In a world where the call for environmental conservation rings louder, local governments are trying to balance sustainability with public satisfaction.

The latest move by a city council, however, has left residents feeling more than disgruntled.

In an attempt to conserve paper, the Brisbane City Council recently introduced a $1.98 paper rate.

This fee could apply to homeowners who prefer to receive their rate notices via traditional mail.

The introduced rate should encourage ratepayers to register their email addresses and receive their bills online free of charge.

Ms Warren believed that the imposed paper fee should be retracted, hence the petition. Image Credit: Change.org/Ava Warren

According to the Brisbane City Council's website, the switch to paperless billing was a way to keep the city 'liveable and sustainable'.

The council deemed the fee as a necessary measure to 'cover the additional costs involved when issuing physical rate notices'.

Apart from the digital billing, the council started offering free SMS reminders to ensure residents don't miss their due dates.

However, the council's push for this eco-friendly initiative met criticism.

Brisbane resident Ava Warren took a stand against this fee.

Ms Warren labelled the fee as 'rubbish' and launched a petition to have it removed.

'The Brisbane public was not consulted on this, and it is another clear example of politicians screwing over the general public under the mask of saving the environment,' Ms Warren lamented.

'Once again, this is pushing the responsibility onto average households rather than big corporations.'

She also raised concerns about potential security breaches and cited recent data breaches that happened to Optus and Medibank.

Despite the council's efforts to promote the paper rate, Ms Warren's petition has already garnered numerous signatures.

This indicated a possible disconnect between the council's environmental goals and the community's readiness to embrace changes imposed by the council.

Other major Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne offer both email and postal notices without additional fees.

These comparisons raised questions about the necessity of Brisbane's approach.

As of writing, the Brisbane City Council has yet to comment on the matter.

Key Takeaways

• The Brisbane City Council introduced a $1.98 fee for paper notices, which caused outrage among residents.
• The fee aimed to encourage ratepayers to switch to free digital billing and asserted that the fee should cover the extra cost of physical notices.
• Brisbane local Ava Warren launched a petition against the fee. She claimed that it unfairly shifted the responsibility of environmental conservation onto average households.
• Other Australian city councils offer both digital and postal notices without fees, which raised concerns about Brisbane's approach.

Have you faced similar fees or charges in your local community? Are these measures fair, or do they place an undue burden on the community? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.

 

[Wayneo]

This is not really a new thing in Victoria over the last few years utility companies and other businesses have added a fee if you don’t want your bills sent electronically.

 

[elaine41]

This is just another way for large companies to raise more revenue while we, the customers, pay more.

If a company wants to make use of my email address to send their a/cs then they have to pay me for the use of my computer, cost of internet, electricity to run computer, printer/paper/ink so I can print out my a/c so I have a record of what I was charged, my time to search & print. A hard copy of all a/cs is essential so receipt number can be recorded in case of future dispute with the company. I estimate this cost to be $5/account.

 

[Free.lander]

where is the petition so that I can sign it as well-- people in authority have this fantastic notion that because they have a cell phone every one else is computer literate--what a dream land they live in. If the councils want to cross over to E-mail accounts, fine but why should people who do not have computers, cell phones and are no computer literate, have to pay anything for receive their notices
Let me give a bit of an example -- of 1.2 million people at least 750,000 will be rate payers. Now allowing that 90% are computer literate and agree to getting their notices by e-mail that leaves 75,000 who are not using any form of electronic device and rely on snail mail
now for some rubbery figures 675,000 people getting notices by e-mail is saving the council $1.350 million dollars in postage yet that saving is not enough so they are going to add $2.00 more to people who generally are struggling to pay rates
Typical LNP economics
when you are not saving enough and need to continually raise the rates, increase the rates cost with a new tax that you can legally say was not in the rate rise
And the LNP are demanding that we vote for them in this election

 

[winterjim]

The right incentive would be to give a discount of the $1.98 new fee to customers using electronic delivery. The cost to print and deliver paper versions has and still is factored into the cost already. Penalizing those people, most of whom are the elderly and low income who do not have email facility is just unfair.

 

[Free.lander]

The right incentive would be to give a discount of the $1.98 new fee to customers using electronic delivery. The cost to print and deliver paper versions has and still is factored into the cost already. Penalizing those people, most of whom are the elderly and low income who do not have email facility is just unfair.

well said and factual to boot

 

[Corky]

This is not really a new thing in Victoria over the last few years utility companies and other businesses have added a fee if you don’t want your bills sent electronically.

I'm 75 and love getting my bills electronically. Less junk to have to throw away

 

[tekkac]

Another money grab

 

[Wayneo]

where is the petition so that I can sign it as well-- people in authority have this fantastic notion that because they have a cell phone every one else is computer literate--what a dream land they live in. If the councils want to cross over to E-mail accounts, fine but why should people who do not have computers, cell phones and are no computer literate, have to pay anything for receive their notices
Let me give a bit of an example -- of 1.2 million people at least 750,000 will be rate payers. Now allowing that 90% are computer literate and agree to getting their notices by e-mail that leaves 75,000 who are not using any form of electronic device and rely on snail mail
now for some rubbery figures 675,000 people getting notices by e-mail is saving the council $1.350 million dollars in postage yet that saving is not enough so they are going to add $2.00 more to people who generally are struggling to pay rates
Typical LNP economics
when you are not saving enough and need to continually raise the rates, increase the rates cost with a new tax that you can legally say was not in the rate rise
And the LNP are demanding that we vote for them in this election

It’s got nothing to do with the LNP

 

[DLHM]

The right incentive would be to give a discount of the $1.98 new fee to customers using electronic delivery. The cost to print and deliver paper versions has and still is factored into the cost already. Penalizing those people, most of whom are the elderly and low income who do not have email facility is just unfair.

Excellent point @winterjim.

 

[Kahlan28]

Good for you Ava Warren, I hope your Council has the brains to listen to the people instead of dictating what we have to do or be penalised for it with extra fees. I hope you win

 

[Free.lander]

It’s got nothing to do with the LNP

it is a liberal council.

 

[Veggiepatch]

According to the Brisbane City Council's website, the switch to paperless billing was a way to keep the city 'liveable and sustainable'.

On what planet is the clown who devised this "statement" live on?

 

[Veggiepatch]

It’s got nothing to do with the LNP

The mayor and deputy mayor of the Brisbane City Council are both LNP hacks.

 

[PattiB]

All of our bills are sent electronically & it saves so much angst as they often arrived while we were in WA. my husband still prints them all out as he likes hard copies of everything, unfortunately. My brother, who stays in our house while we’re away, used to express post them over but mail between Tassie & WA can be so slow depending on whether they use the fast or slow camels. No offence to lovely WA people.

 

[Catherines]

Why should ratepayers have to pay for postal of their rates notices when the Lord Mayer of Brisbane sends out an 8-PAGE COLOURED BROCHURE EVERY MONTH to EVERY household in his council area? Every time we receive one I grumble to my long-suffering husband that our Lord Mayor is wasting so much rate-payer money. This comes to us on good quality paper every month. Now councils are expecting rate payers to pay the postage cost as well??!!! EVERY POSTBOX receives a copy as well as all rental properties the occupants of which do not actually pay separate rates as these are absorbed into the rent they are charged.

NOT A GOOD ALTERNATIVE - this information should be put on each council’s website in every council area for ratepayers to access. Admittedly there are people who do not have access to a computer to read the monthly information so they need to ask for the postal copies and pay the charge. It should not just be put in every postbox - what a darned waste of money that is coming out of our rates which, incidentally, automatically go up every year.

Repair the suburban roads in Brisbane that are in such a bad state with this wasted money instead, Mr Lord Mayor.

 

[DLHM]

All of our bills are sent electronically & it saves so much angst as they often arrived while we were in WA. my husband still prints them all out as he likes hard copies of everything, unfortunately. My brother, who stays in our house while we’re away, used to express post them over but mail between Tassie & WA can be so slow depending on whether they use the fast or slow camels. No offence to lovely WA people.

I prefer my bills to be sent electronically too. So easy to be kept up to date when away, especially since they are paid by Direct Debit.

The last place I lived, had a “postal thief” for a few months. Letterbox contents were taken, I assume for Identity Fraud.

But those who choose to receive their bills by post for whatever reason, should not be penalised.

 

[Catherines]

According to the Brisbane City Council's website, the switch to paperless billing was a way to keep the city 'liveable and sustainable'.

On what planet is the clown who devised this "statement" live on?

I agree with your comment, Veggiepatch.

?? Liveable & sustainable?? He is definitely not on this planet if he’s asking us to pay for postage when he is wasting so much money sending out 8-page coloured brochures every month to every postbox on what is happening in his council area. Does he think all his rate-payers are stupid?

 

[PattiB]

Why should ratepayers have to pay for postal of their rates notices when the Lord Mayer of Brisbane sends out an 8-PAGE COLOURED BROCHURE EVERY MONTH to EVERY household in his council area? Every time we receive one I grumble to my long-suffering husband that our Lord Mayor is wasting so much rate-payer money. This comes to us on good quality paper every month. Now councils are expecting rate payers to pay the postage cost as well??!!! EVERY POSTBOX receives a copy as well as all rental properties the occupants of which do not actually pay separate rates as these are absorbed into the rent they are charged.

NOT A GOOD ALTERNATIVE - this information should be put on each council’s website in every council area for ratepayers to access. Admittedly there are people who do not have access to a computer to read the monthly information so they need to ask for the postal copies and pay the charge. It should not just be put in every postbox - what a darned waste of money that is coming out of our rates which, incidentally, automatically go up every year.

Repair the suburban roads in Brisbane that are in such a bad state with this wasted money instead, Mr Lord Mayor.

Glad my council doesn’t do this. What a total waste, I’d be ranting as well. In Launceston we even have to print our own roster for bin collection. They do mail out our yearly tip use voucher but that’s about all. The last municipality we lived in always gave a reasonable discount for paying rates in full but not this one so we all pay quarterly. It was over 30 years ago though.

 

[Southmelbswans]

I agree with your comment, Veggiepatch.

?? Liveable & sustainable?? He is definitely not on this planet if he’s asking us to pay for postage when he is wasting so much money sending out 8-page coloured brochures every month to every postbox on what is happening in his council area. Does he think all his rate-payers are stupid?

Probably a young 20 something just out of uni in first job and trying to impress the boss (Mr Mayor) so he can climb the corporate ladder (and get a $500 suggestion award)