25-4-06

Media Release

XBOX380 balloons a dud with Greens at Coogee

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The Greens want Microsoft pay extra clean up costs following a publicity stunt that left Coogee Beach covered in burst gray and green balloon shards.

Randwick City Green Councillor Murray Matson says the money paid to the Council for the event did not cover the potential ecological threat to marine life when the shards are washed out to see. He said,

“The promotional stunt happened on Saturday. Residents rang me on Sunday night to tell me that the beach was covered in burst balloons and that they were concerned that sea life that might ingest the shards. I went down early on Monday and counted 18 gray and green balloon shards in a square meter of beach sand. It was typical of most of the northern end of the beach.”

Cr Matson said that Council cleaning procedures were not able to remove the shards. He elaborated,

“I was initially reassured to see that there had not been a high tide and that Council's mechanized beach sweeper was hard at work. Unfortunately on closer examination I could see that the sweeper was only picking up about 50% of the shards. There was a heavy rain last night and it appears to have embedded the debris in to the beach sand.”

Cr Matson said he expected that the next high tide would wash the balloon fragments out into Coogee Bay.

Cr Matson believes that Microsoft, the makers of XBOX380, have not done the right thing by the Council in ensuring that the balloon shards were removed after the event. He said.

“Microsoft have staged the event, grabbed the publicity for their product and then left leaving behind a visual eye sore and and a potential threat to the bays ecology.”

Randwick City Council resolved to allow the promotional event subject to,

“XBOX ensuring appropriate envionmentla considerations in relation to the clean up and disposal of the water balloons...”

The Council had expected that Microsoft would place a large net under the balloons to allow for their easy removal. Cr Matson elaborated,

“The General Manager of the Council is putting extra staff onto the job of clearing up the shards and will bill Microsoft for it.”

Microsoft paid the Council $3,928 to stage the event and donated $20,000 to the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club.

CONTACT: Randwick City Greens Councillor Murray Matson