September 24, 2025
A split Gympie Regional Council has voted to remove fluoride from the Gympie region’s water supply.
A decision about fluoride has been dogging the GRC since it received a petition last year demanding that it be removed.
The petition, apparently co-ordinated by the My Place Gympie group, attracted 650 signatures although many were from outside the GRC region.
At Wednesday’s Council meeting, Councillors voted 5-3 to remove fluoride.
Voting for the motion were Mayor Glen Hartwig and councillors Shane Warnes, Allona Lahn, Warren McEwan and Gordon Maudsley.
Cr Lahn unsuccessfully ran in State and Federal elections for the Informed Medical Options Party (IMOP), now known as Heart, which opposed vaccine mandates.
Deputy Mayor Dolly Jensen, Mick Curran and Warren Polley voted to keep fluoride.
Cr Jess Milne left the room and did not vote.
Queensland councils were forced to fluoridate town water supplies in 2008 after the Bligh Government’s Water Fluoridation Act made the practice mandatory.
After the LNP took power, the Newman Government handed the decision back to councils.
Fluoride was removed from the South Burnett’s reticulated water supplies in 2013.
At the time, Council said the decision was partly as a cost-saving measure, and partly because few people drink the water anyway.
Yes, most people drink filtered or tank water these days.
Regardless of experts warning that removing fluoride from the water supply will likely pose a negative effect on children’s teeth, I for one think that the Gympie Council’s decision to do so should be praised. There’s good reason why people have chosen to filter their water, and fluoride is up there as to why.
Would be very interested to take the same to Gold Coast City Council if anyone can offer any advice on how to find an open ear.