As an Independent Member of Parliament (MP), it is important for Sandy to hear directly from Noosa residents, as she does not adopt the ideology or beliefs of any particular political party, nor her own views, and strives to represent the diversity of the Noosa state electorate objectively.

This survey had three questions to gauge the views of Noosa state electorate residents on two very different topics that have arisen. The first two questions were on fluoridation of our drinking water as even though this is within local government jurisdiction, there were calls from the Australian Dental Association for the Queensland Government to take back management of this due to a decline in children’s dental health. The other completely separate topic and subject of the third question was on the proposed implementation by the state government of a public sex offender register.

Summary of Results & Response

The survey ran from 3/02/2024 to 24/02/2024 and was broadcast as standard via Facebook, sent to our newsletter subscribers as well via newspaper columns and in radio interviews. A total of 605 responses were recorded, with 48 responses invalid as they were from residents of other state electorates, or they did not provide enough information to verify their address.  Of the 557 respondents who filled out the fluoridation questions, 553 continued on to complete the public sex offender question.

The results on both issues covered in this survey will be provided to the relevant levels of government, as well utilised when these are raised in Parliament.

Fluoridation

56.19% of 557 respondents were for the state government making determinations regarding fluoridation of the water supply instead of local government. Regarding Noosa’s water supply specifically, 61.04% were for retaining fluoride regardless of which level of government makes the decision.

In the additional comments, there were concerns raised that no chemicals should be used in our water supply. Given that fluoride is just one chemical component of a mix including chlorine, ammonia, chloramine and ozone, among others to make it potable, there may be a lack of knowledge on water processing, hence we have included links to this information below. Regarding our supply, a high amount of Noosa’s drinking water comes from the Lake Macdonald Dam, which has high levels of manganese making it not suitable to consume, so it is diluted with water from the Mary River, before further treatments to remove contaminants. It is important to also note that due to our connection to the SEQ Water Grid, in times of need, our water can come from elsewhere in the network providing water security.

For more information:

Public Sex Offender Register

82.10% of 553 respondents were for the public sex offender proposal as put forward by the government. As included in the background information in the introduction to the survey, the proposed laws are to implement a three-tiered system:

  • Tier One includes a publicly available website with photographs and personal details of reportable offenders, who have failed to comply with their reporting obligations or provided false or misleading information to police.
  • Tier Two includes an application-based system to identify high-risk offenders living in a local area. Queenslanders will be able to apply for a photograph of an offender, so they know what they look like and can be more vigilant of risks.
  • Tier Three includes a Community Protection Disclosure Scheme. Parents or guardians will be able inquire about a specific person who has regular unsupervised contact with their child, so they know if their child is being exposed to dangerous offenders.

The survey showed a clear majority of over 75% of respondents supporting, which will be considered as part of Noosa’s position. However, there were concerns raised in the comments including around unintended consequences and increases in vigilantism, which was also highlighted in research. Other queries included whether this would affect property values and what specific convictions and scenarios could see someone placed on the sex offender register under these laws. We have requested clarifications from the Attorney General as part of our research on this.

For more information:

Full Survey Results by Question

Please find the graphs and results to each individual question below:

Q1. Should the decision of whether fluoride is added to the water supply be made by local councils (local government) or the state government?

Local Councils: 43.81%

State Government: 56.19%

Q2. Regardless of whether local or state government is the deciding body, should fluoride be retained in Noosa’s water supply?

Yes: 61.04%

No: 38.96%

3. Do you support the publication of the sex offender register as put forward by the Queensland Government?

Yes: 82.10%

No: 17.90%

Further information

Thank you to all residents who participate in any Noosa issue specific surveys, and/or our annual Noosa MP community survey as it is important to gather this information.

For participants from outside the Noosa state electorate, thank you also for submitting, and we ask that you send your views to your local Queensland MP. If you are unsure which electorate you live in, you can search at www.ecq.qld.gov.au/electoral-boundaries/where-is-my-electorate.

Noosa state electorate surveys

To see results from our surveys on others matters relevant to Noosa, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Survey.

For Noosa electorate residents, to ensure you are advised directly of any Noosa specific surveys, please subscribe to Sandy’s monthly email newsletter via www.sandybolton.com/newsletters, or call our office on 53193100 as hardcopies can be sent.