News from your local councillor Cr Lance Hewlett
Division 4: Coochiemudlo Island edition
Merry Christmas Redlands Coast!
Christmas is a great time to get out of the house and explore and enjoy Redlands Coast’s many sensational cultural and tourism experiences.
The great weather is perfect for visiting our unique retailers and restaurants, and taking in community events such as the Lighting of the Christmas Tree on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 November at Raby Bay Harbour Park, Cleveland.
It is also time to relax and refresh after what has been another busy year for Redlands Coast.
As we see out 2025, Redland City Council wishes you and your families a safe holiday season full of happiness, laughter and love. And thank you for making Redlands Coast such a special place to live.
Keep vigilant for fire ants
Redlands Coast residents are reminded to stay alert for fire ants.
These invasive ants pose serious risks to the health of people, animals and pets with their aggressive behaviour and painful stings.
With clean-ups going on around the garden over the Christmas break, residents are asked to check their property for any new mounds or nests that may have appeared.
It is vitally important to check there are no fire ants being carried on any garden material or soil that is being disposed of or relocated.
If you spot fire ants, report them within 24 hours by calling 13 22 68 or via the online form at fireants.org.au/report For information about Council’s Fire Ant Management Program visit Council’s website.
Avoid drain pain
Council reminds property owners that they are responsible for ensuring their roof-water system is correctly installed and legally connected to the stormwater system.
It is important that this is done so that roof water run-off does not impact Council infrastructure or compromise community safety. Specifically, your stormwater must not be directed into the sewerage system.
The sewerage network and the stormwater network are two separate systems and they have been designed so that one doesn’t end up in the other.
It is vital that property owners ensure stormwater does not enter the sewerage network via their properties as this could result in the network backing up and causing sewage to overflow.
Get kitted out for severe weather
Redlands Coast residents are being urged to be as prepared as possible for this year’s bushfire and severe storm season. Simple steps you can take include clearing debris from roofs and gutters, trimming branches that overhang dwellings and removing overgrown vegetation.
One of the most important things to do is to prepare an emergency kit for your household.
When you consider how Tropical Cyclone Alfred affected the city – areas were cut off, communications were down and many people were left without power for days – then the value of having an emergency kit is evident.
Many residents used the days before the cyclone hit to gather essentials, but we don’t always get advance warning of a disaster.
Emergency kit essentials
Here is a checklist of recommended essential items to have in your kit. They should be placed in a waterproof bag or container and stored in an easily accessible location.
; First aid kit
; Essential toiletries
; Water
; Non-perishable food
; Can opener
; Battery-operated radio
; Torch
; Spare batteries
; USB
; Important documents
; Phone and portable charger
; Sturdy gloves
; Hand sanitiser
; Sanitiser wipes
; Tissues
; Face masks
Hidden water world
Redland City Council has lifted the lid on the underground water cycle infrastructure that keeps our city flowing.
Redlands Coast’s water and wastewater network is a massive interconnection of mains, drains and pipes weaving their way under the city.
Council is responsible for receiving bulk water from Seqwater and delivering it to residents through its distribution network.
Last year, Council entity City Water delivered 14.38 gigalitres of drinking water, enough to fill 5750 Olympic swimming pools.
City Water’s potable water network connects 73,000 properties via 1325 km of reticulation pipes, all working 24/7 beneath your feet.
Cool cats stay close to home
Council recognises that pets enrich our quality of life, but straying cats cause impacts for neighbours and wildlife.
Cat owners are being urged to keep their animals safe on their property. Council received 240 complaints in relation to straying cats last financial year.
In addition, 407 cats were impounded at Redland Animal Shelter because of them straying on to neighbouring properties and causing a nuisance.
Straying cats often have instinctive hunting habits, creating a significant
Every week, water is tested by an independent third-party National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited laboratory to check it meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
There were no health breaches last financial year and none to date this financial year.
Seqwater conducts almost 400,000 quality tests a year to ensure drinking water supplies they distribute are safe across south-east Queensland.
Last year, City Water also treated 14.39 gigalitres of wastewater via 137 sewerage pump stations, through 1223 km of underground pipes to be safely processed through seven wastewater treatment plants.
That equates to a sewer pipeline about the same distance as driving from Redlands Coast to Canberra.
environmental issue given the impacts on local wildlife, particularly birds, reptiles and small mammals.
They can also be hit by cars, injured by other animals or exposed to feline diseases.
Responsible cat ownership also included registration and microchipping, which help to reunite pets with their owners should they become lost or be impounded.
All cats over the age of three months must be microchipped and registered with Council, with Council offering a discounted registration fee for desexed cats.
Rules around dog barking
Responsible pet ownership includes being mindful of how often your dog barks.
Some barking is acceptable, but excessive barking could become a neighbourhood nuisance and it is important to find out why your dog is behaving in this way.
Problem barking differs from one dog to the next. It could be because they are excited, stressed, bored, in pain, defending their territory, or perhaps lonely – and many dogs will bark when their owners are not at home.
Under Redland City Council's local law, owners are responsible for ensuring their animal doesn't cause a noise nuisance. A dog is considered to be creating a noise nuisance if:
• It barks/howls for more than a total of 6 minutes in any one-hour period between 7am and 10pm on any day
• It barks/howls for more than a total of 3 minutes in any 30-minute period between 10pm and 7am on any day.
There are more than 30,000 registered dogs on Redlands Coast.