{"id":26278,"date":"2026-06-07T04:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T04:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/26278\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T04:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T04:33:16","slug":"dangerous-sight-in-aussie-skies-sparks-urgent-call-for-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/26278\/","title":{"rendered":"Dangerous sight in Aussie skies sparks urgent call for ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hours after helium balloons are released in cities and suburbs,<\/a> they’re creating a dangerous problem for the natural world.<\/p>\n

They can easily reach heights of up to 3km in the sky, and be blown for hundreds or even thousands of kilometres across land and sea.<\/a><\/p>\n

While they look incredible while floating above, their brightly coloured plastics are often mistaken for food by marine turtles, birds, fish, dolphins and whales.<\/a><\/p>\n

And their long nylon strings can become entangled around the legs and bodies of wildlife.<\/p>\n

While most states have banned plastic bags, helium balloon releases are still a major problem.<\/p>\n

They are so problematic that in 2025, the federal government added them to its target list of “problematic and unnecessary plastics”<\/a> that need “harmonised” policies across the nation.<\/p>\n

Advocacy group No Balloon Release Australia believes this is an issue that urgently needs to be addressed by the government.<\/p>\n

“It’s something that people just don’t think about \u2014 that at some point a balloon is going to come back to earth,” spokesperson Karen Joynes told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

Have you spotted a problem caused by helium balloons? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jars<\/p>\n

Jars at Taronga Zoo containing plastics that have been taken from marine mammals.<\/p>\n

Aren’t balloon releases banned?<\/p>\n

Legislation to ban balloon releases was introduced by the NSW Labour Government in the Lower House this week and passed with support from the Greens.<\/p>\n

Member for Balmain, Kob Shetty, backed the bill, and later told Yahoo News it was a “great step forward” for the state’s wildlife.<\/p>\n

“Balloons are one of the most dangerous forms of plastic pollution for wildlife and are 32 times more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastics when ingested,” she said.<\/p>\n

But it’s unclear whether the Liberals and Nationals will support the legislation in the Upper House, as the measure is contained within a wider bill aimed at tackling other single-use plastics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, it remains legal to release up to 19 helium balloons into the sky.<\/p>\n

The same outdated rule applies in the ACT, while plans to ban the practice across the Top End have yet to be implemented.<\/p>\n

No Balloon Release Australia is urging residents of these states to do the right thing in the meantime.<\/p>\n

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Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania all have strict bans on releases, while over in South Australia, the act is considered illegal littering.<\/p>\n

Rather than having separate state-based regulations that are hard to enforce, Joynes believes more stringent helium restrictions are the key to solving the issue.<\/p>\n

“Even with bans in place, people are still going to be releasing balloons illegally,” she said.<\/p>\n

“So we need to regulate it so you can’t use it to fill balloons.”<\/p>\n

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