Project Update
On 5 July 2023, Council approved the use of Glyphosate to manage weeds in low risk areas.
Looking at how we manage weeds in our City
We’re proposing to change the way we manage and control weeds in our parks, open spaces, alongside roads and in laneways.
Since we stopped using Glyphosate in 2018 to manage weeds, weed control has become less effective. There has also been a growing number of complaints and community requests to better control weeds in and around our open spaces.
We are aware of the growing weight of evidence that shows glyphosate products, which are registered with the APVMA, are safe to use provided they are used as per the label instructions, and we are now proposing to reintroduce Glyphosate to better manage weeds in low-risk environments.
We want to hear your thoughts and understand if there is community support for this change.
Follow this project for updates. Consultation closes midnight Sunday 4 June.
What we heard
We received 43 responses to the online survey in May-June 2023.
We heard that:
- 26 people were against the use of glyphosate and any other herbicide products to control weeds.
- Alternative methods were suggested or preferred by nine (9) respondents,
- Eight (8) respondents considered the use of glyphosate in low-risk environments to be reasonable for effective weed control.
We heard from:
- residents of Albert Park (8), South Melbourne (8), Port Melbourne (7) and St Kilda (6).
- most respondents were aged between 25 and 79 years of age with the 60 - 69 year old age bracket being the most represented.
- 60.4% were women/female, 30.23% were men/male and 9.4% preferred not to say.
A council report was presented at the 5 July Council Meeting.
