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Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dispute breaks out as dog owner is warned they are breaking a ridiculous rule after committing a very common act: 'Don't film'
A dog owner has clashed with a council worker over a little-known rule about pets in public. The dispute began when two City of Gold Coast workers told the owner that she wasn't allowed to tie her dog to a tree outside her motorhome. In footage taken by the owner's male friend and shared to TikTok, two council officers approached the vehicle and ordered the man not to video the exchange, saying he was not given 'permission'. He argued it was a 'public place' and continued to film the conversation while one of the officers, who appeared to be wearing a bodycam device, introduced herself as Helen. 'You can't have your dog tethered to this tree. You can have him tethered to your vehicle,' she said. The man filming the exchange challenged the council worker, asking what law she was referring to. Dog owners on the Gold Coast are required to keep dogs on a leash unless in a designated off-leash area. Failure to do so can result in an on-the-spot fine of $806. The dog in question appeared to be securely tied to a tree. 'It's great that you have him on a lead but people are walking past here and somebody said he was barking at them, they were afraid and he was aggressive,' Helen said. She explained a complaint had been made to the council and she, and her colleague, had been asked to investigate. 'I'm recording this conversation as we're in a public space. I'm protecting my rights,' the man said as he questioned the council workers authority regarding the complaint. Helen turned to the dog owner and asked whether she was responsible for three dogs she had seen next to the motorhome 'because this is a public place with people walking up and down'. The cameraman explained the two officers worked for the Gold Coast City Council for the benefit of the recording as Helen turned to him and asked him to be quiet. At this point, the male council worker, who had been standing away from the exchange, told Helen to 'leave it'. 'Keep [the dog] tethered to the truck and that will be fine,' Helen told the owner before walking away. 'The other two dogs when we came around the corner, they were off lead so if they're in [the motorhome] that's completely fine, but once they come outside they've got to be on lead.' Once the workers had walked away, the man behind the camera told his friend that 'when you hit them with the actual law they've got no authority'. A City of Gold Coast spokesman told Daily Mail Australia that 'ensuring a dog is under "effective control" in public is a legal requirement under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008'. 'In all public places, a dog owner/keeper must be physically capable of controlling the dog, by either having the dog on a leash or securely tethered to a fixed object under continuous supervision,' he said. 'These laws are designed to protect public safety and reduce the risk of dog attacks. 'As of July 2024, failing to maintain effective control can result in an on-the-spot fine of $806, with more severe penalties for serious incidents.' Social media users appeared to side with the dog owner and accuse council of overreach. 'All local councils need to be abolished,' one wrote.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- ABC News
Gold Coast bakery Pane Organico fined $40k after discovery of flies, mould and pigeons
A popular Gold Coast bakery that operated without a food licence for seven months has been fined $40,000 after health inspectors found live pigeons, an infestation of flies, congealed food waste and mould. Pane Organico Italian Bakery was charged with 35 offences under the Food Standards Act, including sell unsuitable food, handle food for sale in a way that will or likely make food unsuitable, and contravene condition of licence. On Wednesday Southport Magistrates Court heard that Pane Organico's director and baker, Luigi Incampo, was present when Gold Coast City Council health officers inspected the bakery on multiple occasions in October 2022, December 2023 and July 2024. Incampo pleaded guilty. Special counsel representing the City of Gold Coast, Jaclyn Poulton, told the court inspectors found "mould congealed on a trolley" next to an "uncovered bucket of cream" along with a "thick layer of fat" over a cooking surface where "dust had accumulated". Ms Poulton showed the court photographs of a fly on prosciutto, an uncleaned meat slicer, live pigeons within the bakery, congealed food waste around an egg white container and an accumulation of grease around drains. Other photos showed feathers on the floor of the food preparation area. Pane Organico's food licence was suspended on February 9, 2024, but the business continued operating for seven months and did not return its food licence to council officers as required, the court heard. Pane Organico's representative Philip Whitehead told the court the bakery had been operating since August 2018 and, though it remained registered with ASIC, had now "closed doors". He said Incampo did not excuse "the overall lack of cleanliness" but that he was working for up to 14 hours a day and had only three sales staff employed to assist him. Mr Whitehead said the bakery had also seen sales decline due to construction on the light rail project nearby. He said Incampo, 72, regretted the incidents but could not keep up with the demands of city health inspectors. In sentencing, Justice Lisa O'Neill said the bakery had shown a "repeated failure to remedy breaches" and that microbiological testing had shown some of the food could have caused sickness. No conviction was recorded.
