Proposed Port Fairy law banning dogs, skateboards and scooters prompts backlash

Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday to receive the petition and respond to the issue at the next council meeting in November.

The proposed ban would apply between 9am and 6pm during the peak tourist period between Christmas Eve and Easter Monday inclusive. The area concerned is Sackville Street between Bank Street and Cox Street, and Bank Street between Princes Street and James Street.

The electronic petition garnered 1455 signatures, while a written petition supporting the proposed law change, which was also accepted by council, boasted 16 signatures.

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Councillor James Purcell said as far as he knew it was the biggest petition Moyne Shire had ever seen.

"Traditionally you would have to go door-to-door, where 300 signatures was a great result. Having said that, it's still an impressive number of signatures," he said.

Of the 1455 who signed the petition, only 289 listed their address as Port Fairy and fewer than 600 said they were from the south-west.

More than half were from outside the region and holidayed in Port Fairy, with many writing that they would stop visiting if the changes went through.

The letter and petition supporting the ban said dogs, scooters and skateboards were a "dangerous burden" in the CBD during the peak tourist season.

Councillor Jordan Lockett said he "very much look(ed) forward to reviewing the feedback" and commenting at the next council meeting.

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