A TALE OF TWO NOISY CITIES

GOLD COAST : Police are called to a noisy party twice in one night . First off, police request lowering of noise , which results in some reduction, but some yobs later crank up the volume. Police return and issued a $200 on the spot fine. Decibels plummet, neighbours breathe sigh of relief, hit the pillow .

DARWIN : Two tired looking police officers, possibly due to long shift and or coping with weekend madness in the CBD, are called twice in one night to the home of a serial offender who , on his lonesome, has been blasting the neighbourhood for years with super woofer. On each occasion they have to clamber over a locked , high gate. Person warned. Numerous other complaints to police , NT Government , local member of parliament , no REAL action, no move to change legislation giving police power to issue on the spot fines, leaving it up to the law abiding citizen to seek a noise abatement order - costing him lodgement fee, photocopying charges , sorting out conflicting police advice, disruption to his work and family obligations , further stress and an expensive legal fee. To be successful such an application will probably require a police officer or two to attend court and give evidence.

IN QUEENSLAND, ABC radio invites then Police Minister , Judy Spence ,on air to discuss the vexed problem of noisy neighbours . One complaint about a noisy neighbour , who for six or seven years has received many visits from police , resulting in no change ; noise so loud a picture frame vibrates off a coffee table,et ,etc, etc. Ditto Darwin . On air –grab this , REAL ACTION - the Queensland minister announces she will bring in legislative change to enable police to issue on the spot fines on noisy neighbours .

IN THE TERRITORY , it is to be hoped that the Darwin ABC gets Police Minister Paul Henderson in to take calls from residents about noisy neighbours to see if he responds as quickly as his Queensland counterpart. Recently a seemingly solicitious solicitor confided to Little Darwin that he has an unresolved problem with a neighbour and his noisy motorbike . If a lawyer cannot sort out this problem , what hope has the average Joe ? In the past, on a chat line discussion of noise in Darwin, it was suggested by one person that the answer to a noisy neighbour was a .303 . While this may have been a facetious comment , there was an episode in Fannie Bay some moons ago where shots were fired at a man mowing his lawn on the Sabbath.

Individuals and families are driven to distraction by noisy neighbours and contemplation of extreme measures due to the failure of the NT Government to come to grips with this problem. The NT Law Reform Society has not advanced any bright ideas on this subject, but then it might mean less business for their members .