GOOD NEIGHBOURS KEEP THEIR NOISE TO THEMSELVES!

Complaints about noisy abusive neighbours are on the rise, and present a serious social issue not being adequately addressed at the local level. Tougher bylaws are called for, along with the weeding out of bylaw employees that have become part of the problem rather than the solution.

According to a recent job opening, bylaw employees are expected to have "...the ability to deal with potentially confrontational matters with tact and diplomacy." From the reports we've received, however, this is clearly not happening. In extreme cases, bylaw employees have actually goaded and taunted the victim, and refused to respond to their complaints, thereby enabling the abusers. Highly controversial "Affirmative Action" programs have been cited as a possible reason for the decline in quality staffing.

There is also a pressing need for a legal option similar to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which deals with neighbour disputes in an inexpensive, timely, and informal manner, before they escalate and become violent.