City of Mandurah councillors have approved a motion to potentially minimise the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in popular public spaces.
Deputy mayor Caroline Knight raised a notice of motion at the council meeting on June 25 to request a report looking into reducing the use of the weedkiller in highly trafficked areas.
Ms Knight said she was prompted to suggest the city revisit the use of glyphosate after recent legal cases in the United States and Victoria.
"It is registered for use throughout the world, including Australia ... but there have been a number of court cases around the world and a number of local governments on the east coast are looking to limit its use in areas frequented by people," she said.
"It is important we take a precautionary approach to the potential impacts of glyphosate and have a considered look at how we use it in our public spaces."
It was met with unanimous support from councillors, including Cr Fred Riebeling who seconded the motion.
City of Mandurah CEO Mark Newman also threw his support behind the motion, adding that the safety and wellbeing of the community was paramount.
"The city continues to monitor the national regulator for agricultural chemicals in relation to any new scientific information on the safety and effectiveness of glyphosate, including the information available from other regulators," he said.
"Glyphosate is registered for use by the Australian Government, current scientific evidence indicates that exposure to glyphosate does not pose a carcinogenic or genotoxic risk to humans."
