92kg of illegal fireworks seized at Qld border
A two-day operation to stop illegal fireworks from entering Queensland has wrapped up at the Northern Territory-Queensland border.
Operation Bright Sky was run by the state's explosives regulator 'Resources Safety and Health Queensland' (RSHQ), and the Queensland Police Service following the Northern Territory's annual Cracker Night.
Cracker Night is part of Territory Day, where for 5 hours on July 1 each year, anyone in the NT is allowed to detonate fireworks without the need for a licence or specialist training.
This year's joint operation at the border from July 2 to July 3 seized double the weight of illegal fireworks entering Queensland than in 2023.
Operation Bright Sky 2024 results:
- 92kg kilograms of fireworks seized
- More than 5000 individual fireworks seized.
RSHQ Explosives Inspector Raymond Stewart said it's often families with young children who try to bring fireworks into Queensland, and they don't always understand it's illegal to do so.
"People need to realise these are not toys," said Mr Stewart.
"Fireworks when used incorrectly can cause serious injury.
"In the last year or so we've had a Queensland man permanently blinded in both eyes, and a man in the Northern Territory had his arm partially amputated from the incorrect use of fireworks.
"At the end of the day we're not here to be the fun police, we just want to make sure Queenslanders are safe."
The maximum penalty for possessing illegal fireworks in Queensland is 6 months imprisonment, or a fine of $64,520, however there is no penalty if illegal fireworks are handed over willingly.
Seized fireworks are taken to a secure location and destroyed by RSHQ explosives inspectors.
In 2023, the operation saw 45 kilograms of explosives confiscated, or 350 individual items.
ENDS
Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ) is the regulator of safety and health legislation across Queensland’s mining, quarrying, explosives (including fireworks) petroleum and gas industries. RSHQ’s priority is the safety and health of workers and the communities they operate in, with a vision of zero serious harm.
Media contact
Amy McCann
0457 094 250
Last updated: 05 Jul 2024