities across Brisbane.
Available grants and funding programs include:

• Community Grants Program
• Lord Mayor’s Helen Taylor award for history
• Lord Mayor’s Sustainability Grant
• Environmental Grants Program
• Senior Citizens Grants Program
• Community Support Funding Program
• Creative Sparks Grants Program
• Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative Fund
• Lord Mayor’s Young and Emerging Artists Fellowship

Application forms and guidelines for each program, as well as information relating to opening and closing dates, is available from the Brisbane City Council or by calling 3403 8888.

Noise can disrupt sleep and interfere with daily activities. If loud enough, it can also have a detrimental impact on people’s health.

Guide to decibel levels
Some noise regulations include a maximum loudness in decibels. Here are usual decibel levels for everyday situations:

* quiet room in the house – 20 to 30 decibels
* daytime in a quiet residential street – 35 to 45 decibels
* large busy office – 50 to 60 decibels
* lawn mower from 15 metres away – 70 decibels

Which noise complaints are not handled by Council?

The Council does not deal with these common complaints:

• noise from music, parties, off-road vehicles and burglar alarms – contact the Queensland Police on 3364 6464
• noise from premises with a liquor licence – contact the Department of Tourism and Racing’s Liquor Licensing Division on 3224 7196
• other types of noise complaints may be dealt with by the Environmental Protection Agency – contact the agency on 3224 5520

Under the Council’s Animal Local Law 2003, if a dog barks in excess of the following limitations it is considered a nuisance:

• 7am – 10pm
more than six minutes of animal noise in any hour
• 10pm – 7am
more than three minutes of animal noise in any half hour

Animal noise is also considered a nuisance if a Council officer finds it to be:

• unreasonably disrupting or inhibiting an activity ordinarily carried out on residential premises, such as hanging the washing out or gardening

Making a complaint about a barking dog

If your neighbour’s dog is barking excessively, you can take the following steps:
• approach the dog’s owner and state your case clearly and politely
• if the dog’s owner is unapproachable or does not agree that a problem exists, you can contact the Dispute Resolution Centre on 1800 017 288 – this service provides free mediation that is impartial, confidential and available 24 hours a day

If these methods don’t work, you can phone the Council on 07 3403 8888 to report the problem.

How does the Council handle complaints about barking dogs?

The Council will take the following steps after receiving a complaint about a barking dog:
• investigate the complaint to determine whether the dog is causing a noise nuisance
• if the dog is found to be causing a noise nuisance, the Council will serve the owner with a notice to remedy the nuisance and will offer assistance to achieve this
• if the nuisance continues, the Council may issue a $375 fine
• if the dog continues to create a nuisance, the Council may issue a notice to remove the dog. If the owner doesn’t comply, the Council may seize and impound the dog

How can I control my barking dog?
If your dog is barking excessively, consult a vet to determine the cause of the barking.
If the vet is unable to resolve the issue, contact an animal behaviouralist or a dog training organisation. Neighbours may be more patient with your dog’s barking if they are aware of the steps you are taking the fix the problem.

On 1 July 2009, the Queensland State Government introduced new regulations for cat and dog owners.

The Brisbane City Council is responsible for administering these State Government laws, including mandatory registration of cats, microchipping of cats and dogs (seller responsibility), microchipping of cats and dogs when given away (responsibility of person giving the animal away), microchipping of cats and dogs before reaching the age of 12 weeks and tattooing of cats and dogs at the time of desexing.

For more information, please visit Brisbane City Council’s website.

Check out this page on the Brisbane City Council website for information about getting a free native tree.

This page allows you to report all sorts of problems to Council – from graffiti to abandoned cars:

There are thousands of parks in Brisbane. Use this page to check where they are, what equipment there is and what you can do.

Check back here soon and you’ll be able to see different improvements around the world.

This Brisbane City Council web page will show you when your next Kerbside collection is due.

You can download a free app from Brisbane City Council which gives information about your bin collection days.

This page has more information about the app.

Our ward has the Indooroopilly library and nearby are the Toowong and Kenmore libraries.

Check this page for exact locations.

Brisbane City Council provides free WiFi in locations across Brisbane.

Check this page for locations.

There are lots of events, festivals and things to do in Brisbane.

Brisbane City Council has put together a calendar of events, so you’ll never miss another opportunity to get involved with your community!

Current applications under assessment can be viewed at: Brisbane Planning and Development Online

Check out the neighbourhood plans and other local planning projects in Brisbane.

You are more than welcome to contact James Mackay about developments and issues in our local area. Email [email protected]

Australian Electoral Commission has a special page where you can determine your electoral and ward information.

Visit this page on the Australian Electoral Commission site and you can change your address directly.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland has an interactive map you can check out.

From the “Select a council district” tab, choose “Brisbane “Walter Taylor” and follow the prompts.

You can download a PDF version of the map, too.

Join the LNP by visiting their website.

James welcomes help from people who’d like to help the campaign.  Please give James a call on 0479 080 555 to discuss how you might be able to assist.