By Laura Michell
People attending a hoon event or parked within 200 metres of a hoon event could be fined, under a proposed change to Hume council’s local laws.
Council is updating its local laws, with draft laws currently out for community consultation.
The introduction of a new clause in the laws that make it an offence to gather at a hoon event is one of a number of changes, with council also clamping down on dumped shopping trolleys, unsightly properties and clothing donation bins.
Speaking at a council meeting on Monday, February 13, councillor Naim Kurt said the new draft local laws were a significant piece of work.
“I am really excited to see we have more provisions for hoon driving,” he said.
“We have worked very closely with Victoria Police around this to ensure that those who are within a 200 metre radius of a hoon event can be booked and fined.
“That should hopefully help to decrease some of the hoon driving that we see in our municipality.”
In January 2018, neighbouring Brimbank council became the first council in the state to introduce anti-hoon laws. The local law made it an offence to participate in, encourage, or attend a hoon event without lawful excuse, and for a driver of a motor vehicle to stop or park in close proximity to a hoon event without lawful excuse.
In the first three years, 327 infringements were issued in Brimbank.
Under the draft laws, retailers would required to mark their trade name on shopping trolleys and install coin-operated or perimeter constraint systems on trolleys in an effort to reduce the number of trolleys dumped around the municipality.
Cr Karen Sherry said council was “going a bit harder” on some offences, such as dumped shopping trolleys.
The draft laws also propose to restrict the installation of clothing donation bins by requiring bin owners to obtain a permit from council for bins installed in public and private land.
As reported by Star Weekly, illegal dumping and littering costs the council almost $2.6 million each year.
Residents can have their say on the draft local laws until March 31 via participate.hume.vic.gov.au/local-laws-review-2022.
